Computer Powers up, Nothing on Monitor.

[ilsk]

So I got an older computer (Compaq Presario 5000 Series/Bought it in Dec 2001) and It was working fine until the power went out in my house. Now I hear the Computer Power up but nothing is on the Monitor, Iv tried a few different monitors, Is it the Video Card? How would I know if its the video card, I really don't want to buy one if its not the problem.

If anyone could give me some tips or help that be great. Thanks.

[Quantos]

You could try using the monitor on another computer and try a different monitor on the computer in question.  Quite often a 'Surge' is associated with power failures, that gets rather technical so I won't go into that here.  Usually the components inside the computer are far more susceptive to these surges than monitors are though.

[xavier]

If the power went out and when it came back on the surge could have taken the power supply out and the board.I would replace the power supply first, Use a power supply of equal watt or greater.

[Quantos]

Iv tried a few different monitors,

I missed that the first time through

Before you buy a PSU though, try a different video card if you have access to one.
Also if you take the PSU to a smallish computer store(I love mom 'n' pop shops for this reason) they will usually check the PSU for you and let you know if it needs replacing.

[Gizmologist]

When the computer starts up do you see the HDD LED illuminate and the fans start? If so, the power supply is outputting 5 volts and 12 volts. The -12 volt rail may be fried but doubtful. Does the tally light on the monitor change from red or yellow to green? If not, the probable culprit is the video card.

The LED display on the monitor is triggered by the monitor sensing the Horizontal and Vertical sync signals  from the video card. If either sync signal is not present, the monitor will not turn on so it display a static horizontal or vertical scan line. On older CRT monitors this can damage the phosphor layer of the CRT.

If you have another computer, try connect the monitor in question along with the same cable to check for operation.