I just got a new Overdrive PC less than 24 hours ago.

The PC has a Core2 Duo E6700 processor, an XFX 7950 GX2 1GB ram graphics card (two DVI ports), and a 22" LCD Viewsonic monitor with built-in speakers, a DVI port, and an Analog port.

I follwed the set-up instructions very closely. When everything was hooked up, and I powered up the PC, no picture displyed on the monitor (both the PC and the monitor were turned on, of course). After a couple of tries, FINALLY, a picture displayed on the screen. I had no problems, All of the software I was supposed to install was already installed, and I could install games and play them. But I needed to restart the computer then. and then a couple more times. I didn't have any trouble getting a picture to appear on the screen after restarting/shutting down. The picture looked simply fantastic. I played F.E.A.R., GRAW, Battlefield 2, and Oblivion all at maxed out settings, at highest resolution with no problems. It seems that once I get past startup, and the monitor gets a signal, I don't have any problems.

I thought it would be best to shut my computer down after I was done. BIG MISTAKE...

The next morning I am having no luck with getting a picture to appear on the screen, after several attempts at restarting the computer. It's saturday (no tech support for the weekend, so I'm pretty much barred from my new PC!). I hadn't changed anything either. I've tried hooking up just the DVI, just the Analog, and both of them. Nothing works! I tried using a CRT monitor with analog and still, no signal. My PC just decided to give up on me... Does it matter if I have my monitor plugged in a protected circuit or not? I thought that was only the PC.

It seems like the PC runs just fine, it starts up normally and shuts down normally. It's just that the monitor won't get a signal! I've tested it on another computer and it works just fine.

I've never been so frustrated in my life. Any help would be much appreciated.

Edit: Oh and, also, the monitor plays no sounds when I start up or shut down the computer.

Dani AI

Generated

noted an intermittent "NO SIGNAL" at cold boot while the system will sometimes display after a warm restart; 's prompt to try the other DVI jack is a good quick check and should be the first item in a short sequence of elimination tests.

Start with easy, non-invasive checks: force the monitor input through its OSD (do not rely on auto-sense), swap the DVI cable for a known-good cable, and try each DVI connector on the GX2 one at a time with no second display attached. Because the ViewSonic worked on another PC, the problem is likely in the card/system rather than the panel.

If the easy checks do not help, proceed to hardware isolation: power the system down and unplug, then reseat the GX2 and all power connectors (confirm both PCIe power plugs are fully seated). Remove extra cards and reduce to minimal hardware (one RAM stick, no optical drives, single hard drive) to see whether POST video appears. Note whether the GPU fans spin at the same speed on cold boot versus warm boot; absent or sluggish fan behavior on cold boot points at power-delivery or card-initialization problems. Clearing the CMOS (jumper or battery) is a low-risk step that can rule out strange BIOS settings.

If the display appears only after the OS loads, suspect driver/EDID/handshake issues: attempt Safe Mode or booting a Linux live CD to see when video becomes available, and update GPU drivers and BIOS once stable output is obtained. A clarification about the monitor audio: DVI (typical for this era) does not carry sound to the monitor speakers unless an explicit audio connection or HDMI path exists, so no startup/shutdown chime from speakers is normal unless an audio cable is connected. Given the system is new, persistent failure after these checks is grounds for vendor support or RMA—intermittent cold-boot video failures commonly trace to card initialization or power-supply issues.

Did you try other DVI jack?

From the looks of it, your VGA is dying (or almost dead). You should try your PC with known good VGA to make sure.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.