No Signal - Booting

[Asalr16]

Hello!
Okay, so this is my second PC build - The first was a flawless, I had no issues whatsoever...however this new rig is giving me quite some difficulty.
I have read so many threads across the net yet none have been to any real assistance.

The specs are as follows:
Mobo - Asus: M4N68T-M V2
CPU - AMD Athlon II 455
550w Antec PSU
8gb patriot @ 1600 MHZ
Nvidia 8800gt

So, the issue is I'm not receiving a signal from my video card to the monitor. Yes, all of the power is connected in the appropriate spots - I've rebuilt this comp from scratch 2 times now.
The video card is an old one I had in a previous computer, it is quite old and a bit knackered but the fan is receiving power so I assume it's working. I can't access the Bios of course since I have no visuals...but I've tried resetting the CMOS by removing the battery, yet that did not fix the issue.

The main reasons I think the video card is still intact is the fact that this video card was in a previous computer and worked perfectly fine, that and as I said it is receiving power. I've returned the CPU in hopes that could be the issue, but still the problem prevails.

I've tried using only one stick of ram, both sticks in the first slot, and that did nothing.
I don't hear any beeps from the computer, except the HDD.

Any idea what the issue could be? Perhaps the video card is completely done, now? It is about 3 years old, but as I said it was* working perfectly fine in a previous build.
Thanks.

 

[monsta]

Make sure you got the DVI or VGA connected properly at the back of your card and monitor

 

[Asalr16]

Make sure you got the DVI or VGA connected properly at the back of your card and monitor

Yeh, I have checked quite a few times now ^_^

 

[monsta]

Does the fan spin up on the card?

 

[Asalr16]

Does the fan spin up on the card?

Yes, it does.

 

[monsta]

What outputs are on the back of the card?

 

[Asalr16]

What outputs are on the back of the card?

Uh, do you mean VGA / DVI?
If so, both are DVI. Currently, I'm using a VGA cable from the monitor to the GPU, with a VGA to DVI converter.

 

[monsta]

Thats the problem , the adaptor is whats not giving you the signal , can you get another cable?

 

[Asalr16]

Thats the problem , the adaptor is whats not giving you the signal , can you get another cable?

Well, yes. I tried a regular DVI cable on MY monitor, nothing. The computer was not for me, it was for my father - I've taken the comp over to his house, and he has the VGA to DVI converter. Though, even at my house, with a regular DVI cable, I still was not receiving any signal...if any of that made sense.

In short, yeah I have a tried a regular DVI cable. The motherboard I have doesn't have an onboard graphics card, so trying the VGA to VGA would be pointless, right? In other words, plugging the monitor's VGA into the back of the motherboard would be pointless, right? Since it doesn't have an onboard GPU?

 

[monsta]

If theres a VGA outlet coming out of the Motherboard then there is integrated graphics, you will have to disable in the bios.
To do that you will have to hook up the VGA to VGA from the mobo to the monitor , go into bios and disable integrated graphics, then shut it down and put the DVI cable from the card and see if it works.

 

[Asalr16]

If theres a VGA outlet coming out of the Motherboard then there is integrated graphics, you will have to disable in the bios.
To do that you will have to hook up the VGA to VGA from the mobo to the monitor , go into bios and disable integrated graphics, then shut it down and put the DVI cable from the card and see if it works.

Hmm...well, how can I go about doing that without being able to see anything?
Even with a VGA to VGA connection, I get nothing.

Edit: Perhaps the Mobo is knackered? I dunno.

 

[monsta]

Ah so you tried the VGA from the motherboard to the monitor already?

Ok last thing to try is, remove the nvidia card. Reboot and plug the vga into the back of the computer and boot it up , if it works go into the bios and disable the integrated graphics. Then you can try putting the nvidia card back in and connecting the card to the monitor to see if it works.

 

[Asalr16]

Ah so you tried the VGA from the motherboard to the monitor already?

Ok last thing to try is, remove the nvidia card. Reboot and plug the vga into the back of the computer and boot it up , if it works go into the bios and disable the integrated graphics. Then you can try putting the nvidia card back in and connecting the card to the monitor to see if it works.

Just got back from trying that, actually. I still get nothing :/
GPU removed and all - I'm starting to think I got a faulty Mobo, but I really have no clue - Usually, it's easy for me to put a comp together, but understanding why certain things fail to work is a bit out of my reach, for now. But I'm learning

 

[monsta]

You have done well to be honest in diagnosing.

So even the vga connection from the mobo aint working either?

Ok , now I'm stumped.lol

You tried both DVI outputs from the back of the card right?

 

[Asalr16]

You have done well to be honest in diagnosing.

So even the vga connection from the mobo aint working either?

Ok , now I'm stumped.lol

You tried both DVI outputs from the back of the card right?

Unfortunately, yes. From VGA in the monitor, to VGA on the back of the Mobo, I get "No Signal" and then the monitor goes into idle mode.
I have tried both DVI outputs, yes.

 

[monsta]

GRRR!

Anyone else with any suggestions?

Have you got any other spare cables you can use?

 

[Asalr16]

GRRR!

Anyone else with any suggestions?

Have you got any other spare cables you can use?

I don't :/
Although, my father's old computer works fine with that set of cables and on that monitor...ARGH!
The only logical thing, from my perspective (keep in mind I truly have no idea!) is that I got a faulty Mobo. I haz no idear.

 

[klabauterman]

Same problem here, reaseated virually everything from ram to cables, though im using hdmi, im thinking it might be my hdmi cable as all my desktop parts are new, its my first build, searched google for three hours now and all i get is pretty much reseat reseat reseat, did you chech your mobos led diagnostic? Mine shows cf and i dunno ehat that is lol

 

[pro-gamer]

remove rams and put it back again!!

 

[klabauterman]

I think he did, he said he rebuilt it from scratch two times, ive also reseated my ram sticks but still getting no signal, gonna try to use the mobos integrated graphics tom

 

[jsc]

It is time for some systematic troubleshooting, not just "Try this. Try that."

Work systematically through our standard checklist and troubleshooting thread:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems
I mean work through, not just read over it. We spent a lot of time on this. It should find most of the problems.

If not, continue.
The following is an expansion of my troubleshooting tips in the breadboarding link in the "Cannot boot" thread.

I have tested the following beep patterns on Gigabyte, eVGA, and ECS motherboards. Other BIOS' may be different, but they all use a single short beep for a successful POST.

Breadboard - that will help isolate any kind of case problem you might have.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262730-31-breadboarding

Breadboard with just motherboard, CPU & HSF, case speaker, and PSU.

Make sure you plug the CPU power cable in. The system will not boot without it.

I always breadboard a new build. It takes only a few minutes, and you know you are putting good parts in the case once you are finished.

You can turn on the PC by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case power switch goes to. You should hear a series of long, single beeps indicating memory problems. Silence indicates a problem with (in most likely order) the PSU, motherboard, or CPU. Remember, at this time, you do not have a graphics card installed so the load on your PSU will be reduced.

If no beeps:
Running fans and drives and motherboard LED's do not necessarily indicate a good PSU. In the absence of a single short beep, they also do not indicate that the system is booting.

At this point, you can sort of check the PSU. Try to borrow a known good PSU of around 550 - 600 watts. That will power just about any system with a single GPU. If you cannot do that, use a DMM to measure the voltages. Measure between the colored wires and either chassis ground or the black wires. Yellow wires should be 12 volts. Red wires: +5 volts, orange wires: +3.3 volts, blue wire : -12 volts, violet wire: 5 volts always on. Tolerances are +/- 5% except for the -12 volts which is +/- 10%.

The gray wire is really important. It should go from 0 to +5 volts when you turn the PSU on with the case switch. CPU needs this signal to boot.

You can turn on the PSU by completely disconnecting the PSU and using a paperclip or jumper wire to short the green wire to one of the neighboring black wires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FWXgQSokF4&feature=youtube_gdata

A way that might be easier is to use the main power plug. Working from the back of the plug where the wires come out, use a bare paperclip to short between the green wire and one of the neighboring black wires. That will do the same thing with an installed PSU. It is also an easy way to bypass a questionable case power switch.

This checks the PSU under no load conditions, so it is not completely reliable. But if it can not pass this, it is dead. Then repeat the checks with the PSU plugged into the computer to put a load on the PSU.

If the system beeps:
If it looks like the PSU is good, install a memory stick. Boot. Beep pattern should change to one long and several short beeps indicating a missing graphics card.

Silence, long single beeps, or series of short beeps indicate a problem with the memory. If you get short beeps verify that the memory is in the appropriate motherboard slots.

Insert the video card and connect any necessary PCIe power connectors. Boot. At this point, the system should POST successfully (a single short beep). Notice that you do not need keyboard, mouse, monitor, or drives to successfully POST.
At this point, if the system doesn't work, it's either the video card or an inadequate PSU. Or rarely - the motherboard's PCIe interface.

Now start connecting the rest of the devices starting with the monitor, then keyboard and mouse, then the rest of the devices, testing after each step. It's possible that you can pass the POST with a defective video card. The POST routines can only check the video interface. It cannot check the internal parts of the video card.