Attn. Computer Wizards

Houston, we have a problem :( My computer at home has gone the way of the dodo,.... or it's ready too :lol: I'm runnin Windows 98 in a 2.5 year old HP with 900 ADM athlon and 128ram.

Lately, I've been recieving the ol' "Moniter Cable Connected?" message. Periodically, it will work, but 10 out of the last 14 days it hasnt. When I turn on the system, it boots-up to the first Hewlett Packard screen and then stops. I also noticed that the keyboard doesnt connect either (little green light doesnt turn on, and cnt-alt-del doesnt happen at all).

Can someone clue me in as to if there is something I can do myself to remidy this problem? Or do I need to go in search of someone who can put their hands on it?

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Thanx in advance and good luck racing 8)
 
You got me there, mate. I know my way around a computer, ie Net and Word, but that's nothing I've ever heard of before. Thank God you're not running a '99 266MHz (not even a Pentium!) computer like me! :eek:
 
OK, it sounds like there's a problem in the Power On Self Test (POST).

The two most likely culprits are power supply and video card, I would try the video card first. Do you know of anyone who could lend you a card for an hour or so? If not, really basic ones can be had really cheaply, like £20 in the UK.

Power supplies can be quite expensive however.

Does it beep at all during startup? If so, note down the pattern of beeps, then go to the manufacturer's web site and look it up (you'll find it under POST Beep Codes).

Oh, and this belongs in the Computers and Internet forum, so I'll punt it across there for you. :)
 
Thanx Giles,... 👍

Yes, I was listening for beeps, and it did beep once, like normal. It's almost as if it stops it's sequence right after the beep.

If it is the video card,.. why would I be able to see the Hewlett Packard screen? Does that make a difference?
 
Originally posted by Red Eye Racer
If it is the video card,.. why would I be able to see the Hewlett Packard screen? Does that make a difference?

Because the system changes display resolutions at least three times during the boot-up process. Your card may only be able to display one of those resolutions, or may not be able to change from one to another.

A single beep would indicate a successful POST completion.
 
I'm going to have to agree with GilesGuthrie on this one. It definately sounds like the video card is the culprit. It could also be the AGP slot if your board has one. A friend of mine had his motherboard's AGP slot go bad but the card worked in other computers(At least I think it did, I can't remember.) It would boot to the windows startup and everything but then the display would blank and you couldn't see anything. I'd do what Giles said and borrow a friends card to see if it works. If it doesn't than it could be your AGP slot(again if you have one) which would mean replacing your entire motherboard.
 
It wouldn't be the video card if the keyboard doesn't get power. Is it a USB keyboard or a PS/2 keyboard? If it's a USB one, try using a PS/2 keyboard and mouse.

My dad had problems with his computer and power. The idiots that Dell sent over said "It must be the motherboard" 4 times in a row, when even I knew it was the power supply. But who knows, it could be anything on your system(no offense). The best thing to do is to have somebody that isn't timid ´check the voltage and see where the power gets cut off.
 
Usually a computer will stop if it doesnt have a keyboard hooked up. Check your cable and look for bent pins or shorts in the cord.
 
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