If it ain't broke...

[lego batman]

I was rebuilding my computer, swapping fans around etc, and I removed all the components from the case. I then put everything back together but cannot get any picture at all now! I made sure all the connectors were back in place and double-checked, re-seated pretty much everything but still no joy.
I think its the graphics card: all fans are spinning (even the one on the card) and with speakers plugged in the computer makes the windows 7 startup noise. I can even log in but then I'm lost without picture. I know the monitor is ok because I tried my laptop with it and I got picture.
I don't have another PC to test the card in isolation nor do I have another card. I can't see any physical damage to the card and I didn't notice doing anything to it that may have damaged it.
Is there any other thing to try before I resign myself to replacing it? I'm pretty sure its the graphics card but I don't want to replace something that doesn't need replacing!
Please help, and thanks in advance.

[KidChameleon]

Do you have just one monitor? If so, have you tried plugging the cable into the other output on the graphics card? Does the monitor have an option to swap between DVI and VGA inputs?

[lego batman]

Thanks, I tried it on the tv too and tried changing the monitor settings. Also tried both DVI ports on the card but got nothing.

[jim]

Not sure what else to try, so if I were you I'd buy a really cheap graphics card. Maybe someone will have something if you try the wanted section? Anything PCIe-based would do.

Then you can test it out, and if it works then you've got a working rig, giving you some time to buy a new card. If it doesn't work, you can try another component, without having blown £80+ on a replacement card. And either way, you've got a spare card if something similar happens in the future.

[TAKTAK]

Does the board have another PCI-e slot you can try it in?




"If it ain't broke...
You obviously haven't fiddled with it enough..."

[lego batman]

Sadly no other slots. Off to the wanted section I go! Thanks for the help everyone!

[TAKTAK]

What sort of area are you in the world?

(You never know, there may be a hexite local that can lend you the use of a GFX card for a few hours - [Afterall, we are kindof everywhere ])

[Mithrandir]

Try taking out the card and putting it in again.
Also if you have a can of air, try blowing out any dust in the pcie slots.
Make sure you've plugged in the cables securely.


This was what I done when I replaced my cpu. I took the system apart put my new q6600 in no pic. done it twice then put my old cpu in again and worked. then the following day I tried the Q6600 again and voila it worked (after blowing air all over the slots).

[lego batman]

Oh good idea - I'm near Abergavenny in S Wales. May I point all non-Welsh hexites towards the wanted section as well
Thanks Mithrandir, tried reseating and replugging again just for you but to no avail sadly. Out of breath now too!

[lego batman]

If I could find a cheap enough motherboard with intergrated graphics, would buying that be just as good as buying a cheap graphic card for diagnosis purposes?

[jim]

Well, if that works, you won't know whether you've got a broken motherboard or a broken graphics card.

[lego batman]

Ah good point. Test graphics card is on its way. I should just stop thinking up excuses for more hardware

[jim]

Hehe

After some problems a while back, I ended up with a spare motherboard, spare RAM, spare PSU, and a spare graphics card.

[lego batman]

Oh don't tell me that, I'm really tempted to buy a secondhand uATX motherboard too as there's one at a good price. Ah well. Hmmmm choices choices. Lured in by the classifieds.
If anyone is interested, it was the graphics card in the end. I am now running a 6200TC and the most expensive part of my computer has become a paperweight.

[jim]

Happened to me a couple of days ago, as you can see in my sig

You should flog the card on eBay, that's what I'm going to do. Unless there's some merit in baking it, anyway - I know nothing about that though, just had people recommend it to me as an option.