BleepingComputer.com: Pc Tower Turns On Monitor Tries To Come On But Doesnt

Hi my name is Stephanie and I am new to the forums. I would really appreciate any feedback help I can get.
My computer has been broken for a while now i just dont know where to turn besides here or going to bestbuy to get them to look at it but that costs money i dont have, so for now i am having to use my husband's computer.
I had my computer just over a year and then the problem started right after the warranty went out, , I would be in the middle of anything didn't matter if it was a game or just surfing the net or writing in word. the screen would glitch and freak out on me, finally the monitor screen totally started going into a sleep mode i guess you can say. the little blue light would turn amber. i started noticing that if i turned it back on it would work then go out again.
The only way i could turn it back on and it work properly, is that i would have to push the power button on the tower and shut the whole computer down, i noticed that along with the monitor problem, the cpu fan would turn on with the computer and stay quiet then everything would work fine, but if i turned my computer on and the cpu fan became loud then the monitor would NOT kick in and turn itself on. so i called customer service tried emails and calling them. the emails told me nothing and the guy on the phone said i could unplug everything and push the tower power button about five times to let the built up electric static be able to release from the computer, thats all he could do w/o charging me cuz warranty ran out... i even tried several different monitors a new one and my husband's just to make sure. i even hooked my monitor up to his computer to see if it was my monitor and still no luck, my monitor works fine so i know its in the tower for sure and i think i have narrowed it down to the cpu or somewhere along those lines
i have taken the computer apart several times making sure to be extremely careful and place everything back in their right places i have cleaned the inside of that sucker so good, many times also! i have taken the cpu fan off and cleaned it all other parts of the cpu, i am so stuck the tower will run but the monitor tries to but seems as though it can't catch and turn on


this is my computer, hope this helps


This is my computer turning on

 DSCF0746.JPG (108.88K)
Number of downloads: 24


This is what pops up
 DSCF0747.JPG (105.8K)
Number of downloads: 22

This is the end result after the pop up and the amber light coming on
 DSCF0745.JPG (110.78K)
Number of downloads: 20


This is all I can tell you about my computer i got from its support page

Specifications:
Emachines desktop T6532
CPU: AMD Athlon™ 64 3500+ processor with AMD 64 Technology
(2.2GHz, 2000MHz system bus, 512KB L2 cache)
Operating System: Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005

Chipset: NVIDIA® GeForce® 6100
Memory: 1024MB DDR (2 × 512MB), 400MHz (PC3200), dual-channel
Expandable to 4GB
Hard Drive: 200GB (7200rpm, 2MB cache)
Optical Drive: 16x multiformat dual-layer DVD±RW
(Up to 8.5GB with dual-layer media)
Write max: 16x DVD±R, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 4x DVD+R DL, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW
Read max: 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-ROM
Media Reader: 9-in-1 media card reader (Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro®, MultiMediaCard™, Secure Digital™, CompactFlash®, MicroDrive, SmartMedia, xD, USB 2.0)
Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® 6100 GPU
Up to 128MB of shared video memory
PCI Express (PCIe x16) slot available
Sound: 6-channel (5.1) high-definition audio
Network: 10/100Mbps integrated Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Modem: 56K ITU V.92-ready fax/modem (RJ-11 port)
Peripherals: Premium multimedia keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse, amplified stereo speakers
Ports/Other: 5 USB 2.0 (1 in digital media manager, 4 in back), VGA external connector, parallel port, 2 PS/2 ports (keyboard and mouse), 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in back)
Dimensions: 14.25" H x 7.25" W x 16" D
Weight: 22.5 lbs


I know this was alot so thank you just for looking

This post has been edited by dragonrainfly: 08 June 2008 - 06:12 PM

To your knowledge. has anyone been inside and/or added anything to the computer? Are you comfortable removing the cover? The first place to start is to check the condition of the inside and more than likely clean it out. Dust and lint can kill a computer
clean computer tutorial
While looking inside, turn the computer on and see if any fans (including the power supply) start to turn.

uuuhhhh, u didnt read all of what i wrote did u lol

i have cleaned the inside of the computer many times and to my knowledge, no no one has added anything to my computer. yes the fans start up...

Hi dragonrainfly and welcome to bleepingcomputer,

Have you tried to update the driver for your display adapter?
Go to "Start" then select "Run" and type in "devmgmt.msc " , the device manager will open.
Select the + sign by your display adapter, right click your display adapter that should be "NVIDIA® GeForce® 6100 "
Then select "Update Driver", It will search online for an updated driver.
I am wondering if you may be needing a new video card. I take it yours is onboard the motherboard, so you would need to add a video card.
If you were to try that you would need abPCI Express (PCIe x16) , it would be better if you knew someone that had a card you could test, so you wouldn't have to buy one and find out it was something else.

well i cant get the monitor to work so i cant really update the driver
could i possibly take a memory card from husband's computer just to test it out or would that ruin something?
i can take more pics of the inside if needed

ok nvm the if i used my husbands cuz i already answered my own ? but what would be the pci that i have to replace whats it look like? and if u could tell me where is it cuz i dont know or does it just go in one of the open slot card holder lookin thing? o man i hope this makes sense lol

This post has been edited by dragonrainfly: 08 June 2008 - 09:00 PM

Is it at all possible that during a storm the surge protector didnt protect and fried something like the motherboard or some other device ? I just dont understand cuz the tower turns on and if the cpu fan isnt loud then the monitor turned on but if it ran loud then the monitor would not turn on.

This post has been edited by dragonrainfly: 08 June 2008 - 10:30 PM

When you took the CPU fan off and cleaned the CPU did you reapply thermal compound to the CPU before reinstalling the heat sink and fan?

the computer was messing up b4 i ever cleaned anything and no i didn't. should i have?

Yes, this enhances the thermal transfer between the heat spreader plate of the CPU to the surface of the heat sink. The CPU can over heat if the compound is inadequate. I would clean the surface of the heat sink and CPU, isopropyl alcohol can be used to clean the surface, be careful not to scratch the surfaces. There is a thermal compound call Arcticsilver which is one of the better ones, I would suggest using this. All you need is a drop about the size of a small grain of rice, spread it evenly across the metal surface of the CPU (the heat spreader plate).

This probably won't solve all of your issues, but it will take care of this one potential issue of overheating the CPU which would force the computer to shut down.

As for trying the video card, he would have to have a PCI express card in his tower. Is your husbands computer a major brand or custom built? If it is a Dell or something let us know the brand and model and we can see if he has the same kind of Video card you need to try. Most use the onboard video cards and then you will not have a card to try anyway.
And yes it is very possible your computer could have damage even if it was hooked up to a power surge. I just had a call on a computer that after a storm hit the power supply blew, but it will not start at all. I always unplug my computers during storms, it's not worth the risk to me.
Let us know what type of computer your husband has and we can see if you have a part to switch out and test.

well its a another cheap computer its a compaq presario model SR1650NX, i couldn't really find out much about it.

It's not a bad computer But it has an integrated video that is attached to the motherboard, so you will not be able to test with it. Were you able to check the heat compound on the cpu that dc3 told you about. Here is a link to the compound that he is talking about.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....mp;x=8&y=26

How familiar are you with working with the Motherboard. You need to be careful when you are removing the cpu fan in order to put the compound on and then attaching it back to the motherboard.
Some are more difficult than others.

Here is some information on the type of video card you need and it shows pictures of the different kinds of video cards. you need an X16 PCI express


http://www.directron.com/expressguide.html

well i did get a good look at the cpu and such when i had taken it apart but there was still a good amount of goo so i just stuck it back together, well very carefully not just stick it n walk away type thing, but i did put it back together and didn't really worry about it cause there was still a good amount on there. for the motherboard, well i have taken the inside of my computer completely apart to discover how everything works and where it connects to and also for cleaning, i did take the motherboard off then screwed it back, just to c what was underneath it. so no i don't really have a problem messing w. the mobo
thnks for the links.

Your welcome, sounds like you are doing a great job. It would be nice if you could find someone with a pci express card so you could try it.