My hardware issue from h**l

[keithburgun]

Ok so I've been struggling with this for about a week throwing all kinds of money at the problem trying to determine the cause and I'm REALLY frustrated.  I've been building my own computers for 15 years and I've never run into such a pervasive and elusive problem.

ISSUE: I turn on the power, and theres about a 80% chance that the monitor will never display anything.  The power LED stays on, green, for like 4 seconds and then sorta 'sputters', and repeats this infinitely.   Sometimes, I can get it to look like it's going to work, getting the WINDOWS splash and it loading up seemingly only for it to go to monitor totally off mode just like usual.

WHAT I'VE TRIED:  Replacing Monitor.  Replacing Video Card.  Replacing Motherboard.  Replacing PSU.  Removing Ram (This yields a different result, the monitor stays in Sleep mode, implying that this stops booting from happening at all).  Removing disk drives.  Resetting BIOS.  Replacing power cables.  Taping cords together to avoid them touching either the video card or the motherboard (this actually seemed to have a slight effect and cause it to boot longer before going to black)

MY HARDWARE SETUP:  Radeon X1950 video card, MSI P6N SLI motherboard, 2.3 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 2 1-GB ram sticks, 2 hard drives, and a CD-ROM drive.

Running MS Windows Service Pack 3.

Part of me wants to just buy a whole new computer - although that's pretty much what I've already done!

Any ideas?

Thank you!!

PS:  I should note that the computer was working perfectly without a hitch for about a year.  It stopped working abruptly when I... changed absolutely nothing =[

-Keith

[homer]

you removed all your RAM? how many sticks of RAM do you have?

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Nice post layout.

I turn on the power, and theres about a 80% chance that the monitor will never display anything

What if you hold a light to it? Can you see anything when the monitor is out?

[keithburgun]

I have 2 1GB ram sticks.  DDR2.

I can see nothing at all it's as if the monitor were off.

-keith

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Can you try re-seating the RAM. (remove it and then put it back in)

Also, check to see you didn't touch/unplug anything by accident.

[jamesj2001]

This may be a stupid question, but when the monitor goes out the computer is still running normally, right?

[homer]

Remove 1 stick of RAM and try booting. if it doesnt boot, replace that stick of RAM with the other one and see if it boots. doing this will help us to determine if you have a faulty stick of RAM or not.

[keithburgun]

I tried reseating the ram, switching the ram, trying only 1 ram stick at a time, trying different ram slots, all yielded the same result.

[homer]

explain in detail what happens when you try only one RAM stick at a time.

can you access your BIOS at all times? as in, does the screen go blank AFTER windows starts loading?

also, do you have another machine you can test your CPU in, or do you happen to have an extra CPU that you can use in your current computer?

[keithburgun]

explain in detail what happens when you try only one RAM stick at a time.

No matter what the RAM configuration, ive tried all different combinations and it yields the same result - I turn the computer and the monitor on, and the monitor starts out in SLEEP mode (normal) until it gets video and then instantly the monitor goes black and starts flickering the LED green ever 3-4 secs.  Curiously sometimes i get a super quick FLASH of my bios splash screen, but its like lightning quick before it goes to "no worky mode"

can you access your BIOS at all times? as in, does the screen go blank AFTER windows starts loading?

I cannot access bios at all no, it goes blank BEFORE I get any image at all.

also, do you have another machine you can test your CPU in, or do you happen to have an extra CPU that you can use in your current computer?

I'll check... you think its the cpu?  Cuz I can just order a CPU if thats the problem (AT this point theres only a couple things it could POSSIBLY be - ram, CPU)

-Keith

[homer]

you think its the cpu?

as you said, there are not many other things it could be, you purportedly replaced all the other parts except the CPU, and RAM. just by the way you are describing the problem, it makes me assume either the video card or the monitor is bad, but you already replaced those. however, this does not rule out a possible PEBCAK error. are you 100% sure that your monitor and video card are installed correctly? do they work in other computers? have you tested your RAM in another computer?

in order to rule out the possibility of the motherboard being shorted by the case, pull out all your components from the case and place them on either a rubber mat or a piece of cardboard. after reassembling your components on the mat or cardboard, try booting it up, see if it boot up correctly.

[keithburgun]

So, I put a new CPU in (now thats basically an entire new computer) and.....  the problem is even worse!    Now I get "monitor stays in orange mode" meaning like, how your monitor acts (i think its sleep) when the computers not on but the monitor is.  SIGH.


Ok well I'm just having some company put a totally new computer together for me.  I GIVE UP.  I hate to do that, but this issue defeated me.  Thanks for trying to help, y'all.

-Keith

[ChrisXPPro]

I should note that the computer was working perfectly without a hitch for about a year.  It stopped working abruptly when I... changed absolutely nothing =[

This is IMO the biggest puzzle looking back on it all ..... and sorry to hear CPU not the answer.  I wonder if you can take all your replacement items out of there and start afresh somehow - to maybe finish up with a new machine and no problems.

Trouble with these hassles is feeling that we never got to diagnose the real problem.

Best of luck.

[patio]

Borrow a known working video card....

If that does not work i would invest in a new MBoard since you've already replaced everything else.
Some retail Comp. chains will let you test the board before it leaves the store...