Signal to Monitor Problem

A quick question for all you techies out there. My PC is apparently still working but is not producing anything on the monitor – when I boot up the monitor light changes from Green (On) to Standby (Yellow) within seconds and all I see is a blank screen. I’ve tried a mates LCD screen monitor plugged into my PC and exactly the same thing happens (The LCD works fine on his PC). Does this mean there is a problem with the Graphics Card/Video driver and roughly how much would an independent PC repair person expect to charge for this type of repair?

Thanks

 

It could be a few things, a dead graphics card is quite possible but equally it could be just a card that's worked loose .. it can happen. I take it you never see anything displayed on the screen by the BIOS?

What model of card is it? Have you opened the case and checked inside? Did this problem start when you booted it or did something happen while your were using the PC?

 

Thanks for the info. I actually bought a new computer desk at the weekend so I did move the PC and unplug/plug back in again all my computer and peripherals, so possibly I may have dislodged a card – I’ll take the case off and have a look this evening. The screen is totally blank – when I remove the monitor plug from the back of the PC, I get the ‘No Signal’ message on the monitor and the Green (Power On) light comes on – when I plug it back into the PC again the Yellow (Standby) light comes back on again and screen goes completely blank. Not sure of the model of card but I assume it’s nothing special as the PC was given to me by a friend and I don’t know a lot about it – it’s worked OK for 18 months though. Any idea of the price of a basic graphics card?

Thanks

 

If the graphics card is firmly located in it's socket, check the pins in the VGA cable in case one has bent while you were reconnecting. Don't be concerned about apparently missing pins, not all are used.

 

Thanks for the advice guys - it was a loose card after all - virtually destroyed the case trying to get into the thing though! Luckily the PC will be replaced soon, but it's a weight off my mind as I had 200 digital photo's that I'd not backed up on the machine. Thanks again.