no display on monitor

[circlessat]

I was messing around with the menu's of my computer, and I changed something, and now I have no display. When I reboot the computer, I get the Window's logo on startup, then again no display. I know I changed something in the menu to cause this problem. I have another computer setup to this monitor, where I switch between the computers. The monitor works just fine with computer 2. I just don't know what to do now. I would appreciate any help. Thanks!

[techsheaven]

It sounds like you set your resolution to size not supported by your monitor.

Disconnect the KVM switch (or just monitor switch?) and connect the video directly to the computer.

Tap the F8 key while windows boots to get the advanced boot options,
Select safe mode,
right-click the desktop and select properties,
On the Settings tab, slide the settings slider to the left-most position,
Click the Advanced tab and click the bullet to "Apply new settings without restart"
Click OK
Click OK
Restart the computer.

Now, choose better settings. If you choose a setting that is not compatible with your monitor, it will go blank, scrambled, blurry, or distorted. If this happens, just don't touch anything for 15 seconds, and it will revert back to low resolution.

If the settings look good, try the same settings on the other computer. once you find settings that work for both machines, hook the KVM/video switch back up, and you should be good to go!

Good Luck

[circlessat]

Thank you very much for your response.

After I press F8 on startup, it goes to a screen that says Windows Advanced Options Menu with 3 safe mode options. Whichever one I select, it goes to a screen that starts out with Please select the operating system to start. It shows only one choice. Microsoft Windows XP Professional. After I press enter, it goes to a screen that is filled with 24 lines with the message that says : Multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2) windows\systems32\1_intl.ns. All the lines start out the same, but have different endings, like system 32\drivers\ACPI.SYS. From this screen it's locked. No matter what button that I press, it goes nowhere. Can't get out of this screen, unless I reboot the computer, then it starts out with all the same steps. Thank you!

[techsheaven]

One of the modes should have worked! I'm beginning to think you may have disabled an integrated video in the BIOS setup... I have a few questions:

What menu were you in when the problem began?

Is your video integrated into the motherboard, or is it in an expansion slot?

Does your system have more than one graphics adapter?

Does the video share system memory?

Did you try VGA mode in the Advanced Options Menu?

[circlessat]

@ techsheaven..I don't remember what menu I was in when I messed it up. As far as questions 2,3,&4, I don't know or have an answer for you. Those questions are a little above me. I did try enable VGA mode in the Advance Options Menu, and no luck. Your first statement about being in the BIOS setup, rings a bell. I really do appreciate your help, but maybe its not fixable. What I've learned here is when you don't know what you're doing, don't do it. If you have any other ideas, I would like to hear them. I know it's hard to trouble shoot a problem when I can't answer your questions. Thanks for your time and effort!

[techsheaven]

A motherboard is the largest circuit board in the PC, to which all other boards & cards attach. Most modern motherboards have integrated video, sound, and LAN. The integrated video usually uses system resources, affecting performance. Adding a video card with it's own set of resources, can boost performance. The integrated video, and the add-in video must be compatible, or the integrated video should be disabled in the BIOS. Manufacturers often put a plastic cap over the integrated video connector when they do this.

If you have both integrated, and an add-in video, and you enabled the integrated video, you may have caused a conflict. Or, if they are both enabled, and are compatible, you may have plugged it into the wrong one.

All of this can be confusing and frustrating, so I have some rules to get it right. If you want to use multiple monitors on a machine, add in a card that supports all of them, and disable the integrated video. If you use one monitor with a an add-in adapter, disable the integrated video. The only time the integrated video should be enabled, is if it is the only one.

Now, in your situation, the plot thickens... A KVM is a device to connect two video adapters (in two PCs) to one monitor, keyboard, and mouse. [We never did determine if you had a KVM, or a video switch] So, for now, we will leave that disconnected to simplify things.

With that groundwork laid, let's get your system fixed! If you can determine the manufacturer, and the model, post it. Look at the back of your PC, and find the expansion slots. There will be a row of thin slots with covers, some of which may have been replaced with devices like modems, LAN adepter, Video adapter, etc. If your system has a video connector installed in one of these, you need to disable the video in the BIOS. If not, you need to enable the video in the BIOS.

Systems vary as to how you enter the BIOS setup. Generally, you can try to read all that stuff that flashes by as your system boots, but it is better to just Google it. If your know how to get into the BIOS setup, the integrated video would likely be listed under "Integrated Peripherals."

That's a lot to digest, but it will get you started. I'll be here when you have more information / questions.

Good Luck