No display

[oldskool]

One of my computers will not start up, no hard drive, no display, nada. I am thinking my video card has crapped out. The system specs are:

HP Pavillion 531w
Windows XP
1GHz Intel Celeron
256MB RAM
(not sure of the video card, probably generic)
Intel chipset, though I don't remember what actual set

Going by memory here, but I can't get anything for video. I do have a digital test meter, and tomorrow before heading out for Thanksgiving, I plan on opening up the hood to see if I can get voltages to the PCI slot. Maybe the card is loose, I will check that tomorrow. Any ideas of what I can check anyone ?

 

[Lexluethar]

Easy check for video is just to try another monitor, if that isn't it try another video card. If that isn't it you know it isn't the video and could be a bad system board or CPU (both won't allow you to get past BIOS).

If it isn't even powering up look at possibly replacing the PS.

 

[oldskool]

I get the yellow standby switch light on the monitor (old CRT style mon). My own first guess is the card, which I will change out with a known working one later on after my morning coffee. :freak: I appreciate the response, Lex !

 

[Lexluethar]

So when you press power is anything powering on with the computer itself? I mean even if it is for 5 seconds.

 

[oldskool]

No, there is now hard drive sounds, no beeps, nothing. I wasn't entirely awake when I posted the original post this morning, but since then I have decided that I think it is either the PSU is gone, or the switch. I am going to go work on it in a few, I have a digital meter to check voltages, and I will let you know what I find out.

 

[philbar71]

since the hdd is not spinning up then it implies that there is no power going to the components. make sure it's plugged in and switched on. as well as everything is pluged in to the mobo.

 

[oldskool]

Yes, philbar71. I am going to check it all out, maybe something is loose. Couldn't it be the switch ? I mean, I know there is a constant low voltage to the mobo on ATX systems, but the hdd wouldn't start until the switch wakes up the PSU I'm thinking. So anyways, I will check back in later with the results of testing the PSU.

 

[philbar71]

i have had a switch on a old emachines get stuck so that when you pressed it nothing happened. try getting another switch out of an older case (if you have one) and using that one.

 

[oldskool]

Well philbar71, I was thinking maybe the switch as well except when I checked the voltages of the PSU I was getting next to nothing. I am going to buy a new power supply and see what happens. Thanks for trying to help, and dont stray far ok, because I might need to bounce more ideas off you if things still don't work out :freak:

 

[oldskool]

Update:

I replaced the psu, and the switch. Everything is hooked up properly, except I don't hear the hard drive spinning up. I still don't have video, because I am thinking that the onboard video controller is gonzo. I thought of trying a PCI video card but I don't have one handy - only an old AGP and I don't have an AGP slot in that mobo.

I also have the CPU fan running, and the CD-ROM drive opens and shuts but when I plug the ribbon cable into the mobo then it won't open and shut. Do I possibly have a fried mobo?

This system's specs:

HP Pavillion 531w
Windows XP
1GHz Intel Celeron
256MB RAM
onboard video

Any ideas ?