computer not switching on

jessmist

Hi
I have a desktop computer and when i switch it on the lights come on and the tower makes a noise as if it is going to boot up but nothing seems to happen after this and the monitor screen just stays black.
Any idea what could be the problem?

sickparrot

Are there any code lights or beep patterns? Maybe on the motherboard if you take the side off.

It's always worth reseating everything first, RAM, plug in boards, drive cables etc just in case somethings come loose.

DatabaseError

does the power light on the monitor come on?

gaming_guy

are the cables plugged in correctly?

macman

I would suspect monitor failure or monitor connection/graphics card problem if you're getting nothing at all on the monitor. If you have a boot failure or a hardware problem on the PC then you would normally get a 'No Signal' message on the monitor. Do the fans continue to run after boot up, can you hear the HD spinning up?
Can you give some more info about what is happening on start up, what OS you are running, and what model of PC it is? If it's a Dell, and has the 4 little lights on front or back, the lights serve as a diagnostic tool to tell you the nature of the fault.

jessmist

Hi i have had the case off and all the connections seem ok the lights come on on the tower and the fans are running and i can hear the hard drive.
but nothing appears on the screen not even the no signal warning.
The desktop is a packardbell and windows xp

DatabaseError

Is the normally a light on the monitor? maybe next to the power button? Is it lighting up? Might be as simple as the fuse blown in the power cable.
No reason, at this point, to suspect anything wrong with the PC (tower) itself

macman

Try disconnecting the monitor data cable then switch it back on with power only and no data connection. Is the monitor light coming on (usually green to indicate it's getting power)?
Check the the graphics card (if there is a separate card) is properly seated in it's slot.
After that, if you have another monitor (or borrow one temporarily), swap them over to see if the new monitor gives a signal. Do the same with the data cable too. or alternatively try your own monitor on another working PC or laptop. You need to eliminate both of these as a possible cause.

jessmist

The monitor power light comes on green when i switch it on then it goes to amber.
I will try and borrow a monitor to see what happens.

Thanks

jackthenipper

If you are getting a green light then it goes to amber, it would seem that there could be a possible fault with the graphics card or motherboard.

Try removing the graphics card & refit if it's not onboard graphics.

What is the comp spec?

macman

Probably not the monitor at fault then, but I would swap it (and the VGA cable) just to be sure, as this is a quick 'n easy thing to check. If it doesn't work on another monitor then as jackthenipper advises it's probably graphics card related. Could just have worked loose, it does sometimes happen, have you moved the PC recently?
If you can advise the precise model we may be able to tell you if it has onboard graphics or a separate graphics card.