Monitor, mouse keyboard not working

[pix2go]

Help!!!
I have a pc that the monitor, keyboard and mouse is not working. It seems(?) to start up but there is no video signal, keyboard light or mosue light(optical).
I checked all the boards and they are in tight. Be kind to me, I am a mac user and this is my daughters computer. She's 3 1/2. Any help woud be great!

[GaryRouth]

Hi pix2go

. . . and Welcome to the PC Mechanic forums . . .

Quick Fix tries:
1) Make sure there are no floppies left in the floppy drive by accident. (remove the diskette if one's in there)
2) Make sure there are no disks in the CD-rom drive. (remove the CD if you find one in there)
3) With the computer's power off & unplugged, also unplug and then replug the power cord for the monitor, then remove and reattach the Monitor cable. [might check your mouse & keyboard connectors too]. Turn the power back on for the monitor first, then the computer. --- My little girls used to kick the cords enough now & then to knock things loose.

If the quick fixes don't work, turn off the computer again, and see if the monitor light ever comes on when you push it's power button. Even when not connected to a computer, the monitor's power indicator light should briefly come on - if it doesn't, the monitor might be bad. [I don't think it's the monitor, though, since you didn't see any lights on the keyboard or mouse either.]

Another question, in case the quick tries don't work: is the computer connected to a network? Are there any USB devices plugged in to it?

Hope it's one of the easy fixes
. . . Gary

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

It might be that the graphic card has come loose, to check this, if you feel confident enough, remove the case and see if the graphics card is snuggly plugged into the motherboard. You should follow Gary's instructions first, saves the need to find screwdrivers etc.

One more thing: Welcome to PCMech! I hope you enjoy your stay.

[pix2go]

Hello again,
I tried all the fixes. The monitor does work on my macs so I can rule that out.
I unplugged the boards and reinstalled them, I also did the unplugging and replugging thing. There are no floppies or cd's in the drives. Is there a safe start off of any restore disc? Mac has stuff like that but I don't know if pc's do?
Any further help would be great. The forums and the web site is very helpful

[GaryRouth]

Windows does have "Safe Mode" for helping troubleshoot various problems - it loads Windows with only the very basics necessary to run. But this won't help yet in your situation, because the display problem you are having is there before Windows even starts.

The program on the motherboard (the "Bios") sends output to a monitor if one is present, before either DOS or Windows starts (or Linux, or Be, or...). So if you don't see anything at first boot, there's likely a hardware problem.

I'd suggest trying another known compatible video card if you have one, or can borrow one from a friend [you'll need to know what kind of video slot is on your motherboard & find a card that matches -- there are several versions of AGP, some have different voltages]

A thorough list to strip the possibilities down to the most basic is in this thread in our Tips & Tricks section: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...threadid=12753 While the thread is titled for new builds, the troubleshooting steps can apply to troubleshooting older boxes too.

Hope it's an easier fix (like an inexpensive video card swap)
. . . Gary