No display on startup

[InflatableBuddha]

My computer has been boxed up in storage for the past year and a half and I just set it up at my new place last night - I'm not getting any video display when I start it up. It's 5 years old but has only been used for 3.5 (i.e. because it was stored for the last year and a half)

The fans for the CPU, PSU, case and video card are spinning, case lights are on and I can hear the hard drive. I'm seeing lights on the keyboard too, so that appears to work. The monitor shows "DVI" but then doesn't pick up the video display so I don't know if it's booting into Windows.

I checked the cables and they all seem to be connected. I don't see any bulging capacitors on the mobo.

Specs:
Asus P5N-E SLI
OCZ Game X-stream 600W PSU
E6600, stock
2x1 GB Corsair XMS2 RAM
EVGA Geforce 8800 GTS 320 MB
Seagate Barracuda 320 GB HDD
Windows XP

The computer was working well when I stored it - is it possible there's a loose connection from when I moved it, or could one of the components have died since then?

Any advice on how to troubleshoot is appreciated.

 

[C1]

It is possible that a component could have gone bad simply due to age/sitting around. More than likely it is an oxidation issue. If you are using a video card, remove it, clean the contacts using DEOXIT and insert and reinsert the card a couple times (be careful not to break any plastic card retainers in the process as plastics can become brittle/fragil with age).

If you still dont have video, try the VGA port. If you still dont have video then substitute a video card known to be operational.

For what it's worth, Ive had my share of instances involving connections going bad in computers which have sat around non-operational for years.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Thanks for the suggestion - I'll get some Deoxit or contact cleaner, clean the video card contacts and reseat it.

Unfortunately I don't have onboard video on this mobo. The card has two DVI connectors and I've tried both of them. I'll also see if I can borrow a different video card to test with.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I popped out the video card and cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol before reinserting (although there didn't appear to be any oxidation).

I also turned off the power switch on the PSU and then turned it on again before starting up the computer. I noticed that it seemed a bit weak at first (case lights flickering a bit instead of being on continuously, fans not spinning full speed etc) but now it's booted up without issue and working well.