Member Avatar for hiddepolen

Hi everyone!

I have a strange problem, I haven't been able to solve, even with quite some knowledge of videocards, and computers.
I have an nVidia 250 GTS, purchased a year ago (all new, no second-hand). Everything worked very well, until about a month ago. Sometimes, when I power on my computer, there is just NO output to my monitor. If this happens, the videocard does get power, the fan does start spinning for a while, but my screen stays idle. Also, if this happens, it is always when I power on my computer, NEVER while it is on.
I have the correct drivers installed, both Windows 7 and Linux (Ubuntu 10.10) don't want to show...
My onboard VGA worked perfectly, everything as well, just sometimes the videocard. Sometimes it suddenly works again, that's the strange part. I don't know what goes wrong, so I can't repair it...
For the last two days, there has been no output at all, I'm all on my onboard VGA now.

Specs:
ACER MCP73PV
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (Kenfield) @ 2.40 GHz
Bios: American megatrends R01-B2
Memory: DDR2, Single channel, size = 4096 MBytes
Graphics (onboard, because I cant see a thing when I plug it into my GeForce 250): NVidia GeForce 7100, 256 MBytes, 600 MHz
PSU: 550W, recently bought.
Windows 7 and Ubuntu dual boot

Anyone has any solutions?

Cheers!
Hidde

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Dani AI

Generated

Intermittent no-video at cold power-on while the card’s fan spins points to a hardware/boot-time problem rather than drivers. The pattern — always at power-up, sometimes works after the machine has been on — most commonly indicates one of: faulty power delivery to the card (auxiliary PCIe connector or PSU rail instability), a motherboard/BIOS handoff issue, or a failing component on the card itself (cold solder joint, VRM/capacitor fault, or video memory/VBIOS problem). Software issues are unlikely given the same symptom in both Windows and Ubuntu.

Quick diagnostic checklist (fastest first):

  • Try a different monitor and cable/input (DVI/VGA/HDMI) and ensure the monitor is set to the card’s input before power-on.
  • Confirm the GPU’s PCIe auxiliary power plug(s) are firmly seated and, if possible, try a different cable or PSU rail.
  • Test the 250 in another working PC, or test a known-good GPU in this motherboard to isolate card vs motherboard/PSU.
  • Reset CMOS and set primary display to PCIe/PEG in BIOS; temporarily disable onboard video so the board must use the card. Listen for POST/beeps with a system speaker.
  • Inspect the card for bulging/leaking capacitors, burn marks, or cracked solder near the PCIe edge or memory chips.

If the card only becomes reliable after it warms up, that strongly suggests solder/BGA cracks or failing passive components. Home “reflow” attempts are risky and usually temporary; professional repair or replacement is usually the sensible route. Flashing VBIOS is an advanced, last-resort step — only with a verified ROM and a known-good backup. As noted, power and connections are relevant; given ’s report of a new PSU and spinning fan, focus next on isolating the card in another system or swapping in a known-good PSU/GPU to pinpoint the fault.

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Member Avatar for mjdodd

I assume you have checked all the connections including removing the video card and then replacing it fully pushed down with its holding screw tight. Just one pin not connecting with the motherboard slot can give this symptom.
A dodgy power supply (ie not constant) to the video board may also be suspect;
Beyond that there may be a sticky memory location on the video board. thereby refusing to accept a memory input on startup, but OK when warm?. hope this helps
M

Member Avatar for hiddepolen

Thanks a lot for all the info!

I'll try this all, although I have tried cleaning it, and tightening the screw. I'll post my progress...

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