DEAD PC

Saturday, January 18th, 2003

We plunged right in with our first edition, taking on the most mysterious problem with a computer, what to do when it is dead. Most people will pack up the computer and head for the local repair shop. That is a great idea for most people, though for the more adventuresome, interested in solving their own problems, you discovered you can do it yourself. Rather rewarding in many ways. Please understand, the local computer tech is a good resource and there will be times or problems only s/he can solve, because s/he has the tools and a greater degree of knowledge than I can impart to you in newsletters. But, knowledge is power, so let us empower you.

Where do we go from here? We should examine the next issue that may crop up or be adjunct to the original problem. The computer seems dead, but you have opened it up, noticed that all the fans are running, the hard drive is spinning up, the floppy drive is working and it seems the system should be working. Yet, you have no picture on the monitor, the computer is blind. Now what do you do?

We first use a bit of deductive reasoning, remembering that this is the basic skill required of any computer diagnostician. We have no video on our monitor, yet the computer runs. We know that there exists only two components creating your video display: the monitor and the video card.

The Monitor
This may sound simplistic, but is it plugged into the wall socket and is the power switch on? Nearly all monitors will have a small LED light on the front of the monitor to verify the monitor is receiving power and is turned on. If the light is dead, even after you have verified that power is connected by a wall socket and you have tried the switch, time to either replace the monitor or have it repaired.

I want to mention that it is not always wise today to repair monitors, especially the 15” or smaller monitor. Often the repair bill can exceed the cost of a new one. The 17” monitor or larger are still expensive enough to justify repairing them. Nearly all new, quality monitors will come with a 3 year warranty and that is an added plus to replacing the blown monitor.

Now, you have power to the monitor and the LED light on the front is lit, so we know you have turned it on. Did you smell a odd odor, see a puff of smoke from it or a browned area around the monitor’s vents? Is it making clicking sounds? Odds are real good the monitor has died. But, so far you have not discovered any of these obvious signs of the death of a monitor. The next step is to consider the cabling to the monitor and a point I need to make.

The first and most important rule when working with a computer is: DO NO HARM! Did you do something to the computer just before your problem started? Always consider this first. The single biggest factor in computer problems is the user. Did you move it, did you unplug the monitor or did you just move the wires around between the monitor and the computer? This maybe your answer.

If you had unplugged the monitor cable and then reattached it to the computer, consider the monitors cable plug. The plug has numerous small pins that seat into the back of the video card protruding from the computer. These pins can easily be bent over when reattaching it. I have done this on more than one occasion. Unscrew the monitor’s display cable from the computer and examine the pins. If anyone of them is bent over or broken off, you have found the problem. If the pins are broken off, time for a new cable.

If you decide to replace the monitor cable by opening the monitor, be extremely careful. Monitors retain a great deal of power and you maybe in for quite an experience should you touch the wrong thing inside.

But, let us examine the issue of a bent pin. Here a pair of needle-nosed pliers can be an excellent tool. Simply and carefully straighten the pin, then reattach the cable to the computer. These pins are usually copper and easy to straighten, that is if you are careful not to break the pin off. Also, I should mention that a bent pin more often than not will cause colors to disappear from the display, the monitor will suddenly be all red, yellow or blue. But, that is about all I will recommend when the problem is the monitor.

The Video Card
Before we go too much farther, we shall assume you have checked the connection of the monitor to the back of the video card, as we discussed above. The next consideration is your card may not be seated squarely into the motherboard. Inside the computer, once you have removed the case cover, find the video card. Today, most video cards are described by the slot they use on the motherboard: AGP, PCI or ISA.

First, remove the card and clean the contacts along the bottom of the video card. You can use a dry towel with a small amount of rubbing alcohol or just rub the eraser from a pencil along the video cards contacts. Then, reinstall the card. If the problem still persists, it maybe the slot the card is using.

Attempt to move the card to an adjacent slot of the same type. Though it is rare, on occasion a motherboard slot will go bad. Of course, you understand that if it is the AGP slot, the motherboard will only have one and this will not be an option.

We have tried all the options for a stand alone system. If you have not found the problem, we now turn to verifying that the monitor and the video card are indeed both functioning. How do we do this? The easiest method is to try the monitor on another computer and then your video card. If in fact both the video card and the monitor will function on another system, then you have probably found the problem: the motherboard is bad and needs to be replaced.

Tech Tip of the Week

When you decide to work inside a computer, many of the cases in use today are manufactured in the far east, notably China. These cases are often built rather quickly and with little care to quality. If you place your hands inside, be very careful of the metal edges. Often these edges are not milled and incredibly sharp. It is wise to always watch closely when sliding your hand or finger along one of these edges or you may loose some skin or even find yourself visiting a doctor for a few stitches. Be careful and have fun… Bob Wright