HP video porblem.

[BlinkingLeaf]

I have a Hewelet Packard Pavilion XE738 that had the harddrive removed. I replaced it, but now there is no video image appearing on the monitor, as in the monitor does not recongize that it is even hooked up to anything.

I have checked everything and it is all hooked up properly. The computer did fall but there is nothing wrong with the system. I've double and triple checked. Any ideas on what the problem and soultion could be?


Thanks in advance

~Blinking

 

[franklin97355]

If the monitor is good you should get at least the bootup screen/BIOS. If not and you've checked all the connections the MOBO is probably shot.

 

[pudda]

Does your computer beep at you when you turn it on? One short beep is OK, more is telling you of a problem. Your system has an onboard video chip with 11 meg of shared memory. If the system was dropped, check to see that the memory is properly seated by removing and re-inserting.
Also check the monitor cable and video port for bent/broken prongs, preferrably hooking the monitor up to another computer and see if it actually works.

The test continues...

 

[BlinkingLeaf]

pudda, where is the onboard video chip with 11 meg of shared memory? I need to check that since it is the mostly likely suspect as of now, since 1) The floppy drive, cd drive and motherboard fan all power up and run. and 2)There is no POST beep and all the monitor cable and video port prongs are still there and un bent.
If it is not the onboard video chip is there another likely supect? If not, then what else is there as a suspect. I know the moitor worked because prior to being used on that system it was the monitor for my computer.

-Blinking

 

[bcastner]

There is nothing to check about the video chip, it is not socketed but soldered.

You are not getting POST. There is something not connected that needs to be. My guess is the CPU cooler fan is not connected, or a RAM module is no longer seated properly as pudda suggested above.

This is not a monitor or video issue, you have to get the thing to POST.

 

[BlinkingLeaf]

hmm...alright, I'll check the CPU cooler fan, as for the RAM module, I'm not thinking to clearly this morning so would you be kind enough to refresh my memory about what that is? Is it memory ram (SDRAM etc.)?
And I thought that pudda suggested it was the video chip, my bad.

-blinking.

 

[BlinkingLeaf]

I checked the CPU cooler fan, it is connected, and everything seems to be seated properly, so is there anything else you could suggest to help me?

-blinking

 

[bcastner]

Let me ask you, did this machine every work? Did you purchase the machine sans hard drive, and now you are trying for the first time to see if it will boot? Or did it work prior to replacing the hard drive?

You said the computer fell. Check that the CMOS battery is back in place. Remove and reseat all cards in the PCI and/or video slot. Do the fans come on? Is there any beeps or any other signs of life?

 

[BlinkingLeaf]

Yes, it did work. I didn't purchase it, I recieved it because they bought a new computer. The old harddrive was taken out because someone else needed a harddrive when theirs died.
I then purchased a brand new harddrive, it took me a bit to reattach all the lines, and cables properly but now once I have it wiil not boot.
The cmos battery is still in place, all the cards in the PCI are seated properly, The cpu fan comes on, the floppy drive comes on, the cd drive comes on...it just will not boot.

 

[bcastner]

Remove the battery for several minutes.

This will clear the CMOS.
While waiting, remove all non-essentials from the system slots, which would be just about everything in the PCI slots. Disconnect the logic cables to the CD Rom Drives.

Replace the battery, the system should essentially be now stripped to just hard disk drive and video.

Try it.

If no joy, pull the logic cable off the hard disk drive and try again.

Tell use what happens.

 

[BlinkingLeaf]

pulled the cords as suggeted and reset the cmos battery and nothing happened any more suggestions?

 

[bcastner]

Look and act carefully, remove and then fully re-seat the processor.

Try again.

You are very close to abandoning this project other than for salvagable parts, I am afraid.