I am so puzzled!!! I have a friend computer that did not get any pictures a blank black screen, I hooked her monitor to my computer and the monitor did not work. I then proceeded to hook her computer to my monitor and my monitor did not work with her system. I proceeded to put back my monitor to my system and it worked fine. I switched video cards on my computer and hers and both video cards work in my system and not hers. they both are agp video type cards. I thought maybe her agp slot was broken so I bought a cheap pci video card and put it in my pc and it worked and I put it in her pc and still no video no picture at all. I do not know what else to look for. If I was not clear I was using my working monitor on both system when I was doing these test. Her monitor did not work on my system so I think her monitor is bad regardless of these other problems. Help anyone please if you can!!!!!!! PS When I was using the agp and pci video cards at different times on my monitor it said monitor working fine check cables and computer, When I had her monitor on with her computer thee was no message just a blank black screen. help please Thanks for any replies

Your friend didn't have a recent lightning strike or strange power surge recently by any chance??? It sounds like her monitor and her motherboard and/or CPU is shot. If her CPU is compatible with your computer, you might want to try it and see. You could also try your CPU in her computer.

When you turn on her computer do you get a POST beep or any other signs of life? It could also be a power supply problem. If you do get POST, it may not be motherboard and/or CPU.

thanks for the reply, I don't remember hearing a beep with her pc when I turned it on. if there is no post would that men a posibble power supply problem? I do hear the power supply also my cpu I do not believe is compattible if I just took hers cpu out can I still turn her pc on and see if I get a picture? I can of think you right on the motherboard and cpu posibble being shot it is ironic that she would be having problem with both her monior and her system at the same time. Thanks again for all replies

would a dead cmos battery afffect any of this?

When a computer boots, the fans will come on, video appears on the screen, various components of the computer will be checked to see if they are working correctly like memory, drives, etc. Hard disks will spin up - the hard disk access light will flash as the HD is accessed, the floppy and CD-Rom lights will come on, then go off, you may hear clicking sounds as the HD read heads look for the right track.

If these things are occurring, that is good evidence that the computer is booting even if you have no video. My guess is that nothing is happening except the fans spinning. So the computer is not booting.
If yours is not booting here's what I would do:

Don't worry about the cmos battery. The computer should boot even if it is bad.

Open the case, then disconnect the power and data cables for all drives. Make a diagram if you need to so you can put it all back correctly. Take out all cards except the video card. Leave only video, CPU, memory, keyboard connected. Then see if the computer will boot. If it still won't boot, you have narrowed your search for the bad component. You've already tried multiple video cards, so it would be CPU, memory or motherboard that is bad.

Then get back to us again.

A dead battery would make for weird problems, but it should still POST if the mobo and CPU are good. If you get no indication of power, it could be the power supply, but if you hear the power supply fan and/or can see the fan working, this is less likely. That would leave the mobo or CPU as most likely suspects.

Removing the CPU will probably not make any difference. I believe some boards can POST without a CPU, but it would do so with the CPU even if it is dead if it were capable of doing it without one.

If the problem is a dead mobo/CPU and monitor it seems likely that there was some kind of electrical event that would have caused it.

thanks for the replies I will make sure the post and power is operational but I have a bad feeling the mobo and / or cpu is bad.

LEARNING THOUGH

I haven't seen anyone ask...
... about RAM. If any probs with that, you might get no boot and possibly no pic.

...see if the fans spin.

Her monitor is probnably toast. Unless it may have a removable power cord that is no good, or possibly a problem with the pins in the data connecter but by the sounds of it, unlikely.

Any totally bad, or seriously should I say, single component (HDD, CDROM...) can make it difficult for the POST to complete and send confirmation through the pc speaker. (Look for PSU load. Test equipment nessessary)

I suggest testing each compatible component (Budfred, you messed up on that one *asterisk below...) in your known working system ONE AT A TIME. But first perhaps a barebones test of her system with your monitor. Use the least amount of components to complete a system.

*A list of 'HIS' and 'HERS' system and history might give us a better idea as to what is going on "between" you two 'anyway!' :D /* ;) How 'PC'-patible are you?

Y'kno..., :cool:
mojo, memories, good boots, even the pc speaker honkin' at ya'!!!

...thanks for the reply, I don't remember hearing a beep with her...
I feel for you. That's my problem too.. :D :D :D

it works:) it works:) Thanks for all the responses. I took off the ram to see if anything might happen but it did not and I just by chance took of the cpu and put it back in and abbra cadabra it work. the response about the post made me start looking that way because the pc usually has a beep when it boots and I did not hear one. and by the way with this new development she might show how pc grateful she is;) Once again for all the help and suggestions.