graphics card - PC turns on(sends signal to LCD and gives BIOS beep) after random number of attempts
2014-07
Yoda
My PC worked well until one time about 6 months ago the LCD lost signal and I have to restart the it.
Since then when I want to turn on the computer and push the power button I do not get signal on the LCD and there is NO beep from BIOS. But if I turn off the computer by switch at the back(AC adapter's switch) off then on and then turn on the PC it will work normally: sometimes even after second attempt, sometimes it is fiftenth. I didn't do with it anything because I use this PC once a week but I do not want it to be damaged permanently. I write from this PC right now.
Then there is short double beep and standard screen like (below - it is not my screenshot but I do have BIOS for MSI P4N SLIT 7160) and everything works great. The PC was produced in 2005. I do not think it is AC adapter fault, but of course I can be wrong. It is chieftec 400W.
Guy Hughes
There's a few things that could be happening.
Is the harddrive from 2005 as well? If so, it is likely failing or becoming damaged, as harddrives do; and it is very likely to crash completely, corrupting all its data and stop working entirely at any minute. Impending doom!
This sounds more likely to be a power supply problem. They are very cheap to replace, but if it is failing, there is a chance that using a broken power supply could damage your CPU. I know this is old equipment, but you should be aware of the potential risks at hand.
Have you verified the cable connections inside the PC? It is possible that something has come loose, like the power cable to the motherboard, or a silly fan cable.
It is also possible that the RAM is failing or improperly connected. You may want to try removing it and reinserting it fully.
One way to check further what might be happening is to look in Windows Device Manager in the Control Panel when the computer does boot. Check if the RAM, CPU and devices are detected correctly. If any devices are reported as functioning anomalously, then that might be a starting point for futher investigation.
Ecnerwal
This is a desktop PC? You refer to "switch on the back" which sounds like a desktop, but you also refer to a power adapter, which sounds more like a laptop.
At a quick guess, Broadly, old age - it's 9 years old, computers don't live forever. Especially ones built in the "Counterfeit capacitor era" (and who knows if we are beyond that even now...)
Less broadly is hard to be sure of without swapping some parts and seeing where the problem changes. Could be a bad power supply. Could be a bad (button) switch. Could be a bad motherboard, or more narrowly than that based on common issues, a bad capacitor (or a bunch of them) on the mother board.
Anirudha
Some days ago I bought a GeForce 8400 GS Graphic card.
My computer satisfied all the minimum system requirements it required. After installing the Card in PCI Express Slot I started the computer. But it now hangs at the POST screen i.e.(the first screen when the PC loads). I have tried changing some BIOS settings but it's giving the same error..
It hangs at Checking NVRAM.
I had checked the graphic card on other PC and its works perfectly. So I think there's no problem in the Graphic card.
If I remove my graphic card and run my PC with built in Graphic card, my PC works and doesn't hang. I upgraded my BIOS but still no fruit. My PSU is of 400W and there no problem in it.
Do I need to disable RAID or is it the problem with my RAM?
William Hilsum
Your computer should be compatible with this graphics card.
You can't rule out BIOS updates. There are updates all the time to incrase compatibility or offer new features. Without seeing the changelog from your version to the latest, you really can not rule it out at all.... unfortunately in your case it did not help.
Based on the fact it worked in other machines, all I can say is it could possibly be a power issue and the card crashing. You may want to try a new power unit.
Also, take a look in your BIOS and see if you can choose between on board and PCI Express graphics as it may not be selecting the correct adapter.
MBraedley
The onboard video is ATI (now owned by AMD), and you're trying to install an NVidia card. It will work, but it's not as simple as plug and play.
First, you need to unistall the drivers for your onboard video. Your new video card shouldn't be installed during this process.
Next, you need to disable onboard video in BIOS, or at least set it to secondary. If you can get into the BIOS settings with your new card installed, do that.
Finally, you should be able to boot into your OS to install the drivers for you new card. Initially, you'll probably be in limited in the screen resolutions supported.