Problems with Gaming PC

i am an onion

Hey Guys

My new gaming PC just arrived a couple of days ago but I have a few problems. Would you mind helping me out?

Well, anyway, I have 2 problems.


1) The disc-tray won't even open. I just got it and wanted to put in the Win 7 disc but alas, no luck. It doesn't even make a noise or light or anything.

2) There is no signal to the monitor. ( I'd imagine I could fix this if I could install Win but the bloody disc tray won't allow it )

I got the PC assembled for me as I have no experience with computers, so I doubt I'll be able to go inside the PC and fix the problem myself ( if it even involves that )

Thanks in advance

i am an onion

Oh, I got the disc tray open by using the little hole but there is no power going to it. Windows isn't installed yet ( the PC is new ) so it isn't anything to do with that.

CaSCaDe711

Sounds like the cabling might not have been connected to the DVD/Blu Ray drive. If you can open your pc (when it's unplugged), look for these, and if there's none already, connect it to the back of your DVD/Blu Ray drive.

Edit: Note: That link is for older drives, reading yoyo's reply below just reminded me I need to get with the times : )

yoyo

Who assembled the machine? also your disc drive issue sounds to me as though who ever did did not connect the SATA cable going from the drive to motherboard correctly. This is a simple enough thing to do for computer novices, make sure the SATA cable (usually red) is connecting into the optical drive and the power cable (coming from the power supply) is also connected ok.
Regarding the no signal issue, try re-seating the RAM, see this video:

Nick

i am an onion

Thanks guys, I got the disc tray working ( the cables weren't in ).

However, there is still the matter of the monitor not working.
There is power going to it, but whenever I turn it on it says no signal detected and then turns itself off.

Thanks.

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Thanks guys, I got the disc tray working ( the cables weren't in ).

However, there is still the matter of the monitor not working.
There is power going to it, but whenever I turn it on it says no signal detected and then turns itself off.

Thanks.

Did you try reseating the memory (RAM) as I mentioned above? Its a classic problem to show a blank screen while computer is on

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

Did you try reseating the memory (RAM) as I mentioned above? Its a classic problem to show a blank screen while computer is on

Nick

I'll go ahead and try that now, thanks.

i am an onion

Oh and just to make sure, you know that it's not a black screen the whole time. When I turn it on the monitor also turns on it just tells me there is no signal and then goes blank.

Will I still try resetting the RAM?



EDIT : I connected my PC to my TV for the time being, so I'll let it install Windows 7. Can I ask ye tomorrow?

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Oh and just to make sure, you know that it's not a black screen the whole time. When I turn it on the monitor also turns on it just tells me there is no signal and then goes blank.

Will I still try resetting the RAM?



EDIT : I connected my PC to my TV for the time being, so I'll let it install Windows 7. Can I ask ye tomorrow?

No signal means the monitor is not receiving an image from the video card in the machine (wheather on board or dedicated). Dodgy RAM can traditionally cause this, but a faulty video card or motherboard/ram/CPU/power supply could even cause it... Reseating the RAM if it fixes the problem permanently-great If not I would go back to who ever built the machine.
Definitely try reseating the RAM though, from expierience most of the "no signal" blank screen issues are RAM related, that is not to say all the ones I have come accross are, though. Make sure the monitor you are using is cabaple of displaying the refresh rate/resolution of the operating system config also

Nick

fionny

this might sound obvious but failing the RAM is there multiple plugs? Especially if the motherboard is an Sandy Bridge, it could be trying to output to the motherboard instead.

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

No signal means the monitor is not receiving an image from the video card in the machine (wheather on board or dedicated). Dodgy RAM can traditionally cause this, but a faulty video card or motherboard/ram/CPU/power supply could even cause it... Reseating the RAM if it fixes the problem permanently-great If not I would go back to who ever built the machine.
Definitely try reseating the RAM though, from expierience most of the "no signal" blank screen issues are RAM related, that is not to say all the ones I have come accross are, though. Make sure the monitor you are using is cabaple of displaying the refresh rate/resolution of the operating system config also

Nick

fionny wrote: »

this might sound obvious but failing the RAM is there multiple plugs? Especially if the motherboard is an Sandy Bridge, it could be trying to output to the motherboard instead.

Thanks. I'll check it out tomorrow when I get home around 6.

fionny

Let us know either way!

i am an onion

Hey guys,

I've yet to try Reseating the RAM, but I decided to wait as I emailed the company.
Now, they e-mailed me back, and they said this - "your system has 2 graphic adapters, you have to connect the screen to Club 3D Radeon HD 7850, not to the onboard chip, second adapter has been placed below the onboard chip."

I don't really understand this. The Monitor just came with a lead and I plugged it into the back of the PC. Will I have to open it up again to do this?

Thanks.

fionny

i am an onion wrote: »

Hey guys,

I've yet to try Reseating the RAM, but I decided to wait as I emailed the company.
Now, they e-mailed me back, and they said this - "your system has 2 graphic adapters, you have to connect the screen to Club 3D Radeon HD 7850, not to the onboard chip, second adapter has been placed below the onboard chip."

I don't really understand this. The Monitor just came with a lead and I plugged it into the back of the PC. Will I have to open it up again to do this?

Thanks.

That is pretty much what I had posted / suspected.

You shouldnt need to open the computer up.. there is probably multiple sockets the same as the one the monitor is plugged into, just plug in to each of them and try.

It will be toward the bottom half of your case.

i am an onion

fionny wrote: »

That is pretty much what I had posted / suspected.

You shouldnt need to open the computer up.. there is probably multiple sockets the same as the one the monitor is plugged into, just plug in to each of them and try.

It will be toward the bottom half of your case.

So just stick it into any hole it will fit in and see if it works? Thanks.

Edit: That was unintentionally dirty

dyer

it means your motherboard has onboard graphics as well as a stand alone graphics card. it's not necessary to open the pc unless it helps you figure out which is which (just follow the graphics card to the back of your case where the ports are). you should also enter the bios and disable your onboard gpu.

i am an onion

dyer wrote: »

it means your motherboard has onboard graphics as well as a stand alone graphics card. it's not necessary to open the pc unless it helps you figure out which is which (just follow the graphics card to the back of your case where the ports are). you should also enter the bios and disable your onboard gpu.

Thanks for your reply also.

i am an onion

Ok, I'm not sure what I did, as I certainly didn't change the slot I plugged it into, but it now works after using my TV as a monitor.

However, there is no signal until the login screen, so I can't see the BIOS.

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Ok, I'm not sure what I did, as I certainly didn't change the slot I plugged it into, but it now works after using my TV as a monitor.

However, there is no signal until the login screen, so I can't see the BIOS.

sounds to me like the TV may have issues with low resolutions, does the other monitor just say no signal?

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

sounds to me like the TV may have issues with low resolutions, does the other monitor just say no signal?

Nick

Sorry, I worded that wrong.

I was using my TV as a monitor the whole time, but obviously wanted to use my monitor instead. However, when I plugged my TV out and plugged my monitor in ( into the same slot as before and all ) it worked.
However, the monitor does not show the BIOS, instead it says no signal until the login screen, whereas my TV used to show everything and worked normally.

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Sorry, I worded that wrong.

I was using my TV as a monitor the whole time, but obviously wanted to use my monitor instead. However, when I plugged my TV out and plugged my monitor in ( into the same slot as before and all ) it worked.
However, the monitor does not show the BIOS, instead it says no signal until the login screen, whereas my TV used to show everything and worked normally.

Try opening the monitors on screen menu and choose the option to reset to factory settings on the monitor,

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

Try opening the monitors on screen menu and choose the option to reset to factory settings on the monitor,

Nick

I did that and it didn't seem to do anything.

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

I did that and it didn't seem to do anything.

The moment you turn the machine on hit the pause key on the keyboard (enter key resumes), this will pause the boot up, after a few moments does the miage appear? If not I would try a different VGA cable/monitor if possible

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

The moment you turn the machine on hit the pause key on the keyboard (enter key resumes), this will pause the boot up, after a few moments does the miage appear? If not I would try a different VGA cable/monitor if possible

Nick

Which key is the pause key? Is it ESC?

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Which key is the pause key? Is it ESC?

nope pause/break top right on most keyboards (to the right of the function keys)

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

nope pause/break top right on most keyboards (to the right of the function keys)

Nick

Oh, thanks I'll try that now.

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

nope pause/break top right on most keyboards (to the right of the function keys)

Nick

Unfortunately that didn't work.

i am an onion

Ok, on top of my screen issues, I get this message when I start my PC

"the catalyst control center is not supported by the driver version of your enabled graphics adapter. please update your AMD graphics driver or enable your AMD adapter using the displays manager"

I updated my driver as it said but it still pops up??

Skerries

did you download this one?
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_win7-32.aspx

dyer

i am an onion wrote: »

Ok, on top of my screen issues, I get this message when I start my PC

"the catalyst control center is not supported by the driver version of your enabled graphics adapter. please update your AMD graphics driver or enable your AMD adapter using the displays manager"

I updated my driver as it said but it still pops up??

sounds to me like you're still using the onboard.. they use different drivers so could be a message indicating a conflict.

in the e-mail you got from tech support they said ""your system has 2 graphic adapters, you have to connect the screen to Club 3D Radeon HD 7850, not to the onboard chip, second adapter has been placed below the onboard chip."

wherever you see vga/dvi connections on the back.. make sure you are connected to the next ports underneath those.. reboot and check again. if still no joy, you may need to connect to the onboard ports above that temporarily just so you can get into your bios and disable the onboard then switch your cables again.

fionny

Download and Install

.NET Framework (use google i dont know what version of windows youve installed or whether 32 or 64bit)

Fully uninstall all AMD graphics drivers and Catalyst Control Centre.

Reboot

Download latest driver and install.

Also make sure you have installed windows updates.

yoyo

You need to boot into the bios and disable the onboard graphics (if its set to "Auto" in the bios set it to off). Borrow another monitor/use the TV if you still can't see the post screen, see if that helps. If you are still having issues with another monitor/vga cable I would send the machine back to get a warranty service from the company who built it.

Nick

fionny

There is nothing wrong with leaving the onboard enabled its not like MB's of old it is using the Sandybridge board properly, if you board supports it you can even use a power saving feature which switches between a graphics card and processor graphics.

yoyo

fionny wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with leaving the onboard enabled its not like MB's of old it is using the Sandybridge board properly, if you board supports it you can even use a power saving feature which switches between a graphics card and processor graphics.

How does that work with a desktop though? It could well be a issue with the intel and amd drivers conflicting, turning off the onboard video may sort it, just a suggestion for op really...

Nick

fionny

yoyo wrote: »

How does that work with a desktop though? It could well be a issue with the intel and amd drivers conflicting, turning off the onboard video may sort it, just a suggestion for op really...

Nick

Works well enough, I have an i5 2500k and a MSI 6950 card and it all works hunky dorey but the monitor should be plugged into the graphics card not the MB.

EDIT: software is called Virtu by LucidLogix

dyer

im assuming he has a motherboard with an amd chipset/gpu because of the error message he received. there's no harm leaving it enabled but no point really when it's not being used and only causing confusion. btw, CCC is working properly so he doesn't need to update .net framework either, it's just that it's detecting the onboard gpu when the system boots.

fionny

dyer wrote: »

im assuming he has a motherboard with an amd chipset/gpu because of the error message he received. there's no harm leaving it enabled but no point really when it's not being used and only causing confusion. btw, CCC is working properly so he doesn't need to update .net framework either, it's just that it's detecting the onboard gpu when the system boots.

Dont be so certain, google his error, what I suggested is a well documented fix.

OP could you please post the specs so we can put this speculation on your hardware to bed.

i am an onion

fionny wrote: »

Dont be so certain, google his error, what I suggested is a well documented fix.

OP could you please post the specs so we can put this speculation on your hardware to bed.

Sure, I'll post my specs, and I'll try your suggestions soon


LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA

BitFenix Merc Alpha

8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9

Seagate Barracuda 7200 500GB SATA 6GB's

Intel Core i5-3570K Box, LGA1155

ASRock Z77 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX

MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit SB-Version Englisch

BenQ G2255

Logitech Speaker System Z323

Club 3D Radeon HD 7850 royalQueen, 1GB GDDR5

Corsair Enthusiast Series TX650 V2

dyer

should have asked for specs from the beginning really

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro3/

Supports Intel® HD Graphics with Built-in Visuals

all downloads and utils for win7 64bit available here : http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro3/?cat=Download&o=Win764

as fionny mentioned the virtu software may well sort out your problem.

ps. remember to install drivers for the intel chip as well.

i am an onion

dyer wrote: »

should have asked for specs from the beginning really

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro3/


all downloads and utils for win7 64bit available here : http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Pro3/?cat=Download&o=Win764

as fionny mentioned the virtu software may well sort out your problem.

ps. remember to install drivers for the intel chip as well.

Thanks I'll get on it and see if it works

i am an onion

fionny wrote: »

EDIT: software is called Virtu by LucidLogix

Wait, when I first started installing the drivers for my PC I remember it couldn't install Virtu by LucidLogix for some reason.
That's bad yeah?

Edit : Unrelated, but what version of .NET Framework must I get? I have 64 bit Windows and checked google but I found multiple different versions ( eg. 1.0 , 1.1 , 2.0 etc )

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Wait, when I first started installing the drivers for my PC I remember it couldn't install Virtu by LucidLogix for some reason.
That's bad yeah?

Edit : Unrelated, but what version of .NET Framework must I get? I have 64 bit Windows and checked google but I found multiple different versions ( eg. 1.0 , 1.1 , 2.0 etc )

I thought that only worked for laptops, find it interesting that the dedicated gpu can output intel hd video processing as well, I would try access the bios and disable the onboard video and see if it solves the issue, I am aware of people with laptops having issues with virtu so it would be worth trying to disable the integrated gpu

Nick

fionny

I still think you are plugged into the onboard card versus the actually GPU.

Can you take a photo of the back panel?

yoyo

Here is a little guide I made which suits most cases where you should plug your cable into:
.
Basically make sure its going into the port away from where all the USB/Ethernet etc ports are

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

Here is a little guide I made which suits most cases where you should plug your cable into:
.
Basically make sure its going into the port away from where all the USB/Ethernet etc ports are

Nick

I have it plugged into the " not Here " port.

However, this is kinda confusing me for 3 reasons.

1) My TV works fine plugged into the top of the tower.
2) MY monitor actually works ( although it didn't work 2 days ago plugged into the same port ), just doesn't show the BIOS and just shows the login screen.

3) The biggest one, The plug top for the monitor doesn't fit into ANY port at the " Here " section.



Also, in regards to the driver, I found this guide. What do you think? And would I be ok installing the drivers whilst using my TV as a monitor?

yoyo

You will need one of these yokes to go DVI->VGA from the video card (your video card should have come with one or 2, check the boxes your system builder gave you):

It is weird the TV shows picture from the other port, your main video card will be the one down below, i.e the Radeon dedicated GPU, the one above is simply the integrated graphics that ships with the processor Intel HD

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

You will need one of these yokes to go DVI->VGA from the video card (your video card should have come with one or 2, check the boxes your system builder gave you):

It is weird the TV shows picture from the other port, your main video card will be the one down below, i.e the Radeon dedicated GPU, the one above is simply the integrated graphics that ships with the processor Intel HD

Nick

I have the smaller blue one which is attached to the wire but I don't have the gold, bigger one which would fit the proper port.
The company didn't send us any others.

i am an onion

Oh btw the TV is connected via HDMI to a USB port near the top of the PC, if that means anything.

yoyo

i am an onion wrote: »

Oh btw the TV is connected via HDMI to a USB port near the top of the PC, if that means anything.

Can you do a photo of the back of your pc? As I said before some TVs/HDMI can have issues with showing the post screen/quick low resolution screens, I'm not sure the technical reason why

Nick

i am an onion

yoyo wrote: »

Can you do a photo of the back of your pc? As I said before some TVs/HDMI can have issues with showing the post screen/quick low resolution screens, I'm not sure the technical reason why

Nick

The TV has no problems showing the POST screen, just the monitor.

I'll see what I can do about a photo.

i am an onion

Here are the photos ( they're a little messy but ye should be able to make out what's what )

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0623-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0624-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0628-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0629-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0631-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0632-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0634-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0635-1.jpg
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg560/seabeg/141_0636-1.jpg