nVidia card is running but no picture

[mEntAl]

Hi,

I am running an nVidia GeForce 68000 and currently it has been acting weird and I do not know why, and recently I think I have ran out of luck.
I was on my computer just browsing www.worldofwarcraft.com  when my monitore lost the signal to the video card out fo no where.
the monitore just blinks on standby, as if the computer was off or idle. This has happened once or twice this month and this time I can't get it to show picture again.
I plugged in my brothers monitore, some new e-machine monitore he has yet to use (some im pretty sure it should work), and i got the same result.
First I thought it was because my computer was just filled with dust. This isn't the case because I cleaned it out yesterday and theroughly cleaned the vid card. (edit) Then I thought the vid card was fried and is no long running, not the case. I turned onthe computer and I can still notice the fan running (unless its not a viable source to tell fi the vid card is running.)(/edit) Now I'm thinking some how my video card is destroyed, good game 1 year and its fubared :X.

if it is the case can someone recommend a video card around the same specs. that will last for a long while?
but, if this is a problem i can fix some one help :O

if u need more info. or something I'll post.

[GX1_Man]

Let's hear about the other components and PSU make and watage.

[mEntAl]

ok found my sale list
400w POW MAX
VGA EVGA GeForce 6800GT
CPU AMD 64 3500+ Athlon 64
DDR CRSR 512 MB x2
HD 80GB western digital
CTX 19" CRT
MB ASUS A8V Delux

hope this helps

[Fed]

Try re-seating your video card.
ESD precautions should be observed.

[Ogreguy1]

This happened to me too, althought Im running a 5200 (my 6800 fried itself ) It could be a driver issue. I would have a display up until the Windows XP load bar screen was finished, then my monitor would click over to standby. I booted up in safe mode and uninstalled the nvidia drivers by going to add/remove programs. Restarted the comp, then installed some nvidia drivers I had used before (not sure how recent they are - 61.76_winxp2k_international_whql - but im pretty sure they're recent enough). And it works fine.

Hope this helps. =)

[mEntAl]

ok i will try removing the drivers when i get home, hope it works.
as for re-seating, just so i know what u mean, ru saying to remove the vidcard from the slot then put it back in or something else>?

[Doomsayer]

Yes,  he means removing the video card and putting it back in,   ESD means electrostatic discharge,   so you should wash your hands,  and  read here - http://www.computerhope.com/esd.htm  
Also ,  your motherboard probably has a locking mechanism  that holds the video card in place,  so don't just yank it out.

[mEntAl]

well i have tried re-mounting it, as mentioned, and to no avail. I have also plugged it into another monitore that supports DVI, which my video card does support, and i got the same result (ruling out that the RGB port was fried).

I would of plugged it into another slot, but its AGP and my motherboard only has 1 AGP slot.

and i cant really say im that well experienced to turn my on-board video to un-install the drivers, im taking it into work tomorrow and my boss (who is a pro) is going to take a look.

thank you for alll the suggestions...the question is for now...
What video card would u suggest that is more reliable and has about the same specs? (AGP is not required)

[soybean]

Visit newegg.com and/or tigerdirect.com and take a look at their video cards.  Obviously, if you want a card with about the same specs as the old one or higher, then you need to get a card that fits that criteria.  How much can you spend for this?  

I think you don't need to be too concerned about brand.  But, you might read through the reviews on newegg.com, or Google for reviews on video cards.

You should stick with AGP.  Don't go with a PCI card.  AGP was designed specifically for video and offers better performance than PCI.

[mEntAl]

money isnt the biggest issue, under 300 would be nice though.

ill start looking after my work day tomorrow, depending on what results i get from work (my boss will hopefully find an AGP vid card so i can test to make sure the slot is fubared)

i dont care for brand, if anyone can suggest something (like if they own it and have been runnin it for years) that would be. I guess I'll have top pay attention to the sales Fry's offers now...

thanks for everyone's help so far, I now have some knowledge on how to trouble shoot my vid card.

[Ogreguy1]

Just FYI, removing the nvidia drivers wont require you to use the onboard mobo display port (if you have one). Once you remove the drivers, windows uses some default ones (which are fine for a short while... you wouldnt want to run a game with them though). You dont have to mess with anything on the mobo at all. =)

[Neil]

300 what, £, $?  

When you say AGP not required, do you mean PCI or PCI-E? PCI = bad PCI-E = good

[mEntAl]

Just FYI, removing the nvidia drivers wont require you to use the onboard mobo display port (if you have one). Once you remove the drivers, windows uses some default ones (which are fine for a short while... you wouldnt want to run a game with them though). You dont have to mess with anything on the mobo at all. =)

so wait ur saying i can get into safe mode w/o switching to on board video?

anyways, actually $250 max budget. and AGP only, i thought i had PCI-E but i dont.

[Neil]

Here is an example. GeForce 7800GS 256MB for $210. Shop around for the best deal though.

[Ogreguy1]

Exactly, you dont need to go to onboard video to boot up in safe mode. Safe mode will disable the drivers for you.