No video signal after attempted PCI card

niall

Member
Mar 12, 2004
153
0
0
Okay, this one is beyond my knowledge, so I turn to this gang.

I did a double upgrade today: added a 500GB hard drive, which the bios had no trouble seeing, and a Hauppauge ImpactVCB model 558 AV-in card.

To install the card, I had to free up an IDE slot, so I took out the LAN card and, in the BIOS, enabled onboard LAN.

Rebooted, checked that the POST saw the hard drive - no problem. Windows 2000 started loading after POST, with the DOS-like window of the broken white line filling to full white, then the screen cleared and it should load the Windows loading screen. It didn't.

The video signal ceased: my DVI monitor going into sleep mode. The computer hung.

I unplugged the newly-added PCI card, rebooted. Windows loaded because I heard the Windows chimes after hard drive activity.

There is now no video signal whatsoever, even during POST; my monitor remains steadfastly in sleep mode. I did not touch the cables. Somehow the Hauppauge, I suspect, reset a video driver so that even in DOS mode it doesn't let any signal through.

Any thoughts?

MB: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
CPU: Intel DualCore E2160, running stock
Video: Asus EAH3650 dual-DVI
Monitor: Dell 2007WFP
Memory: dual Mushkin DDR2 1GB sticks (2GB total)
DVD writer, various Hard Drives, nothing of consequence for this problem that I know of.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,387
5,003
136
There is now no video signal whatsoever, even during POST; my monitor remains steadfastly in sleep mode. I did not touch the cables. Somehow the Hauppauge, I suspect, reset a video driver so that even in DOS mode it doesn't let any signal through.

Not possible there is no video drivers loaded during the BIOS POST. Did you try resetting the BIOS.

Try a different monitor if you have one available. It could be dead.

pcgeek11
 

niall

Member
Mar 12, 2004
153
0
0
Very curious...

I reset the bios (flat screwdriver on jumpers for 3 seconds). I now have my monitor back.

Before that, I attached my old VGA monitor with the DVI dongle on the second input, and it worked; but putting my DVI monitor on it didn't. And putting the VGA monitor on the first input did not work either. I find no logic in this.

pcgeek11: yeah, it doesn't make sense to me that video drivers were changed, but what could explain that no DVI signal was coming out at all on that port, and only VGA allowed on the other port?

TeeJay1952: alas, that gave me nothing since there was no video displaying any result of any key I would press - the result would be there, but how could I navigate unknown menus without any signal coming through... :)

I'm going to try putting that Hauppauge card again later, and see if it disables that DVI signal again, but lets the VGA through enough for me to install its drivers, then reset BIOS again and maybe then things will work properly...
 

TeeJay1952

Golden Member
May 28, 2004
1,532
191
106
I have set up machines on my table that after moving to owners location would not start video because their monitor was out of range with the frequencies I had set. Safe Mode let me reset to lower htz and all would be good. Rebooting and continual tapping on F8 got me into Safe Mode.
 

niall

Member
Mar 12, 2004
153
0
0
I could get to safe mode, I'm sure, but with no signal, couldn't see what that would do. :)

I've done the smarter thing (this time) of installing one component at a time. Made sure onboard lan worked, then installed the hard drive, and now put the Hauppauge card in. It worked fine. I've no idea what made the BIOS go faulty. Ah well. Thank you everyone for the info!