Monitor and computer not communicating

[dain2022]

Ok, this is really annoying and I would really like to fix this problem. Here is what is going on...

I boot up my computer by pushing the power button on the front. The computer sounds healthy, but the monitor doesn't come on (the light stays yellow instead of turning green). The only way to get the monitor to work is to flip the main power switch on the back of the tower off and then back on and then hit the power button on the front. Everything loads up good then. How can I get everything to work without hitting that switch on the back? Is it really safe to mess with that anyway? If I am on the computer and hit restart in the shut down menu then everything is good to go. But if the power is turned off to the computer and I try to restart..I have no monitor without hitting the power switch on the back of the tower. Please give me any advice that you can offer on how to fix this. Email me at danaulery@hotmail.com. I really really appreciate it!
Dana

[alex666]

Welcome to the PC Guide Forums. This is a great place to get help.

This is not a totally uncommon problem, so I'll respond here so others can benefit from a discussion of this. I mean, that's the purpose of these forums.

First, it would help if you would describe your system, whether you bought it, built it yourself, the components in your system. Did this suddenly start, or has the system always been this way? All of this information is important in addressing your question.

I've had similar problems at times like yours, and it had to do with running my system at very high performance settings. Specifically, my kt-600 system will not "restart" from within windows without resetting several of the bios settings upon boot. The system runs very stable, but I have it running at a very high cpu speed, memory settings, and so forth. If I relax those settings, i.e., set my cpu speed (fsb X multiplier) to run slower, then it restarts just fine. Plus, the system has been that way from day one. Also, when I had it running at its absolutely fastest speed, it would not even start from the front panel switch. I got the same identical symptoms you are describing, and had to turn off the psu switch, wait 10 seconds, and then turn it back on. My kt-333 system used to have similar issues. In contrast, my nf2-400 ultra system always restarts, though that might be due to it using a different psu. So your hardware and bios settings can affect this.

Others can better explain, but I think your system's failure to start-up the monitor has to do with the video card initializing, or something like that. I avoided the problem by using the master power switch on the psu , and doing so is in no way unsafe. However, it does cause wear and tear to that switch, and one way to avoid that is by using the on-off switch on a power strip or surge protector or uninterruptible power supply that is connected to your system.

Finally, if your system had been stable and then this suddenly started, well, that's a whole different story and would be cause for concern. That's why it is necessary to get more information.

marty

[dain2022]

so it's not a specific brand. This problem was not like this from day one...it's just recently done it. I kept getting the blue screen of death there for a while. My husband and I tried different things and finally got it to boot up correctly. Then within a week or two it started doing this..(no monitor at boot up). I know he went into the BIOS, but I don't know that he changed anything. He doesn't think he did..but isn't 100% certain. I do now that my 16month old son learned how to turn the tower on and off. Could he have messed up the power supply doing that? By the way, he can't reach the tower now..it is on top of the desk. I'm not sure what all you need to know to give me suggestions, but this is what I know..

OS: WinXP Professional
Video Card: Radeon 7000 series
AMD Athalon Processor
1.2 ghz
1.0 GB RAM
Plug and Play Monitor

Anything else you need to know? If so what is it and how do I find out? I'm kind of a newbie to this hardware stuff.

Dana

[dain2022]

I got into my BIOS and chose "load optimized defaults", restarted the computer it worked! I shut it down completely and it works!! YAY! I'm so happy!!! Thanks for your help Marty ;)

[alex666]

Geez, that's exactly what I was going to suggest! :D :D
Good for you. Maybe a close relative did indeed do something in the bios. ;)

marty