Member Avatar for Cheval

This is my first post and you'll soon see I probably don't deserve to own a computer! My Dell 3000's (I know, I know) monitor went berserk a month ago......quivering pages, black outs, jiggling and zig-zags. The guys at Firedog checked it out, thinking I needed a new video card, but said it ran perfectly with no probs at all. They used their own monitor, not mine. They suggested a new VGA cable, which I bought, and still no joy. I sent the tower and my monitor to another IT guy to check out and he ran my equipment with no problems. Brought it home and still wouldn't work. Phone company guys also installed new DSL modem abut the computer still wouldn't run. Finally I spoke to Dell's customer service tech who said my monitor was dead. Now we were getting somewhere and I bought a new monitor, but when I set it up I got "no signal" on the screen. I've been reassured all along that I've correctly set up the computer but it tries to re-boot constantly with no connection and if it does eventually connect, it stops at BIOS and shuts down.

What could the problem be??? It runs fine everywhere except in my house! I'm sure I can't fix the problem myself but would like to be able to tell a tech what to look for. I'm spending $$$ like a loony trying to fix it with no success...PLEASE HELP! MANY THANKS!

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As describes, the same tower and monitor work elsewhere but at home the screen shows "no signal", the system sometimes reboots repeatedly, and if it reaches BIOS it then shuts down. That pattern usually points away from a simple monitor/cable fault and toward either power/PSU instability, an intermittent board/component contact that only appears under the home's conditions, or a front-panel/short issue. Both 's note about intermittent seating and 's power angle are relevant; the checklist below expands those into tests a technician can run to isolate the fault quickly.

Diagnostics to run:

  • Record POST behavior: listen for BIOS beep patterns and note any motherboard POST LEDs or on-board diagnostic codes. Those are the first clues.
  • Bench test with a known-good PSU or a PSU tester: flaky rails often cause cycling and loss of video. If available, swap in a known-good power supply rather than only probing with a meter.
  • Minimal-component boot on a bench (outside the case): CPU, one RAM stick, and GPU/onboard only. If stable on the bench but not in the case, suspect grounding/front-panel shorts or case-mounted wiring.
  • Visually inspect the motherboard for bulging/leaking capacitors, burn marks, or corrosion—common causes of intermittent failures in older machines.
  • Isolate front-panel connectors: disconnect the case power/reset switches to rule out a stuck/reset short that causes reboots.
  • Clear CMOS (battery removal or jumper) to rule out corrupted BIOS settings; test each RAM stick and slot individually.
  • Confirm any discrete GPU auxiliary power leads are present and undamaged.

Items to deliver with the unit for a shop: the full tower with original cables, a short symptom log (cycle behavior, any beep/LED patterns), and permission to run the system on a UPS or isolated outlet so the tech can reproduce mains-related failures. Safety note: PSU swaps, mains checks and internal inspections should be done with proper ESD and mains-safety precautions or left to a qualified technician.

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Member Avatar for Chaky

"No signal" could mean 3 things:
- cable not plugged (or loose)
- PC won't start
- refresh rate not supported by your monitor. That would happen only if you manage to boot into OS. Not before that.

Chances are it is second of the above. (first and third usually give you different messages)

My guess is that the TRANSIT is to blame. VGA cards can easily get unplugged (or partially) regardless of the screw that holds it. (IF your VGA isn't integrated with the mobo).
That would make it act as it acts with you: at home it is not working, you drive it somewhere to get it fixed and the card shakes and regains connection, you get there and it works, you go back, card shakes and looses connection... you get the picture. What you need to do is open up the case yourself and unplug and plug back in the VGA.

Member Avatar for fren

Try to plug the tower and monitor directly to the wall outlet, and change their power cord if necessary. Be careful to compare the output voltage of the wall outlet to your tower and monitor before plugging them.

If the pci video card that's causing the problem, use the onboard video. Connect your monitor to the other vga port found at the back of your computer. Enable the onboard video controller in the bios. See what will happen.

Member Avatar for Cheval

Thanks for really good suggestions! It makes sense that something could jiggle loose in transit, and I'll check out the connections again. I've tried several different electrical wall outlets, and different combos of plugging the tower & monitor into surge strip or wall, but no go. I don't think anything is truly fried and dead since it works great anywhere other than my house. I'll follow your suggestions and hope I can locate the problem.

I'll let you all know the outcome so it might help someone else!

Thanks!

Member Avatar for Chaky

Check the memory stick too, while you're at it.

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