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Why won't my display work?

Posted By : Robert of Mesa Community College on December 9, 2002

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After pushing the on button on the computer, the On light turns on, the fans turn on and the different drives appear to run (at least the sound of the driver is heard when a disk is in).

But that's it. The monitor doesn't show anything is happening. When I check the monitor, by way of using the control buttons on the monitor, it shows a large 3 color pattern in the center of the screen. It's like the system isn't working. All the cables are correctly inserted and tight. Could the Motherboard be out? What other ways is their to troubleshoot a problem?

This question was answered on December 9, 2002. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.


Be certain your monitor cable is firmly inserted into the appropriate socket, screws in place, and not pulled tight on it's way to the back of the PC Check for bent or broken connector pins Your video card must be held in place by a bracket screw Reseat the video card and screw it in place You might even try inserting it into a different slot, if possible.

Give the machine a minute or so to settle, then move your mouse around Where I am going with this, is the screen blanker may be activating before the PC is even operational If you can get your display to activate in any fashion, turn off the screen blanker, or screen blankers which may be installed with any other software completely off Uninstall any monitor or mouse software which might be on your PC You don't need it Same goes for any tricky icon or pointer programs They often include screen blankers.

If none of this works, it just might be a bad video card One would either need to try a new card, or else take a trip to the repair shop.

If your video is integrated into the motherboard, yes, that could be your problem

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Posted by Robert of Mesa Community College on December 9, 2002

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