Member Avatar for GDAVID

After I changed to a newer video card, shut down and started again my monitor has been dark, no display. RAM, processor, drive are all OK; the video card is in its slot and I have confirmed that all cards are firmly in their slots.
Does anybody have an idea of what I should try next?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by The Dude

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Quick practical checklist and focused diagnostics that build on and without repeating what they already said. If the screen is dark even before Windows starts, this is almost always a hardware/POST issue rather than a driver problem. First, verify the very basics: monitor power and input selection, cable and adapter type (VGA/DVI/HDMI), and that the card’s fan/power connectors are plugged and spinning. Confirm whether the new card is PCIe or AGP and that the motherboard has the matching slot.

Next, run a minimal POST test and targeted checks. Swap the old card back (as suggested) and see if BIOS/POST appears; if it does, reseat the new card and test the new card in a known-working PC. Check for a motherboard speaker beep code or POST LED pattern. Try one RAM stick in the slot closest to the CPU, remove extra PCI cards, and clear CMOS (jumper or remove battery 30–60 seconds) before re-testing. Look at the PSU: many newer cards require a 6/8-pin PCIe power lead and higher wattage; a weak PSU can result in no video but fans spinning.

If the new card is physically incompatible with the slot, or the motherboard BIOS is too old to initialize the card, you can either test with a different board or update the BIOS only after confirming you can get a working display with another GPU. If the new card shows no signs of life in any machine, arrange an RMA or replacement. Handle cards with ESD caution and avoid flashing firmware unless you have a confirmed recovery path.

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Member Avatar for darkmikey

I'd put the old card back in and then try using the new card in a spare machine/a friends computers to check it works.

Member Avatar for The Dude

Maybe the card is not compatible with your monitor/computer??

Doing the above should work :)

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