[SOLVED] New SSD and Windows 10 installed. No signal to monitor.

Nov 23, 2019
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Hi! Need some help!

I have got a new SSD for my PC and installed windows 10 to it but now I have no signal. I’ll give you a step by step of what I did and my PC specs.

Step by Step of what I did:
  • Had all drivers and windows 7 on my original HDD up to date. Was able to play on this rig before now.
  • Moved important files to external HD. Removed nothing from HDD.
  • Downloaded bootable windows 10 from Microsoft onto a memory stick.
  • Plugged in new SSD and checked it was recognised on PC and then formatted it per instructions.
  • Removed HDD and booted PC with memory stick and SSD plugged in.
  • Installed windows 10 to SSD. Seemed to install successfully and was able to use PC at this point as normal.
  • Turned off PC, turned back on to enter bios and set SSD as the drive it boots with. At this point I accidentally missed bios first time and it loaded windows again (aka I was able to start PC with SSD twice before it died).
  • Set the SSD as the drive it boots to in bios and turned off.
  • Plugged HDD back in and turned on pc. Fans, lights etc all running in PC but no signal to monitor. Like NOTHING. No blue light saying it’s turned on, nothing appears on screen.
I have tried:
  • Just SSD plugged in and just HDD plugged in.
  • All combinations of SSD and/or HDD plugged in alone, with each other, with memory stick and with external HD and in each SATA port. Tried with neither installed as well.
  • Removing, cleaning and replacing all connections and parts (including RAM) in whole PC and monitor.
  • Using each RAM on their own.
  • Clearing CMOS by removing battery.
  • Using MB graphics by removing GPU and plugging DV1 into MB.
  • Using HDMi cable in GPU and also in MB. Did this with HDMI alone and also with DV1 also plugged in.
  • Checking boards over (I’m an ex electronics engineer and couldn’t see anything that looks broken).
I can’t get a signal. Can’t get to BIOS so I can’t do anything there!

My Specs:
SSD - Sunbow X3 120 GB
HDD - WD Blue 1 TB
GPU - Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8G
MB - ASUS f2a85-V pro
PSU - Corsair CX 750
RAM- Corsair Vengeance 8GB x2
Monitor - AOC 236lm00006
Processor - AMD Athlon X4 FM2

My GPU is only a few weeks old. I had a bit of trouble installing it and also got no signal but managed to use old GPU to figure out that the MB’s OB graphics were the problem and updated their VGA drivers which solved it. I unfortunately don’t have my old GPU anymore so can’t use that to do anything.

I don’t have anyone I can borrow components from or try their monitor etc. My next move is getting a new MB. Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
Last edited:
Solution
This, would be a MUCH better option. This gives you way better single core performance and better overall multithreaded performance as well, despite having fewer cores and threads than the 2700x. This would be very well matched to your RX 580.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£177.18 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (£89.99 @ Box Limited)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£78.40 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £345.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-25 09:20 GMT+0000
Modern motherboards don't HAVE onboard graphics. In fact, MOST motherboards, ever, don't, but some few used to have them. The CPU has onboard graphics and the motherboard is simply used to channel and use those graphics from the CPU. So when you update the iGPU driver, you are installing a driver for part of the CPU, not the motherboard. Semantics, I know, to some degree anyhow, but it's a distinction that it pays to be aware of.

Do you have no display from the time you power up, or do you only LOSE onscreen display when the system completes the POST process and begins to load windows? If you boot to safe mode, do you have a display?

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/4-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-10

If you have a display when you boot into safe mode, then it 99% has to be a driver issue.
 
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Nov 23, 2019
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Thanks for your reply! My bad, I’m a bit of a PC build noob so corrections are definitely welcome!

I have no power on monitor at all. Doesn’t even switch on.
 
Have you double checked both ends of the display cable to make sure neither end has come slightly loose and is fully seated? Made sure you didn't knock free a memory module or power cable to the graphics card, or something else, inside the case while installing the SSD?
 
Nov 23, 2019
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Have you double checked both ends of the display cable to make sure neither end has come slightly loose and is fully seated? Made sure you didn't knock free a memory module or power cable to the graphics card, or something else, inside the case while installing the SSD?
Doubled checked all cables both ends just now - still nothing
 
Nov 23, 2019
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IDK man. Sounds like maybe you got a bad drive to me if that's the only thing that's been changed and if it works fine when that drive is not connected.
It doesn’t work when it’s not connected though, that’s the confusing part! It stopped working once I plugged my hdd back in after the windows 10 install. Now I can’t get a display no matter what I try.

My CPU is rather old though so maybe I’ll just upgrade that and the MB and see what happens 🤔
 
Nov 23, 2019
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In order to do any kind of meaningful upgrade, you would need a new CPU, motherboard AND memory, since there are no platforms from the last four years that used DDR3 memory like your current system does.

So if I got Ryzen 7 2700x and ASUS x470-pro prime motherboard.. would Corsair vengeance LPX ddr4 3200MHz be a good RAM choice?

There’s a lot of different RAM options of all different prices which are ddr4 and 3200MHz and I’m not sure what makes the more expensive ones better.
 
Is there some kind of deal available to you on those parts, because if there's not, that's not what I would recommend doing.

What can you actually afford to spend on a motherboard, CPU and memory?

What country are you in and if it's a less developed country, where can you purchase from?
 
This, would be a MUCH better option. This gives you way better single core performance and better overall multithreaded performance as well, despite having fewer cores and threads than the 2700x. This would be very well matched to your RX 580.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£177.18 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (£89.99 @ Box Limited)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£78.40 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £345.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-25 09:20 GMT+0000
 
Solution
Nov 23, 2019
12
0
10
This, would be a MUCH better option. This gives you way better single core performance and better overall multithreaded performance as well, despite having fewer cores and threads than the 2700x. This would be very well matched to your RX 580.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor (£177.18 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (£89.99 @ Box Limited)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£78.40 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £345.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-25 09:20 GMT+0000

Thanks so much, that’s very helpful! I’ll do a bit of shopping now
 
Also, that Flare X memory is SPECIFICALLY designed for AMD platforms with a Ryzen specific XMP profile that has timings favored by Ryzen. This is often, but not as much as with earlier Ryzen implementations, a problem when using memory that has Intel based XMP timings. Sometimes those work, sometimes they work with a fair amount of fiddling around in the BIOS, and sometimes they don't work at all. The G.Skill Trident Z Neo and Flare X kits should have a much higher compatibility margin since they are designed for this platform.
 
Nov 23, 2019
12
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Also, that Flare X memory is SPECIFICALLY designed for AMD platforms with a Ryzen specific XMP profile that has timings favored by Ryzen. This is often, but not as much as with earlier Ryzen implementations, a problem when using memory that has Intel based XMP timings. Sometimes those work, sometimes they work with a fair amount of fiddling around in the BIOS, and sometimes they don't work at all. The G.Skill Trident Z Neo and Flare X kits should have a much higher compatibility margin since they are designed for this platform.
Sounds great, thank you! It’s all arriving tomorrow so will hopefully update to say it’s all working