[rob h66]

Hi, when the pc was turned on today it seemed to boot up ok to the point where it would display the logon screen then it shows the no signal message. Have re-installed the driver for the video card. Booting into safe mode works ok but as soon as I try to change the resolution to something higher than the lowest setting I get the no signal message. Press F8 at startup and select enable vga and it is ok but again only on the lowest setting. Uninstalled the video card and re-installed, same problem. Device manager in safe mode indicates that all is ok. Any ideas? Apart from buying a new video card what can I try to pinpoint the problem?

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In safe mode you can't increase the resolution anyway -- to do that the third-party graphics driver needs to be loaded and safe mode doesn't load it. however, your monitor does work in safe mode so that rules out your monitor being faulty.

There are two possibilities:

1. Graphics card, although working, only does so at low res so it's probably faulty and needs replacing. This is my 'best' guess.

2. I recently had the same symptom -- no video signal -- even after fitting a spare card. baffled me completely. I took system box in to a local
friends PC shop and went back 2 hours later. It was working fine now, but all he did was remove all removable components (cards, drives, ram) and put them back. And it worked. No new parts at all. Go figure that one out.

3. Could be the graphics-driver needs updating but I doubt it if it was working okay and you've re-installed it. So probably not that.

I don't know whether or not it's a 'high end' (ie expensive) card but I would buy a cheap one first just to establish if the existing card is faulty.
If the new cheap one works you can then confidently buy a better one if you so wish, keeping the cheap one as an emergency spare, and you won't have wasted a large sum of money.

Edited by pip22, 03 March 2008 - 06:20 AM.

[pip22]

In safe mode you can't increase the resolution anyway -- to do that the third-party graphics driver needs to be loaded and safe mode doesn't load it. however, your monitor does work in safe mode so that rules out your monitor being faulty.

There are two possibilities:

1. Graphics card, although working, only does so at low res so it's probably faulty and needs replacing. This is my 'best' guess.

2. I recently had the same symptom -- no video signal -- even after fitting a spare card. baffled me completely. I took system box in to a local
friends PC shop and went back 2 hours later. It was working fine now, but all he did was remove all removable components (cards, drives, ram) and put them back. And it worked. No new parts at all. Go figure that one out.

3. Could be the graphics-driver needs updating but I doubt it if it was working okay and you've re-installed it. So probably not that.

I don't know whether or not it's a 'high end' (ie expensive) card but I would buy a cheap one first just to establish if the existing card is faulty.
If the new cheap one works you can then confidently buy a better one if you so wish, keeping the cheap one as an emergency spare, and you won't have wasted a large sum of money.

Edited by pip22, 03 March 2008 - 06:20 AM.

[rob h66]

Thanks, I think I still have an old card in my old pc, not sure what type though. I will try firstly to take things apart and put back together, re-install everything, if that does not work I will try either my old card or buy a cheap new one. The card fitted is a radeon 6200 if my memory serves me right, dont know if that is good or not. It could take me a few days to get the time to try this, I will post back to let you know how I get on and possibly ask for more help if things arent any better.

[jeffk813]

I'd lean towards the video card being shot. If you reinstalled the drivers and they're indeed the correct ones, there's no other reason that the card would have no output.

[rob h66]

I fitted the graphics card from my old defunct PC and al seems fine now, in fact my daughter reckons the picture quality is now better than it has ever been.
Thanks for the help, it is appreciated.