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Building 1st Pc, Already Stuck & In Need Of Help


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Hi,

 

I'm currently building my fisrt PC, and I'm already stuck. I have an ASUS P4G8X Deluxe motherboard, and I've got all my peripherals set up and ready to go (hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Floppy, soundcard, etc.), but when I go to turn on my computer, everything works, but I don't get an image on my monitor. I bought a ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card for it, and in both manuals (motherboard and graphics card) it says they're compatible, so I don't know what's wrong. The card is seated in the AGP slot securely and the monitor cable is plugged in tight, and still no picture when I turn on my computer. My monitor light flashes as if the computer is off but the monitor is on, so it's just racking my brain. Thinking the first graphics card was defective, I purchased another one -- except for the PCI slot, and still no picture when I turn on my computer. What am I doing wrong? Everything else seems to be working -- the fans run, the CPU runs, I'm able to turn on my computer, etc., but for some reason I can't get it to work.

 

It's not the monitor because it works with another one of my new computers, so I don't know what's wrong.

 

I'm thinking it might be a defective motherboard, but before I go to the hassle of returning it, I figured I'd ask if someone could help troubleshoot me, or tell me what I'm doing wrong.

 

Thanks!

 

-Robyn R.

[email protected]

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uh its unlikely thats its a defective motherboard or video card at that, its better to try stuff without spending money than freakin out and thinking everything is defective and going out and buying new stuff. Try resetting the CMOS, look in your manual for your motherboard, there will be a jumper that you have to move and then move it back to where it originally was. your manual will tell you everything you need to know.

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now i know this is gonna sound stupid but my friend did this and I laughed at him for hours. well with some mobos when you have an installed vid card as opposed to using the on-board it will stop using the on-board and go to the installed vid card. but if you moniter isn't plugged into the installed vid card then it ain't gonna work. just a thought cause i'm not even sure if that mobo has onboard vid

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Sometimes when im dicking around with a computer, I will hook it all back up and the moniter will blink and it will not receive a signal.. I start by taking out all the Cards on the PC.. even the AGP one and all the PCI ones.. I just plug back in the AGP card.. and boot up.. it normally always works.. sometimes.. something is just seated poorly.. 1 time I had to move a PCI card to a differ slot for the moniter to turn on.. so I would take out all of ur PCI cards.. and boot it up see if that helps.. I know it sounds dumb.. but its worth a try...

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Next time when you are booting up, have the monitor turned off and turn it on as your computer is booting. Sometimes (such as after a power outage) my monitor won't turn on - something about the signal from the card being reset.

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I'm not "freaking out" as one put it. I only have 30 days to be able to return the motherboard if it is indeed defective -- only got 3 days left, so I thought I'd ask before I actually do return it.

 

This motherboard for some reason does not have any onboard graphics, so I have to rely on a video card, that's why I purchased 2. One of them didn't bring up a picture, and neither did the other, so it makes me curious as to why. Both cards have been swapped around and securely seated and still no picture. The wierd thing about this motherboard is it has 2 serial ports and no monitor ports. most motherboards I've seen already come with graphics onboard. For the price of it ($200), you'd think it would've had onboard graphics.

 

As for the CMOS, why would I have to reset that? This is a brand new motherboard -- straight from the retail box. What does the CMOS have to do with a monitor? I'll try that out though.

 

Any other suggestions? Any help to me is good help. :withstupid:

 

Thanks!

 

-Robyn

[email protected]

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actually not many boards have onboard video...

 

also restting the CMOS is a good idea, who knows how it came out of the factory..

 

Also. are you hearing any beeps out of the case speaker. They can tell you quite a bit..

as others said try unplugging almost everything and start again..

remove the RAM and re-install it.. could be there..

 

Hmm is there a fan plugged into the CPU fan plug on the mobo? if not many boards won't allow the system to boot for safety..

 

Try a few things and report back..

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There are no power connecters (except to power the fan) on the graphics card -- which was plugged in, and the fan works fine. It's not the monitor, because it works on my 4 other new computers I have here at home. I even tried resetting the CMOS like someone suggested because I'll do anything in order to get it working, but no such luck. My keyboard and mouse won't even wake up when I turn on the computer, and you'd think if everything else seems to be turned on, so would the keyboard and mouse.

 

Isn't this weird? First time I happen to put together a computer, and something something strange like this has to happen. Maybe the board partially shorted out against the case -- I dunno, I bought a "How to build your own monster computer" magazine, and they said that happens a lot.

 

What sucks is the fast that I already hooked up everything, and installed my CPU. That sink fan was so hard to get on and now I might have to carefully pop it back off in order to return this mobo. *sigh* Crappy.

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