Hard drive or video card?

by HeySal
28 replies
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How do I tell if my hard drive is fried or if I just need a new video card.

The monitor gave me a message that "signal not found" and other than that it just shuts itself off if I turn on the computer. It's not hooked up to net yet - just trying to get it to run period.
  • Profile picture of the author John M Kane
    Can you boot into "Safe" mode and get a signal?
    if so, try updating the drivers for the graphics card.
    try resetting the cable, remove and re-install the card.

    doubt is is the HDD,but listen if it is at least spinning.
    No crunchy,bolts in a pop can sounds?

    You have cleaned out the dust bunnies?
    not that they would do this, I just like saying "Bunnies"

    Times like these having another puter to test he drive is sure nice.

    GL Sal

    EDIT: well you're posting here, so I guess you MUST have another pc,eh? LOL
    or a laptop anywhoo
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    No I don't, John - I'm on someone else's computer.

    I tried to boot into safe mode - still no monitor. I've replaced that card since I got the computer.

    Updating drivers? No clue how. Don't know which card is the video card so not sure what to take out and put back in.

    I know absolutely not one thing about this crap. It's not on a cable or anything yet John - just plugged in and trying to start it period - not online, just start the damned thing. Once I get it working at all I'll worry about getting it online again - right now it looks like I'm junking it instead.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Dybka
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      No I don't, John - I'm on someone else's computer.

      I tried to boot into safe mode - still no monitor. I've replaced that card since I got the computer.

      Updating drivers? No clue how. Don't know which card is the video card so not sure what to take out and put back in.

      I know absolutely not one thing about this crap. It's not on a cable or anything yet John - just plugged in and trying to start it period - not online, just start the damned thing. Once I get it working at all I'll worry about getting it online again - right now it looks like I'm junking it instead.
      Could be something as simple as removing the card from the slot and insert it again,sometimes the card will move a little from the slot from the heat from the computer,I had something like this happen to me on a old Dell machine I had,I refit the card and it seemed to fix the problem,I'm not sure if this will help you but it's worth a try.


      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
    Sal,

    Will the same monitor AND video cable work with another system?

    Usually "signal not found" is a message from the monitor that it is not hooked up to something that can generate a signal. Ahh, like a computer.

    This doesn't smell like hard disk to me.

    Tell us more.

    Joe Mobley



    Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

    How do I tell if my hard drive is fried or if I just need a new video card.

    The monitor gave me a message that "signal not found" and other than that it just shuts itself off if I turn on the computer. It's not hooked up to net yet - just trying to get it to run period.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I don't know which card is the video card. Someone else set this up for me. I was hoping for a simple solution - but have not clue one what I am looking at when I open the machine. I tried to move the boards in there and they don't budge at all. I don't have any tools that look like what I need to unscrew anything. I'm in a new town and don't know anyone except the guy I rent from and he doesn't know, either.
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    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Sal, the video card would be the one the monitor plugs into.
    From what your saying it is not the hard drive.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
      Sal,

      Also realize that they video card may be built into the motherboard. Many are now.


      Joe Mobley

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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I just got ahold of my niece and she is fedexing me the new tower. Um.....are you gentlemen telling me that's not going to help any?
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    • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
      May not. We don't know enough to help you. FedExing stuff may be a bit premature and not needed.


      Joe Mobley


      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      I just got ahold of my niece and she is fedexing me the new tower. Um.....are you gentlemen telling me that's not going to help any?
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    KimW is almost CERTAINLY right! Newer monitors, and by newer, I mean like within maybe the last 15 years or so will give you a message if they can't sync with the computer. That message is almost 100% from your monitor. If you can keep your monitor on, and turn your computer off, I bet you get the SAME error.

    The problem is PROBABLY not with your monitor. That would be like the LAST thing to go! The problem is NOT with your disk drive. That much is 100% CERTAIN, since there is NO way it would give you this error.

    Try making sure a plug on the monitor, if there IS one, is screwed in TIGHT. Make sure the one on the computer is screwed in TIGHT. If you find ANY problem, try to turn the computer on again. It may well work. OTHERWISE, the problem, if you have a computer that is older than say 12 years or so, COULD be the video card. Usually, the connection is straight out the back, and your cable connects DIRECTLY to to. Look at the bottom fingers(copper, gold, or tin colored stripes represent the connections on it, and it is a part of the card that plugs into the slot) of the card. All but say MAYBE a bit less than 1/8" of the finger should be in, and it should be straight. With the power to the computer off, and touching ONLY the metal frame or the plain plastic, try to GENTLY push down. If it seems seated, and is less than 1/8" is showing above the slot, there is a fairly good chance it is NOT the problem. To make EXTRA sure, you can try rocking the card to the front, CAREFULLY. If it budges, even a 1/16", try rocking to the back while holding the front. AGAIN, if you find ANY problems, try the computer AGAIN. If it works, GREAT!

    NOW, for the NEWER computers. Many have a BUILT IN video card. You CAN'T easily fix that by listening to some blind guy, unless you know what you are doing. You have TWO choices!

    1. If you have another cable/monitor, TRY THAT! Your problem MIGHT be the cable. They CAN get damaged by frequent movement.
    2. If you can NOT try that, you can get another video card, and plug it in, but I suggest you have someone make sure that you get one with the right connector, and ALSO get one that is as low end as possible. Unless you are playing arcade games, the lowest end is probably fine! It is cheap, low power, and easy to install. The HIGHER END are for those that REALLY need graphics speed and acceleration, and your next computer might not be able to use the one you get for THIS system.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Heysal,

    The new tower will almost certainly have the video, so that leaves the monitor and the cable. If the new tower doesn't work, try to replace the cable. Of course, if you have an ******OLD****** monitor, you can replace THAT now too. I was looking at office depot today, for myself, and they have some nice 20-21 inch ones for about $150USD!

    BTW about the blind statement. I can see HERE, but as far as YOU are concerned I might as well be blind. I can't see your system AT ALL. If I could, I could be far more descriptive.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    If you disconnect your monitor cable, the PC should still boot & not shutdown.

    It's possible you have a virus (at best). The virus "XP Anti-Virus 2011" will sometimes try & keep you from booting up the PC.

    A hard drive fail will make a ticking noise (sometimes) while trying to boot the PC.

    Do you here a ticking noise while trying to boot?
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      If you disconnect your monitor cable, the PC should still boot & not shutdown.

      It's possible you have a virus (at best). The virus "XP Anti-Virus 2011" will sometimes try & keep you from booting up the PC.

      A hard drive fail will make a ticking noise (sometimes) while trying to boot the PC.

      Do you here a ticking noise while trying to boot?
      The ticking noise only happens SOMETIMES! And it will USUALLY be a consistent pattern. Of course, today drives are often quieter, so you might not hear it. But AGAIN, a hard drive will NOT cause THIS error!

      Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author HeySal
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      If you disconnect your monitor cable, the PC should still boot & not shutdown.

      It's possible you have a virus (at best). The virus "XP Anti-Virus 2011" will sometimes try & keep you from booting up the PC.

      A hard drive fail will make a ticking noise (sometimes) while trying to boot the PC.

      Do you here a ticking noise while trying to boot?
      Okay - there ya go - I've got ticking. The PC turns on and makes all kinds of noise, but it's hard to tell what it's doing without the monitor to tell me. All is good - the other tower (which I wanted anyhow) is on it's way and cables and monitors are easy and cheap (need cheap right now, I just moved). It's a bizarre powerful rig with somewhere around 65 gigs to the 6.5 I have now, 10x what I have, almost new, rarely used. I've used it before so know what it is. If it doesn't work I'll know what to do.

      Thanks everyone.

      BTW Steve - I'm looking at the damned thing and feel about as good as blind. This is an OLD gateway so other than a few documents I am losing, I'm glad to see it go.
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      Sal
      When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
    Originally Posted by HeySal View Post


    The monitor gave me a message that "signal not found" and other than that it just shuts itself off if I turn on the computer.
    Yep! Many of the newer monitors do signal checking and will power down after a few seconds if it thinks there is nothing to display.

    Joe Mobley
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  • Profile picture of the author waterotter
    Sal, I'm just on for a few minutes so to understand this correctly, did this computer and monitor just endure a road trip? If so, did the computer work properly when unpacked, or did it just start to act up?
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by waterotter View Post

      Sal, I'm just on for a few minutes so to understand this correctly, did this computer and monitor just endure a road trip? If so, did the computer work properly when unpacked, or did it just start to act up?
      GOOD question, if the computer WAS involved in a big move. If so, the motherboard is probably excluded. It was a low chance anyway. The monitor is likely OK. SO, if it has a graphics card, it might be that, or the cable. There is probably like a 60% chance it is the cable. Probably like 60% of that is that the plugs aren't secure.

      BTW sal, almost all VGA cards have the connection perpendicular to the motherboard, and toward the part away from the motherboard. If it is REAL CLOSE to the motherboard, and probably parallel to the motherboard, it is likely an integrated card. They ARE less likely to have problems. On a tower, the part of the connector on the lower side will almost ALWAYS be larger if on a card, and smaller if integrated. On a regular desktop the reverse is usually true.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Sal,

    One thing I didn't say, but everyone here probably knows it anyway, you can always have multiple problems. Especially if it was just setup. One of the FIRST things it is generally supposed to do is send a signal to the monitor. Newer systems have a system where they lock onto the signal to adjust, if it fails, they give the message you get. The NEXT thing is the POST and startup which includes connecting to the drives. THEN it is supposed to boot. If it can't find a sector, it keeps retrying. They have to read to find it, and things fail. I think it usually times out after a point. at that point, it is suposed to display the error on your screen.

    A couple days ago, I had power surges. I mentioned it here then. Apparently NOTHING got hurt, EXCEPT the amplifier on my stereo and all the presets! You might even have had something similar.

    BTW a lose connection, or card, CAN cause the disk error you describe ALSO! If it can move the arm, but not properly, or if it can't also read, you will get the SAME clicking even though the drive works PERFECTLY!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    This was a real old rig, Steve. It's had lots of problems but all were solvable until now. It was in two brownouts a few weeks back, too, when the area I was in experienced electrical problems that acted like a brownout then the electric just blew completely (all around, not just my house). I know that's bad for them. I'd also been on that ridiculous Clear connection that couldn't keep me online.

    I can't find anything loose inside. Don't SEE any differences, but it is making those clicks when I turn it on. I'm figuring it has the equivalent of a flat spot in the starter.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      This was a real old rig, Steve. It's had lots of problems but all were solvable until now. It was in two brownouts a few weeks back, too, when the area I was in experienced electrical problems that acted like a brownout then the electric just blew completely (all around, not just my house). I know that's bad for them. I'd also been on that ridiculous Clear connection that couldn't keep me online.

      I can't find anything loose inside. Don't SEE any differences, but it is making those clicks when I turn it on. I'm figuring it has the equivalent of a flat spot in the starter.
      Well, if the click is what I think it might be, what is happening is that it is trying to go to the logical track, so if it is at 4, and has to go to 9, it will try to move 5 tracks farther. It then reads the track to find out where it is. If it is a new drive, and fails, it may go to track 0, move out 9 tracks, and try again. If it is an OLD one, it may try to move back maybe 1000 tracks, or how ever large the drive is, and try to move back. In any event, the head moves FAST, and makes a click when it moves, at least any appreciable distance. EVENTUALLY it will assume the block is just bad, or that there is a problem, and return an error. BTW just so we don't lose track, realize the drive ALWAYS clicks! Well, voice coil ones DO sound a bit different. When loading the OS, etc... it can click A LOT! HECK, windows will cause a seek on the drive every few seconds or so ANYWAY. THOSE click. Most either don't notice it, or simply can't hear it. If there is an error, the clicks will likely follow a pattern.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    The reason I mentioned the clicking is, I had a HD go bad on an HP PC a few years back.

    The little arm on the HD kept getting stuck during boot up, it would click about 10 times then shut down the PC. I couldn't even get into safe mode.

    After trying to boot up about 5 times with no luck, I decided to pull the HD & try to slave the drive on another PC, just to see If the drive would work (no luck).

    This drive had a lot of data that I needed to keep.

    My last chance at trying to salvage the drive, I said screw it, I'm going to open the HD case & see what the clicking noise is. Like I said before the little arm kept getting hung up, I tried to boot the PC with the HD cover off so I could see what was going on. I bumped the little arm with my finger & the drive booted up the PC.

    Ohh...Yea!!

    I again daisy chained the drive as a slave to another good PC, & copied the old drive contents to a new HD.

    I recovered maybe 90% of the old drive data, I was happy.

    That's the day I started backing up everything I want to keep.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      My last chance at trying to salvage the drive, I said screw it, I'm going to open the HD case & see what the clicking noise is. Like I said before the little arm kept getting hung up, I tried to boot the PC with the HD cover off so I could see what was going on. I bumped the little arm with my finger & the drive booted up the PC.

      Ohh...Yea!!

      I again daisy chained the drive as a slave to another good PC, & copied the old drive contents to a new HD.

      I recovered maybe 90% of the old drive data, I was happy.

      That's the day I started backing up everything I want to keep.
      Man, YOU LUCKED ***OUT***! You should only do that in a clean room. MANY have said a smoke particle could cause a crash.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        Man, YOU LUCKED ***OUT***! You should only do that in a clean room. MANY have said a smoke particle could cause a crash.

        Steve

        Clean rooms are over rated.

        I didn't have much choice If I wanted to save the data on the drive, I had nothing to lose. I do admit, I was lucky that I was able to save anything to another drive.

        That HD disk was so shiny & purty!
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    If this was a newer PC and I had more on it I'd sweat a little and find someone who could help me out right here - but I am losing so little and the thing is sooooo old that I figure it's not worth the time or money. I've been having more and more problems with it - especially after those brown outs - that I figured it was about to go anyway. Just wanted to make sure that it wasn't something simple enough to fix right away. I'm just hoping it's all in the tower so I don't have to mess with anything else after the new tower gets here. I've started this one a lot of times, checked the chords, tried to "escape" and "alt-control-delete. Shut the monitor off and on, opened the case to look around a little bit, blew the dust out of it, etc. Nothing works so I'm just using the roommate's computer until my other one gets here. Not much else I can do at the time. Under the gun so have to keep working. As long as I can do that, I'll be fine.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      If this was a newer PC and I had more on it I'd sweat a little and find someone who could help me out right here - but I am losing so little and the thing is sooooo old that I figure it's not worth the time or money. I've been having more and more problems with it - especially after those brown outs - that I figured it was about to go anyway. Just wanted to make sure that it wasn't something simple enough to fix right away. I'm just hoping it's all in the tower so I don't have to mess with anything else after the new tower gets here. I've started this one a lot of times, checked the chords, tried to "escape" and "alt-control-delete. Shut the monitor off and on, opened the case to look around a little bit, blew the dust out of it, etc. Nothing works so I'm just using the roommate's computer until my other one gets here. Not much else I can do at the time. Under the gun so have to keep working. As long as I can do that, I'll be fine.
      GEE, why didn't you tell us? eradic and slow performance CAN mean viruses, but it can ALSO point to a bad disk, ESPECIALLY if made worse by a brownout. It is often a symptom of something known as a SOFT error. They almost ALWAYS become HARD errors and a hard error in the wrong place can cause a crash, etc... On the bright side, if THAT is the problem, you MIGHT be able to recover data around them, assuming they didn't cause a head crash.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        GEE, why didn't you tell us? eradic and slow performance CAN mean viruses, but it can ALSO point to a bad disk, ESPECIALLY if made worse by a brownout. It is often a symptom of something known as a SOFT error. They almost ALWAYS become HARD errors and a hard error in the wrong place can cause a crash, etc... On the bright side, if THAT is the problem, you MIGHT be able to recover data around them, assuming they didn't cause a head crash.

        Steve
        I didn't know until talking to someone just a day or two ago that the brownouts might have caused damage. The person knew that my computer was messed up and I told them about the electric BS that had gone on in our neighborhood, and he told me that is probably what was the last straw for my machine. I doubt virus has anything to do with it. I am way serious about computer protection. Avast, dcombobolator, CC, Better Privacy, xpantispy, malware bytes - etc. I run a pretty secure machine.

        I've done about what I can with this now. When I started asking questions here I wasn't sure how long it would take to get the other tower. It was already about 3 weeks past when it was supposed to be to me, but my niece got my email Monday and the tower is on the way here now. Whoot! It's got mega ram and mega space - a lot more general capabilities than my tired old gateway.

        I want to thank those of you who pm'd me to offer further help. Especially you Kim. Offering to fix it free of charge was really an awesome gesture and I won't forget that. That's the type of spirit that kept me in this forum when I didn't know enough to know the value of the info I was getting here. Warriors just rock.
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        Sal
        When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Heysal,

    If it is over say 5 years at this point(assuming it was then a GOOD midrange PC), you were WAY behid the times, and it isn't worth much. If it is about 10 years old, FORGET it, it is about worthless. If it is 15+ years old, you mght not be able to salvage ANY hardware, except maybe the montor. If the monitor is a crt though, it is WORTHLESS. The CRTs basically have you viewing the top of a big tube. If it is over 50% as deep as it is wide, it is almost certainly a CRT. A system with a 6.5GB MAIN disk drive puts the age of this system, IIRC(and I DON'T try to recall this type of stuff anymore), about 1995 or so. One website says about 1997. 65GB seems like it may be about 2000 or newer. That website agrees. Right now, I think the low end LAPTOP strives for about 250GB(though I may be a bit behind). The average desktop is a bt larger I believe 320GB, though a lot of low end desktops, like mine, go to 1TB(The website says 2007 or newer). I think 160GB for lowend laptops was the standard as long as 4 years ago.

    On the bright side, smaller drives can be used in newer systems, and 11 years is still at a point where things can be reused a bit.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author dagaul101
    You could always replace the video card and try again, if it still says that it could be something else
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