Video problems while building computer

Maveric · 09-10-2001, 04:45 PM

I am building a computer for my brothers birthday from the old parts I have laying around. The problem is when I powered it on, there is no video. No picture at all on the monitor. The hard drive spins up, all the fans come on. I have tried two different monitors, (one of them I use all the time so I know it works) two different RAM chips (both pulled from working system), and two different processors, I have even tried two different video cards. It is a PC Chips motherboard w/Slot 1 or PGA370, integrated sound and video.
PC Chips M741LMRT
I am using a Slot 1 PII processor. I have checked all the jumpers many, many times. I have never run into this problem before while building computers, does anybody have any ideas? HELP!

PoBoy · 09-10-2001, 06:41 PM

No display at all??

Wiggle your ram around real good and push it in. Try that a few times. Just keep wiggling and pushing...dont break it though

PoBoy

Maveric · 09-10-2001, 06:49 PM

Done that! That was my first suspect.

MikeHunt79 · 09-10-2001, 09:03 PM

do you get any beeps when u turn it on?

Maveric · 09-10-2001, 09:25 PM

No beeps. Which tells me it is not getting to POST.

MikeHunt79 · 09-11-2001, 08:14 PM

sounds like your motherboard is the problem then

crazyshaxs · 09-12-2001, 04:03 AM

I assume you have tried using the onboard video? I have this board and well, I am not impressed with it for any kind of gaming. I think it would make a good carputer though. Thats why I still have it.... Anyways, I think I had this problem..... check ALL of your jumpers. I just replaced a few things and reset all my jumpers and I tihnk it may have been the ram in the end.
-Shaxs

dos4who? · 09-12-2001, 11:59 AM

Either your Mobo or BIOS - Maybe re-seat your BIOS. If that doesn't work, maybe bad BIOS chip???
~m
PS- This is all just a guess...

[ 09-12-2001: Message edited by: dos4who? ]

darkwingduck · 09-12-2001, 04:22 PM

i dont know where you picked up the motherboard, but keep in mind that certain viruses flashes your bios to cause maximum damage to your system.

If your bios is dead and flashable you may want to try this little trick.

Locate the correct bios information, and the flash program, put it onto a bootable disk.

find a bios that is equal or at least fairly equal to your present bios(ie comes from similar motherboard), put it into the defect mother board.

Try booting the defect mother board, if it boots up, replace the working bios with the defect bios (while the machine is running).
Once the bios is replaced, flash it and reboot and you should be back in business

please be aware not to short any thing out, and be aware that it is VERY easy to bend the "legs" of the bios

If its not the bios i believe the others are right, your motherboard is history

Maveric · 09-13-2001, 03:19 PM

I was afraid of that! I have had this motherboard sitting around for about a year, untested and unused. I got it off of eBay, but found one that was better for my car computer and never used it. It seems like everything is working alright (HD spins up, floppy disk "clicks" and the processor heats up), but it never loads the boot disk and no video. I think I will have to scrap the whole thing cause I am broke (been saving for a couple weeks to buy RAM), I can't really afford a new MB. I do have another MB (AT, SIMM chips.. Blaaa) but the keyboard doesn't work. I guess my brother is without a computer for another year!

MikeHunt79 · 09-13-2001, 08:43 PM

you say that the keyboard doesn`t work? i had the exact same problem....

heres what i did
1) located the fuse near the keyboard connector...
2) found the fuse was open-circuit (blown)
3) shorted out the fuse and the keyboard worked again!!!

try it, u have nothing 2 lose

Maveric · 09-13-2001, 09:02 PM

I don't see a fuse. And nothing looks blown. Any other suggestions?

AGoodbar · 09-15-2001, 07:43 PM

make sure your cpu is ok, i had the same prob, it'd heat up adn everything, but it was fried, so i had to get a new one

dos4who? · 09-15-2001, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Maveric:
<STRONG>I don't see a fuse. And nothing looks blown. Any other suggestions?</STRONG>

The Kbd fuse usually looks like... well, best description is, a solid brown resister.

~m

zootjeff · 09-17-2001, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Maveric:
<STRONG>does anybody have any ideas? HELP!</STRONG>

Have you tried a single dimm in all of the 3 memory slots? Have you cleared the bios? I have had the same problem, it turned out to be Ram in the wrong dimm slot and a Dimm that just didn't like the motherboard. 32 meg of ram is what, 6 bucks?