[Saifai]

I bought a used computer, checked over and then scrubbed clean and sold without an OS. It's an eMachine W3503 - Intel Celeron D 356 / 3.33 GHz, 512mb Ram, 160gb HD, ATI Radeon Xpress 200 on-board graphics.

When I plug it in, I can get it to turn on, but nothing comes up on the monitor. I'd assumed it was a graphics card issue, but there's no agp slot and the graphics is on-board. I've been told the power supply may be causing the problems, but I wouldn't know for sure.

Basically, I can get it to turn on (the fans kick on), but I'm not hearing anything beeping. I can't access anything since nothing comes up on the monitor.

Any suggestions, or should I just scrap it?

[daniel_b2380]

I bought a used computer, checked over and then scrubbed clean and sold without an OS.

did you install an os?

and you want it to do what?

about all it can do without an os is make it to the first part of the 'post' screen........

[Saifai]

There's nothing coming up on the screen at all, that's the problem. I have an OS ready to install on the system, but without being able to see what I'm doing on the monitor it won't do me a bit of good.

I tested it on two different monitors with the same results. Nothing is coming up. The screen stays black as if there's nothing hooked up to the monitor.

[daniel_b2380]

and welcome to tech support guy,

do you have another monitor you can try?

can you hook this monitor up to another pc to check it?

you may need to get a magnifying glass and check the pins in the plug on the cable as well as the plug on the pc to see if any are bent or broken,

[Saifai]

I've got two monitors, one of them hooked up to my current system. Not even on my current monitor setup (the one I KNOW works) would anything come up. So it's not the cable or the monitor.

[daniel_b2380]

if you are somewhat familiar with the internal parts of a computer you might take the side cover off and check all the connections, maybe even reseat the video card, and note too that some video cards have a power plug,
you could try the video card in another pc, or another video card in that pc, other than that, replacing the video may be the only option
other possibles, the power supply, the motherboard...

[Saifai]

That's one of the problems I ran into to begin with, because there's no video card. It's all on-board. It uses an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 chipset. I had a spare agp graphics card, same brand (radeon), but no slot to put it in.

Had the suggestion of the power supply being bad (given the brand), and I'm assuming the only way to replace the on-board graphics is to replace the entire motherboard (which is doable, but runs the price I paid for the system and brings me back to square one).

I'm unfamiliar with how the power supply works though. I'm assuming since the computer turns on and everything that the power supply doesn't have anything to do with that?

[dustyjay]

The power supply would be an easy fix. But eMachines being eMachines, you probably have a Bestek power Supply in there. And often when a power supply blows in an eMachines computer you can figure the Motherboard is toast as well. and just because fans come on doesn't mean the power supply is not bad.

[Saifai]

Ah. That's what I was afraid of. I think I'll be taking this one back. Thanks for all the help.

Edited to add: It turned out to be a bad ram. Replaced it and it worked fine after that.

[daniel_b2380]

saifai,

Originally Posted by Saifai

Edited to add: It turned out to be a bad ram. Replaced it and it worked fine after that.

you received no 'beep' codes?
the screen stayed totally black?
the 'post' didn't even give a couple lines at all?

that's the first time i've heard that, oh well, it's 'wineders' - what can we say?

glad you got the problem solved,
and thank you for returning to post your solution,
[you can mark the thread solved, button @ top-left in your first post]