Graphics card may be dead, need clarification

[hyperhedron]

Hi to you all, i haven't been around for a while, but i need a hand.

My monitor wasn't working so well, it's reaching the end of it's life and losing the red channel but oh well 
i decided to move it to a different position and so i unplugged it, moved it, plugged it in.  When i turn the Computer on, the monitor stays in standby and there is no BIOS beep. i Kill it, screw in the monitor cable harder and restart. it says that

Overclocking Failed. press F1 for setup and F2 for previous settings.

I Press F2, because i have never overclocked in my life. linux boots but X won't start because it has some problem with the screen. X output says "Screens found but none with a usable configuration". I do a legitimate restart (do it from linux, not holding down the power button) and all is well.

Recently, X crashed in the middle of a screensaver (probably a GLX thing) and i had to force a restart. all of a suddenly the original problem is back.

If anyone can point out some obvious problem, that would be great.

[GX1_Man]

My monitor wasn't working so well, it's reaching the end of it's life

This may say it all. Try another monitor on that computer and this monitor on another computer to isolate where the problem really is. 

[hyperhedron]

i thought the BIOS would work without a monitor?
It doesn't beep, like it should, and the hard drive doesn't make a noise to indicate booting linux

[Raptor]

i thought the BIOS would work without a monitor?

Have you ever taken a PC apart before? 

[hyperhedron]

i thought the BIOS would work without a monitor?

Have you ever taken a PC apart before? 

yes, many times, i just read so in a book. then again, that book said a few ridiculous things so whatever.

Though Bad News Indeed.

I went to test out a different monitor and it didn't work. when i went to unplug it, i heard a strange frying noise coming from the card. *insert big "uh-oh" here*

so this seems very much like my video card, which was already rather old, has kicked the bucket very hard.

alas, poor yorick, i knew him well.

[Raptor]

You unplugged the videocard while the PC was turned on?

[hyperhedron]

You unplugged the videocard while the PC was turned on?

no, unplugged the VGA cable from the video card and i happened to hear a noise coming from it, that sounded a lot like frying.

if i had i would have jumped out the nearest window for leaving my brain in the car.

[Raptor]

Did you power down the PC? Let's not lock the car door that quickly..

Basically, when you shut down a PC and leave the power cable in, unless the PSU has a I/O switch on the back there is still stand-by power.

Two things could have happened:

1. You did not take precautions against ESD
2. You did not fully disconnect the PC from the power grid

[hyperhedron]

i must confess, the power cable was in . as for ESD, i only touched the plastic part of the connector.

[Raptor]

Plastic part of the connector?

IF handling a PC you have to make sure that power is cut and to prevent ESD you either need a wrist strap (Or more) or you have to touch the metal casing (And preferably keep in contact with it throughout your work) for at least 60 seconds or so.

When handling hardware, you never touch the gold connectors. If you touch these, the acids on your skin will damage them and oxidize these parts. This process doesn't set in immediately, but over time your hardware may become damaged or perform poorly. Yes I know, some so called 'experts' will grab the hardware any way they can; but may I remind you that a lot of people are in favour of Capitalism as well so you kinda get the idea there, right?

Your hardware shouldn't make a 'frying' noise. This does not mean that your hardware was going to break down, it means you made it break down..

O.K, so far the tutorial on how to handle hardware.

[hyperhedron]

Thankyou for this lesson, and i have learned valuable (if irrelevant) information. Most of this besides the first two sentences does not apply to my problem.  but thx anyway.

just one question: when you say standby power, how far through the machine does this go? is there any amount of power flowing through the vga cable?

[Raptor]

Sorry, class is over.