Cannot get display on computer to display anything
 

This morning, my eight-year-old son started our Windows 98 computer and
stupidly attempted to change the display properties. Whatever he did
hosed the display more than anything I've ever seen.

This is a Windows 98 computer, normally displaying at 1024x768, 24-bit
color. Maybe - not sure - it can go up to 1152xwhatever, but we
normally keep it at 1024x768. Certainly, beyond that, there would be
problems.

By using the monitor's built-in adjustments, I can get the menu for
those to display (brightness, horizontal, vertical, geometry, display
timing, etc.). So the monitor still works.

And if I unplug the monitor cable from the back of the computer, the
monitor displays an appropriate error message.

BUT...

Otherwise, NOTHING displays on the computer. NOTHING! The kids have
messed with the computer before and I could always at least get the Dell
screen when turning the thing on. Not now. I've always been able to
launch safe mode. Not now.

I have tried starting the computer from the MS-DOS 3.5 inch boot disk.
I hear the 3.5 inch drive klunking, but nothing displays.

I have tried putting the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive. It sounds like
the drive is recognized, but I don't get any results.

Normally, when I turn the computer on, within ten seconds or so of being
turned on, it beeps at me. Now it seems to take much longer to do
anything. I *do* eventually hear the musical flourish that you normally
get when Windows 98 launches.

With no working display, there is nothing I can do on that computer to
troubleshoot it. It there a way to, without a working display, force
the display back to something that will work?

Powerbook wrote:
:: This morning, my eight-year-old son started our Windows 98 computer
:: and stupidly attempted to change the display properties. Whatever
:: he did hosed the display more than anything I've ever seen.

Kids, who would have them? But it may be a coincidence so don't cut off his
mars bars yet..
::
:: This is a Windows 98 computer, normally displaying at 1024x768,
:: 24-bit color. Maybe - not sure - it can go up to 1152xwhatever, but
:: we normally keep it at 1024x768. Certainly, beyond that, there
:: would be problems.
::
:: By using the monitor's built-in adjustments, I can get the menu for
:: those to display (brightness, horizontal, vertical, geometry, display
:: timing, etc.). So the monitor still works.
::
:: And if I unplug the monitor cable from the back of the computer, the
:: monitor displays an appropriate error message.

So you know that most of the monitor is working fine in most respects. i.e.
the line output transformer hasn't blown up - which is about all the damage
you can do by trying to run a monitor at a resolution etc that it cant
handle. So maybe jimmy keeps his mars bars..

::
:: BUT...
::
:: Otherwise, NOTHING displays on the computer. NOTHING! The kids have
:: messed with the computer before and I could always at least get the
:: Dell screen when turning the thing on. Not now. I've always been
:: able to launch safe mode. Not now.

The initial graphics mode of the PC when booting is very undemanding and is
not altered by the Windows screen resolution changes. So if this isnt
showing, it isnt because the Windows resolution has been changed.

::
:: I have tried starting the computer from the MS-DOS 3.5 inch boot
:: disk. I hear the 3.5 inch drive klunking, but nothing displays.
::
:: I have tried putting the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive. It sounds
:: like the drive is recognized, but I don't get any results.
::
:: Normally, when I turn the computer on, within ten seconds or so of
:: being turned on, it beeps at me. Now it seems to take much longer
:: to do anything. I *do* eventually hear the musical flourish that
:: you normally get when Windows 98 launches.
::
:: With no working display, there is nothing I can do on that computer
:: to troubleshoot it. It there a way to, without a working display,
:: force the display back to something that will work?

So, it could be that in your worried haste, you have misaligned the 15 pin
plug and bent a pin. Or worse, broken one off.

.. Or, pushed too hard on the VGA socket on the PC (if it is a card and not
integrated into the mobo) and the card has become a bit unseated.


So, if you took the plug off the back of the computer, take it off again and
look see.

If the graphics comes from a plug-in card and not direct from the mobo, shut
the machine down, open it up and reseat the graphics card.

After that, all you can really do is to either take the monitor to a
different machine or take the machine to another monitor.

In article ,
"eric the seal" wrote:

Powerbook wrote:
:: This morning, my eight-year-old son started our Windows 98 computer
:: and stupidly attempted to change the display properties. Whatever
:: he did hosed the display more than anything I've ever seen.

Kids, who would have them? But it may be a coincidence so don't cut off his
mars bars yet..
::
:: This is a Windows 98 computer, normally displaying at 1024x768,
:: 24-bit color. Maybe - not sure - it can go up to 1152xwhatever, but
:: we normally keep it at 1024x768. Certainly, beyond that, there
:: would be problems.
::
:: By using the monitor's built-in adjustments, I can get the menu for
:: those to display (brightness, horizontal, vertical, geometry, display
:: timing, etc.). So the monitor still works.
::
:: And if I unplug the monitor cable from the back of the computer, the
:: monitor displays an appropriate error message.

So you know that most of the monitor is working fine in most respects. i.e.
the line output transformer hasn't blown up - which is about all the damage
you can do by trying to run a monitor at a resolution etc that it cant
handle. So maybe jimmy keeps his mars bars..

::
:: BUT...
::
:: Otherwise, NOTHING displays on the computer. NOTHING! The kids have
:: messed with the computer before and I could always at least get the
:: Dell screen when turning the thing on. Not now. I've always been
:: able to launch safe mode. Not now.

The initial graphics mode of the PC when booting is very undemanding and is
not altered by the Windows screen resolution changes. So if this isnt
showing, it isnt because the Windows resolution has been changed.

::
:: I have tried starting the computer from the MS-DOS 3.5 inch boot
:: disk. I hear the 3.5 inch drive klunking, but nothing displays.
::
:: I have tried putting the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive. It sounds
:: like the drive is recognized, but I don't get any results.
::
:: Normally, when I turn the computer on, within ten seconds or so of
:: being turned on, it beeps at me. Now it seems to take much longer
:: to do anything. I *do* eventually hear the musical flourish that
:: you normally get when Windows 98 launches.
::
:: With no working display, there is nothing I can do on that computer
:: to troubleshoot it. It there a way to, without a working display,
:: force the display back to something that will work?

So, it could be that in your worried haste, you have misaligned the 15 pin
plug and bent a pin. Or worse, broken one off.

. Or, pushed too hard on the VGA socket on the PC (if it is a card and not
integrated into the mobo) and the card has become a bit unseated.


So, if you took the plug off the back of the computer, take it off again and
look see.

If the graphics comes from a plug-in card and not direct from the mobo, shut
the machine down, open it up and reseat the graphics card.

After that, all you can really do is to either take the monitor to a
different machine or take the machine to another monitor.

Call off the dogs (and thank you, Eric the Seal). He had dialed the
monitor contrast down to 0. I knew I kept the contrast at an extreme
setting; when I moved it up past 10 I had a visible display, and at 100,
it was the way it normally is.

Still, no computer, and no Mars Bars either, for the young rapscallion
today. Still, a better fate for the little guy than the "retroactive
vasectomy" I was thinking of performing...

Powerbook wrote:
:: In article ,
:: "eric the seal" wrote:
::
::: Powerbook wrote:
::::: This morning, my eight-year-old son started our Windows 98
::::: computer
::::: and stupidly attempted to change the display properties. Whatever
::::: he did hosed the display more than anything I've ever seen.
:::
::: Kids, who would have them? But it may be a coincidence so don't cut
::: off his mars bars yet..
:::::
::::: This is a Windows 98 computer, normally displaying at 1024x768,
::::: 24-bit color. Maybe - not sure - it can go up to 1152xwhatever,
::::: but
::::: we normally keep it at 1024x768. Certainly, beyond that, there
::::: would be problems.
:::::
::::: By using the monitor's built-in adjustments, I can get the menu
::::: for those to display (brightness, horizontal, vertical, geometry,
::::: display timing, etc.). So the monitor still works.
:::::
::::: And if I unplug the monitor cable from the back of the computer,
::::: the monitor displays an appropriate error message.
:::
::: So you know that most of the monitor is working fine in most
::: respects. i.e. the line output transformer hasn't blown up - which
::: is about all the damage you can do by trying to run a monitor at a
::: resolution etc that it cant handle. So maybe jimmy keeps his mars
::: bars..
:::
:::::
::::: BUT...
:::::
::::: Otherwise, NOTHING displays on the computer. NOTHING! The kids
::::: have messed with the computer before and I could always at least
::::: get the
::::: Dell screen when turning the thing on. Not now. I've always been
::::: able to launch safe mode. Not now.
:::
::: The initial graphics mode of the PC when booting is very
::: undemanding and is not altered by the Windows screen resolution
::: changes. So if this isnt showing, it isnt because the Windows
::: resolution has been changed.
:::
:::::
::::: I have tried starting the computer from the MS-DOS 3.5 inch boot
::::: disk. I hear the 3.5 inch drive klunking, but nothing displays.
:::::
::::: I have tried putting the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive. It sounds
::::: like the drive is recognized, but I don't get any results.
:::::
::::: Normally, when I turn the computer on, within ten seconds or so of
::::: being turned on, it beeps at me. Now it seems to take much longer
::::: to do anything. I *do* eventually hear the musical flourish that
::::: you normally get when Windows 98 launches.
:::::
::::: With no working display, there is nothing I can do on that
::::: computer
::::: to troubleshoot it. It there a way to, without a working display,
::::: force the display back to something that will work?
:::
::: So, it could be that in your worried haste, you have misaligned the
::: 15 pin plug and bent a pin. Or worse, broken one off.
:::
::: . Or, pushed too hard on the VGA socket on the PC (if it is a card
::: and not integrated into the mobo) and the card has become a bit
::: unseated.
:::
:::
::: So, if you took the plug off the back of the computer, take it off
::: again and look see.
:::
::: If the graphics comes from a plug-in card and not direct from the
::: mobo, shut the machine down, open it up and reseat the graphics
::: card.
:::
::: After that, all you can really do is to either take the monitor to a
::: different machine or take the machine to another monitor.
::
:: Call off the dogs (and thank you, Eric the Seal). He had dialed the
:: monitor contrast down to 0. I knew I kept the contrast at an extreme
:: setting; when I moved it up past 10 I had a visible display, and at
:: 100,
:: it was the way it normally is.
::
:: Still, no computer, and no Mars Bars either, for the young
:: rapscallion
:: today. Still, a better fate for the little guy than the "retroactive
:: vasectomy" I was thinking of performing...


Glad you are happy... but to stop me puzzling all day... the on screen
messages you got when the video cable got disconnected aren't affected by
the contrast settings? That would be a new one to add to my list of things
to watch out for...

snip



Glad you are happy... but to stop me puzzling all day... the on screen
messages you got when the video cable got disconnected aren't affected by
the contrast settings? That would be a new one to add to my list of things
to watch out for...

In my case, yes (or no...). When I disconnected the monitor cable from
the computer, there was a klunky graphic bordered in red saying that the
monitor had been disconnected. It looks like the kind of graphic you'd
have seen on a 1988 DOS computer. I think, but am not positive, that
the graphic moved around the screen like a screensaver.

My computer is a Dell Dimension from 2000. It runs Windows 98. The
monitor is a Dell monitor.

Hope the above information is sufficient.

If Safe Mode won't work, it sounds like the video card may have been
destroyed. You may need to try replacing the video card.

--
DaveW



"Powerbook" wrote in message
...
This morning, my eight-year-old son started our Windows 98 computer and
stupidly attempted to change the display properties. Whatever he did
hosed the display more than anything I've ever seen.

This is a Windows 98 computer, normally displaying at 1024x768, 24-bit
color. Maybe - not sure - it can go up to 1152xwhatever, but we
normally keep it at 1024x768. Certainly, beyond that, there would be
problems.

By using the monitor's built-in adjustments, I can get the menu for
those to display (brightness, horizontal, vertical, geometry, display
timing, etc.). So the monitor still works.

And if I unplug the monitor cable from the back of the computer, the
monitor displays an appropriate error message.

BUT...

Otherwise, NOTHING displays on the computer. NOTHING! The kids have
messed with the computer before and I could always at least get the Dell
screen when turning the thing on. Not now. I've always been able to
launch safe mode. Not now.

I have tried starting the computer from the MS-DOS 3.5 inch boot disk.
I hear the 3.5 inch drive klunking, but nothing displays.

I have tried putting the Windows 98 CD in the CD drive. It sounds like
the drive is recognized, but I don't get any results.

Normally, when I turn the computer on, within ten seconds or so of being
turned on, it beeps at me. Now it seems to take much longer to do
anything. I *do* eventually hear the musical flourish that you normally
get when Windows 98 launches.

With no working display, there is nothing I can do on that computer to
troubleshoot it. It there a way to, without a working display, force
the display back to something that will work?