Member Avatar for bwilkinson

Any help here would be fantastic!!!
I had to reinstall Windows XP on a new hard drive that I purchased, and unfortunately, I could not sit in front of the computer while it was installing, and when I went back at one point after it was setting up networks, the monitor was reading "No Signal Input". I have tried to reboot the computer with the installation disk in the drive, and without. I have tried f8 to get into safe mode, but it is not working.
Do I need to take out the hard drive, format it, and start over? Or is there a fix that I can do where it is at?
Once again, any help would be greatly appreciated!

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by q_irfan75

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— "No Signal Input" almost always means the display pipeline never got initialized, so reformatting the new drive is premature. Replies above touched on drive and cable possibilities; the practical next step is a short hardware-first diagnosis that separates a video/POST problem from a storage/installation problem.

  1. Distinguish timing: truly no video at power-on (no BIOS/POST) versus video that drops out later in setup. The two have different causes.
  2. Watch/listen for POST: motherboard POST LEDs or beep codes, keyboard NumLock/CapsLock LED response, HDD/activity LED and fan/spindle behaviour. No POST points to motherboard/CPU/RAM/PSU/GPU, not the hard drive.
  3. Minimal-boot test: power with only CPU, one stick of RAM, and the video output (remove optical, USB sticks, extra cards, and drives). If BIOS appears, add items back one at a time.
  4. Video subsystem checks: reseat the GPU, confirm any PCIe 6/8-pin power plugs are connected, try the motherboard video output (if present), or swap the card/cable/monitor with a known-good unit. Also try the monitor OSD/input-selection — some monitors show "No Signal" when the input is set to the wrong connector.
  5. CMOS reset: clear CMOS (jumper or remove battery briefly) to restore default video init settings.
  6. If BIOS/POST works but Windows setup failed earlier, then run drive diagnostics from another system or with a vendor tool to confirm the new disk is healthy before re-installing.

Notes and cautions: handle cards and RAM with basic ESD care, avoid forcing connectors, and check the PSU’s auxiliary rails if the GPU fan does not spin. If POST diagnostics (beeps/LEDs) are available, note the exact pattern — those codes identify failing subsystems. References above touched on HDD/cable ideas; follow the hardware checks first to avoid unnecessary reformatting.

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Member Avatar for bobbyraw

>>>Do I need to take out the hard drive, format it, and start over? Or is there a fix that I can do where it is at?<<<<
the hard drive is not initializing because windows cannot open the boot sector...if you have another computer you can put it in and format and run chkdsk on it to find out if the drive is going bad.

Member Avatar for hughv

Are you saying there is no monitor signal under any circumstances?

Member Avatar for caperjack

i suggest to find the time when you can sit and watch ,and start over ,boot to winxp cd and delete partition and create new one ,format it , and start windows install over !but sit and watch as long as you can !!

Member Avatar for q_irfan75

Dear,

Plz check the power cable and video cable it will work.

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