How can you tell if a graphics card is fried?

[pammy]

Due to the storms yesterday we had loads of mini power cuts last night. Everything seems to have survived although we're not sure about Josh's PC. He turns it on and can hear the hard drive whurring and "No Signal" appears on the monitor but that's it.

He has a sep graphics card which I put in some time ago. How can I tell if it's the graphics card or MB that's fried? Or could this be something else

 

[andy_k]

power supply is more likely than graphics card.

Can you take the card out of the machine and see if it works in another one?

Andy

 

[BTB 500]

Once sorted, if you've not already got them on your PCs etc. nip out and get some surge protectors!

 

[pammy]

power supply is more likely than graphics card.

Can you take the card out of the machine and see if it works in another one?

Andy

Andy - thanks.

Power supply to what? The PC is getting power - do you mean just to the card? I could put it in another machine but that's a heck of a faff. Hoped there might be an easier way

If there isn't then he's just going to have to suffer and be PC less for a while until I have time do all that.

 

[GrahamC230K]

Normally get beeps if the video adapter has a problem.

 

[fuzzer]

try it on another monitor. that will eliminate that.

 

[masqueraid]

You would be very unlucky if the graphics card had died simply as a result of lots of power outs but it can happen.

First check the monitor and lead connections (especially if the lead can be removed from both monitor and PC). Quickest test is plug it into another PC, if you get a display it works!

Assuming the monitor and cable are OK afraid the next best test is open the case of this and another working machine, take out the suspect graphics card from one and swap with the other. It is a bit of a fag but it is a definative test.

 

[andy_k]

the pc may be getting power but it may not be all the power it needs.

It has to supply various feeds to the boards and the drives and only one needs to be down for the machine not to boot.

With no surge protection the power supply can all too often take on that role

Andy

 

[imadoofus]

Can somebody confirm the following POST beeps, which if correct might help Pammy with her diagnosis?

No Beeps - No Power, Loose Card, or Short.
1 Short Beep - Normal POST, computer is ok.
2 Short Beep - POST error, review screen for error code.
Continuous Beep - No Power, Loose Card, or Short.
Repeating Short Beep - No Power, Loose Card, or Short.
One Long and one Short Beep - Motherboard issue.
One Long and Two Short Beeps - Video (Mono/CGA Display Circuitry) issue.
One Long and Three Short Beeps - Video (EGA) Display Circuitry.
Three Long Beeps - Keyboard / Keyboard card error.
One Beep - Blank or Incorrect Display Video Display Circuitry.

PJ

 

[grober]

If you have "onboard graphics" on the motherboard, you may be able to use them instead temporarily if the graphic board is fried? You would have to change some settings to allow the operating software to recognise the new graphics hardware for this to work ( control panel-system-device manager-hardware- display adapter). Your original computer motherboard spec might tell you if this is a possiblity??

 

[AJTHOMAS]

You say you fitted a seperate graphics card...

Does the PC have an existing video port from a built in graphics card, integrated on the motherboard ?
If it does, remove the seperate video card and plug the monitor into the existing card and restart the computer.

If the computer fails to start and display boot time information (white text on black background) it suggests one or more devices is not working correctly. Maybe the graphics card, maybe something else.

If you have the confidence...
Power off, remove all additional cards and disconnect the motherboard cables for the internal floppy / hard-disk and CD/DVD drives), restart.

If it still fails to start up, power down, remove the memory modules and restart.

At some point the computer should startup and display error messages onscreen (a devices is missing / BIOS information changed).

Re-install and or reconnect each component one at a time, powering back on and rebooting after each addition to narrow down to the suspect item.

Chances are that modems or network cards if fitted are more likely to carry an electrical surge, unless your graphics card is linked to a TV antanee.. !!

 

[pammy]

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys.

If you have "onboard graphics" on the motherboard, you may be able to use them instead temporarily if the graphic board is fried? You would have to change some settings to allow the operating software to recognise the new graphics hardware for this to work ( control panel-system-device manager-hardware- display adapter). Your original computer motherboard spec might tell you if this is a possiblity??

good idea! will give that a go. The card was only replaced so that he could play some games so the on boatd card should work. Looking at PJ's post about beeps - I'm not sure it is just the GC though. The monitor is OK as that is displaying stuff "No Signal" message etc so I am content that that is OK. Buut although there is a whirring coming from the box that is it looks like it could be more than the GC that fried.

I checked the power supply and am so cross. In the old house they were all on surge protectors - following a lightening hit! but for some reason Josh's isn't on one now. I can only think that it was coz of the last house move and he set it up only picking up a normal extension gang rather than a protected one and I just never thought - bugger!!!

 

[Gollom]

Pammy

Just a thought. If it turns out to be the power supply it's probaby better to buy a new case (comes with PSU) rather than a new power supply - in my experience unless it is a really fancy system it is miles cheaper.

And despite the mystery some people place around 'puters, it's not difficult to transfer from one case to another. Meccano really!

Wish I were a bit nearer to The Dark Side (Yorkshire...) or I'd come and sort it for ya

 

[GazCaff]

Pammy

Just a thought. If it turns out to be the power supply it's probaby better to buy a new case (comes with PSU) rather than a new power supply - in my experience unless it is a really fancy system it is miles cheaper.

And despite the mystery some people place around 'puters, it's not difficult to transfer from one case to another. Meccano really!

Wish I were a bit nearer to The Dark Side (Yorkshire...) or I'd come and sort it for ya

Changing a power supply is much easier than performing a "full organ transplant" on a case and a £40 PSU will be far better than the PSU you'd get in a £40 case, so I've got to disagree with you there Steve. I'd just change the PSU for a decent one as a good PSU will "take one for the boys", i.e it won't wreck your components, if a surge hits it.

 

[pammy]

His base unit gets power and he is able to open the CD drawer etc - I'm now woondering if it's the MB that's fried, so I'm thinking of just getting the lad a new PC - but we don't need the whole shebang as I have a monitor etc. However as we have just moved and space is at a premium in his bedroom I have found this:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-5485.aspx

It says it has a TV tuner. I'm a bit thick when it comes to this side of things - does this mean I could just attach the Sky feed into his PC and that he'd then be able to watch the TV through his monitor and base unit without me needing to get him a TV for his room? And if so then it saves me buying him an LCD screen tv for his room so makes this possinly a better deal all round. It might also be a good solution for darling daughter too.

What do you think guys?

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

looks a reasonable spec.

 

[masqueraid]

Pammy, there are a few typos in the Tesco ad. It's a 16x DVD drive and you get Works 8.5 not Office. (You will get an Office trial package and could upgrade if you felt like it from the qualifying Works installation.)

The TV tuner is almost cetainly Gateway's own version of the Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II TV this is an analogue tuner so you will get at best 5 channels destined to be switched off in the near future. No chance of Sky or even Freeview with this one I'm afraid

 

[pammy]

No chance of Sky or even Freeview with this one I'm afraid

Thanks for the advice. I'm fully aware of analogue switch off. I have Sky and am about to get multiroom and then full linked set up that's in the house all working again. I'm hoping I could put that through the TV so not use terrestrial at all. Would that work?

So is the DVD not a writer? If so then can't see the point

 

[masqueraid]

Yes if you're using a mirrored Sky Card and piping the signal 'round the house you can use the RF output from the back of one of the digiboxes to feed straight into the analogue TV card (You were way ahead of me with your planning!)

& yes the DVD is +/- RW it's just the speed they'd got wrong. The real spec is on the Gateway site

 

[GazCaff]

His base unit gets power and he is able to open the CD drawer etc - I'm now woondering if it's the MB that's fried, so I'm thinking of just getting the lad a new PC - but we don't need the whole shebang as I have a monitor etc. However as we have just moved and space is at a premium in his bedroom I have found this:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-5485.aspx

It says it has a TV tuner. I'm a bit thick when it comes to this side of things - does this mean I could just attach the Sky feed into his PC and that he'd then be able to watch the TV through his monitor and base unit without me needing to get him a TV for his room? And if so then it saves me buying him an LCD screen tv for his room so makes this possinly a better deal all round. It might also be a good solution for darling daughter too.

What do you think guys?

It's reasonable, but if your lad likes playing computer games (which I gather he does from other threads) that Tesco system might struggle.

I sold off a fair few bits quite recently that would have gone towards a halfway decent system, sods law isn't it?