Monitor

[mlwhicker]

I have a GT5238E gateway and the lcd TFT monitor that came with it.  Worked fine when I bout it about 5 years ago.  Then at one point the monitor started going blank after the Windows XP screen when booting up.  Right when it is supposed to go to the desk top it goes blank.

I can sit and unplug and plug my monitor and it will eventually "catch" and stay on.  Been doing this forever!  Once it catches it will stay on until I have to turn off the computer for something.

I have always thought it was the monitor going bad.  But I just bought a 18in LCD HDTV monitor and it does the same daggone  thing!!

Someone told me maybe I need a new video card?  Could this be it??

[dahlarbear]

1.  Try the following options from the Windows Advanced Options menu:
     a.  Boot to "Safe Mode".  This starts your system in a minimal configuration.  It also uses a separate "basic" driver (so it takes your video driver out of the picture).
     b.  Boot using "Enable VGA mode".  This is a normal boot that starts your video driver in a basic mode that video drivers are expected to support.

2.  Windows Advanced Options Menu.  Use the <F8> function key during system startup to access the Windows Advanced Options Menu.  Tap the <F8> key once or twice per second as you startup the computer (or immediately after POST completes and screen flashes black prior to displaying Windows XP logo with its processing bar display).

[mlwhicker]

OK.  When I boot up in "enable VGA mode" my monitor works.  Thanks for that information!!

Does that mean that my video card is bad???

[dahlarbear]

Does that mean that my video card is bad???

1.  Bad video card?  I don't know...  Could use some "help" here.

2.  Display Settings.  I believe display settings are applied when the desktop is opened.  Screen going "blank" at this stage may indicate the "current" settings are outside the range monitor can support.  You should check the specs to see what the video card, monitor, and monitor cable support.  And no, I don't know why unplugging and plugging recovers the display.  (What - monitor power or data cable?)

If display remains stable after boot to "Enable VGA mode" let's walk the settings up bit by bit until it either "fails" again or is at an acceptable level.  Or conversely, you could set them to the values you prefer, and if it fails again, walk them down to an acceptable level.  (Do a "Normal" reboot to desktop to verify stability after each change.)

Enable VGA mode defaults to following display settings:
     a.  Screen Resolution:  640 by 480 pixels
     b.  Color Resolution (depth):  8-bits
     c.  Refresh Rate:  60 Hertz

Recommend you try following settings:
     a.  Screen Resolution:  800 by 600, 1024 by 768, 1152 by 864, 1280 by 1024
     b.  Color Resolution:  16-bits, 24-bits, 32-bits
     c.  Refresh Rate:  leave at 60 Hertz for LCD

LCDs have a "native" (or optimum) mode they support.  That's probably where you want to run if video card and cable supports it.

3.  Reference(s):
     a.  A Complete Guide to the Digital Video Interface

[mlwhicker]

I have already changed the resolution, etc. after booting up in EnableVGA mode.  I guess I just don't understand "why" I have to boot up in Enable VGA mode to get my monitor to work

[rthompson80819]

Are you sure you have a separate video card?

If I'm reading the specs right on your computer the video is integrated onto the motherboard.

From a Gateway site.

Video    Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000
Up to 224 MB DDR shared video memory

If that's the only problem you are having a new video card might solve the problem.

[dahlarbear]

I have already changed the resolution, etc. after booting up in EnableVGA mode.  I guess I just don't understand "why" I have to boot up in Enable VGA mode to get my monitor to work

1.  So it will currently boot to "Enable VGA mode"; you reset the display resolution, etc. to your preferred values; it accepts the values and works fine; but when you eventually restart (or reboot) to "Normal" mode, it presents a "blank" screen instead of the desktop.
     a.  Is that correct?
     b.  What if you try 800 x 600 resolution, 16-bit color, 60 Hz refresh rate?

2.  Is this onboard video (integrated into the motherboard) or a separate plug in expansion card?

3.  Is there a CRT monitor (analog VGA interface) you could try?

[mlwhicker]

See, that's how much I know   I have never purchased a separate video card so I'm sure you are correct that it is integrated.

And to dahlarbear....the answer is A, correct.  If I reboot or restart in Normal mode, as soon as it gets past the Windows XP screen with the little "while we are waiting" bar it goes to a blank screen.  No desktop

And I did have an old CRT plugged up at one point until it died.

[dahlarbear]

1.  Safe Mode.  Never got an answer to this question earlier...
     a.  Does it boot to desktop using "Safe Mode"?
     b.  Does it boot to command prompt using "Safe Mode with Command Prompt"?

2.  Normal Mode.  If you use "Safe Mode" or "Enable VGA mode" to set display properties to:  800 x 600 resolution, 16-bit color, 60 Hz refresh rate; does it subsequently boot to desktop with those properties using "Normal Mode"?  (Didn't get an explicit answer to this earlier...)

3.  Is there a CRT monitor (analog VGA interface) you could try?

And I did have an old CRT plugged up at one point until it died.

3.  Actually, I was hoping you could test for a successful boot to preferred desktop settings using the "VGA" output port of your video adaptor (to a CRT monitor)...

4.  LCD Monitors.
     a.  Give us the manufacturer and model name/number of both LCD monitors (Hopefully, there's an identifying plate somewhere).  That might allow us to pull their specs (documentation) off the Internet to see what their capabilities are.
     b.  Can you tell what kind of data cable each one uses (VGA, DVI-D, DVI-A, DVI-I).  See A Complete Guide to the Digital Video Interface.
     c.  How long are the data cables?

5.  Integrated Video.  On the back of the computer box you'll find a plate with a lot of interface ports on it.  If the video port is on this plate with all the others, you have integrated video.  If it's on a slot below this plate, it's on a separate add-on expansion card.

If integrated video, are there two separate ports for it (one VGA, one DVI)?