Monitor Output Problem

Captain_Generic

Just finished putting together a new build with a GTX 460, but my monitor isn't detecting any output from the card when I power it on. The monitor definitely works as i can use it with my laptop. The card is also getting power.
I'm using a VGA to DVI adapter and i've tried both DVI slots.
Any suggestions?

Solitaire

Try a different VGA dongle and/or a DVI monitor with the card to rule the dongle out. Also try reseating the card and the PCIe power cables and clearing the CMOS.

Captain_Generic

Right thats done the job with the display, but now when i boot up i have the option of either setting the CMOS time and date, or continue with default settings. Both lead to a blank screen with a flashing prompt.
If i pick the first option i can set up the BIOS, but once it restarts it goes to the blank screen after showing the motherboard splash screen.
The second just bring me straight to the blank screen.

Sorry if these problems seem basic but i've never built my own pc before:D

Solitaire

Did you put the battery back in? And if there's a CLR_CMOS switch or jumper put it back to its normal position. After that go into the BIOS, set the time, date, boot sequence (i.e. what drives the PC tries to start from) which would usually be buried in Advanced Configuration Options and should usually be set to optical drive (normally \) then boot HDD (usually C:\), then go off and make any necessary changes to other options, onboard functionality, RAM timings, CPU/RAM settings/overclocking and so on. Once you're finished save and exit (usually F10) and so long as everything is correct you should be booting normally

Captain_Generic

Solitaire wrote: »

Did you put the battery back in? And if there's a CLR_CMOS switch or jumper put it back to its normal position. After that go into the BIOS, set the time, date, boot sequence (i.e. what drives the PC tries to start from) which would usually be buried in Advanced Configuration Options and should usually be set to optical drive (normally \) then boot HDD (usually C:\), then go off and make any necessary changes to other options, onboard functionality, RAM timings, CPU/RAM settings/overclocking and so on. Once you're finished save and exit (usually F10) and so long as everything is correct you should be booting normally

Hehe, yeah THAT i didn't forget:D The first time i went into the bios i set the boot sequence so i could boot the windows installation dvd, and set the time and date, but still got the same blank screen after restart.
Even if its set to boot from the hd first i'd assume i should be getting a "no system disk" error or something but that isn't showing up either.

Solitaire

Ugh Sounds like mobo has suicided by falling on its sword SATA controller :eek: Try running a bootable drive off USB or a bootable CD off an EIDE optical drive (remember to change the boot order in BIOS while the device is connected!). Alternatively, try to install Windows on the target boot HDD while using a different graphics card in VGA mode and then reinstall the GTX460 and see what happens.

If this is a new build then also try changing the RAM timings from Auto to stock volts and low speed + loose timings. Tighten them back up if you manage to get the OS working alright.

Captain_Generic

Still trying to track down an external drive or a compatible graphics card.
In the meantime i tried the other things you mentioned, i also disconnected everything that isn't needed at the moment (wireless card etc.).
One of the times it booted i got an error along the lines "CDBOOT: data overflow" which seems to mean it was reading the cd but couldn't detect my harddrive. I've been unable to replicate that message and the bios detects my harddrive every time, and i still can't get into the bios without resetting the CMOS.
I still can't get into the bios easily either, if i save settings and restart i never get a prompt to get into the bios unless the CMOS has been manually reset.
Starting to think a cable might be faulty, or worst case scenario......i broke something:o

Solitaire

If you can, get a compatible mobo off someone and build a testbed from it using your new CPU/RAM/GPU/drives. Because that new mobo of yours sounds like a BoA (Borked on Arrival) to me

Captain_Generic

Managed to boot UltimateBoot CD from an external cd drive so at least i know the mobo isn't completely fooked.
I'm going to try and install Win7 from a USB stick and see what happens, obviously if SATA isn't being recognised properly then this will probably get me nowhere but its worth a shot:D

Captain_Generic

Yeah no luck with that, after the windows setup has finished loading resources it crashes because it can't access my harddrive. Definitely a SATA problem but i'm not sure theres anything i can do about it software wise.

Hopefully the good folks at hardwareversand will feel my pain:pac:

Solitaire

Hmm... try one of those no-install Linux distros that work off a USB drive Muck about with it if you can, maybe get a very simple 3D game/app that works in Linux, install to USB drive, see if it'll run? That should rule out everything except a borked SATA controller

Oh! Nearly forgot! Is that a Gigabyte mobo?? A good few of them have an issue if you try to use SATA drives in AHCI mode before an OS is installed - try to find the options for SATA/onboard peripherals in the BIOS and flipping the SATA from AHCI to IDE and try to reinstall

Captain_Generic

Nope its an MSI board, and booting off USB does work, but anything that tries to access the hd gives me a BSOD basically saying it can't access the harddrive.

I emailed hardwareversand with a detailed explanation of the problem. If it was just the SATA controller that would be one thing, but the fact that I can't get anywhere near the BIOS unless I force a date/time error doesn't sound right. I haven't once been given the option to get to the BIOS when booting normally.

Solitaire

When booting normally can't you access BIOS by tapping Delete or (more likely for MSI) F2?

Next time you get into the BIOS one way or the other, try levelclocking the system - take everything CPU- and memory-related off Auto and put in suitable settings yourself. See if that allows you to subsequently get into the BIOS without wiping CMOS. Also, if you get permission from HWVS and the PC seems otherwise stable except for the SATA take advantage of your USB drive to flash the BIOS to the latest version - Google MSI USB flash tool but be prepared to join someone's forum to get a download :rolleyes:

Captain_Generic

Solitaire wrote: »

When booting normally can't you access BIOS by tapping Delete or (more likely for MSI) F2?

Nope, tried both of them, when it boots i get "copyright nvidia (blah blah)", the MSI splash screen, then nothing. I've tried delete and f2 at both stages and it makes no difference.
I was reluctant to mess around with the setting too much because turning off Auto tended to give me fifty different options, but i'll see if i can find the minimum operating specs for the various components so i know what i'm doing.

Solitaire

Maybe USB Peripheral Support is disabled somewhere in there if you're using a USB keyboard? Also, stick a basic OS on a USB flash drive and set it to boot drive while in the BIOS. See if it boots cleanly.

Captain_Generic

Solitaire wrote: »

Maybe USB Peripheral Support is disabled somewhere in there if you're using a USB keyboard? Also, stick a basic OS on a USB flash drive and set it to boot drive while in the BIOS. See if it boots cleanly.

Ubuntu works perfectly running off usb, but only if nothing is attached to the SATA connectors. Even having the DVD drive hooked up causes a blank screen, so is something shorting the connectors?
IDE drives work perfectly as far as i can tell, but the only ones i have sitting around have been dead for a while, the furthest i can get is the windows boot menu on one of them.
Also i got the option back to go to the bios on startup, just needed to disable the splash screen, pretty stupid of me:P

Solitaire

Actually the splash screen shouldn't affect it - especially on MSI mobos! :eek:

See if you and HWVS reach a consensus on flashing the BIOS, but its a last-ditch attempt at this point as it looks like something has fried the SATA controller. Spectacularly

Captain_Generic

Right, my HD is now being consistently recognised as IDE by the bios, I stuck in an IDE dvd drive, and am currently installing windows.
Why the HD isn't recognised as SATA all of a sudden is beyond me but it seems to be working alright. Hopefully if windows installs correctly i can upgrade all the drivers and see what happens:D

Solitaire

Update the drivers and try playing with the BIOS again. Sounds like the BIOS is freaking out and randomly switching between IDE and AHCI modes, then suicides once in AHCI mode Usually a stable OS install and some driver and BIOS tinkering can fix it once (if) you get that far