Troubleshooting no image when computer boots

E

ekuest

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So my computer seems to boot, but nothing displays on the screen. It just stays black. I have tried plugging in my DVI dell, my DVI Gateway, and my HDMI projector, both to the video card, and then to the mobo after I removed the video card. For troubleshooting purposes I also tried each stick of RAM in each slot individually, resetting the CMOS each time. SSD was unplugged the whole time. It booted every time, and the fans and AIO coolers stayed on, but still nothing displayed on screen. Can anyone help me out with this one? Thanks!

~Evan
 
Disconnect everything else before you try to boot the system again when troubleshooting a graphics issue. This means hard drives, usb headers and devices, sound cards, etc...

I had a system that wouldn't boot until the USB3 case header cable was removed.
 
well i basically had everything disconnected already. i just unplugged the rest of the usb devices and the lan cord and still the same thing. right now i just have the cpu, wc pump, wc fan, and one stick of ram plugged into the motherboard. still boots up and stays on, but no image on the display. when i booted up the computer the monitor woke up from its low power state, so it knows that something happened. it just still displays a blank black screen.
 
ok with different ram sticks and in different slots, and everything else unplugged, nothing happens. i tried dvi, vga, and hdmi all from the mobo. unless the mobo is failing to switch to onboard with the gpu out, AND the gpu is dead, i think i can safely say it is the cpu or mobo, probably mobo. if it was the cpu or the psu, i think the computer wouldnt even boot or would power cycle or something. if it just boots up fine but with no video that makes me think that something is wrong with the mobo. can anyone come up with any other explanation? i'd like to order a new cpu/mobo tonight if possible since i have a lan coming up next week. :)
 
Sounds like a fried BIOS/Motherboard issue to me, too.

Multiple memory sticks tends to rule out ram issues and sometimes it's safe to say that if the add-on GPU fan spins, that thing isn't dead and causing the system to hang on BIOS init. PSU issues are notoriously tricky to troubleshoot but usually they cause stability issues and not booting issues.
 
well actually the gpu fan never spun because i have an asetek AIO hooked up to it. i can try my old 9400gt or whatever tomorrow just to check but i get the exact same thing with or without a gpu so i dont think it's a gpu issue unless it is 2 separate issues.
 
Couple of silly questions. Have you checked to make sure you have connected all the supplemental power headers on the Mobo? Also, have you plugged the CPU fan into the CPU fan header?

It might also be worth connecting a speaker to the mobo to see if your getting any post codes which could point you in the right direction.
 
1. is this a new build or was working and stopped?
2. if the latter then what has changed since it stopped working if anything?
3. take video card out and reset CMOS on board.
4. plug in a onboard speaker if available to listen to the post codes.
 
sorry super busy weekend but i got some time to play around last night. first thing was on the 4th i realized that i am a total idiot and my cpu doesnt have onboard graphics so of course i got nothing when i booted without a gpu. plugged in my spare gpu (a 9400gt or something like that) and it booted as far as the "insert boot disk" message. i had unplugged the ssd and all usb devices etc. once i plugged in the usb and rebooted it hung at the bios screen. had to stop there.

so to answer your questions:

yep blackring, everything was plugged in. this isnt a new build, just a temperamental old build that suddenly stopped booting again. kuhler 620 is plugged into mobo and fan is plugged into kuhler.

1. old build, about 4.5 years old now. it's been working off and on for basically that entire time, and has been a huge pain in the ass. i must have some kind of incompatibility or some issue but i dont know what piece it is and i always get it working again somehow. it's probably gone down about 4 or 5 times. i am currently looking for a new motherboard and cpu, but i they both seem to work so it might be the psu or the ssd or even the ram or maybe all of the above. such a pain.
2. nothing changed when it stopped working. i reinstalled windows because it was giving me issues a few months ago, i used it for about a week, got all my programs installed and hadnt even launched a game yet, just used to watch tv, and then it wouldnt display an image when it booted one night. now that i got an image with a different gpu i am thinking it might be my old 5870.
3. did about 10 times. gpu is currently out. i am going to try reseating the cpu and both the cpu and gpu heat sinks today after work since i havent replaced the TIM in all this time. if it still wont boot i will try the 5870 in my HTPC and if i can pinpoint that the 5870 is broken then i will try reflowing it.
4. i dont think i have one anywhere. i'll take a look though.
 
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