Screen dies when I boot up, help!

[Cashew Nut]

Basically when I boot up my pc and after the windows loading screen has finished my screen goes black.
Of course this wasn't always the case,I just came back from holiday and it was like this.

I have restarted the pc in VGA mode and got the newest drivers for my graphics card and installed them, didn't help. I have a Nvidia Geforce 6600gt.

I dont know what more to say, dont actually know what the problem is.
Please help?

 

[yeplo]

So what you're trying to do is use your monitor in dvi and it's just going blank? But it works in vga?

Also: Did you leave your computer on while you were on vacation? Sounds kind of dumb but you never know.

 

[Cashew Nut]

Well let me explain a bit better
My card uses the VGA port and when I talk about VGA mode its a mode similar to Safe Mode, I press F8 while my pc boots up and choose VGA mode

Nope my pc was off the whole time.

 

[yeplo]

Alright, so what you're saying is that your monitor will only work in safe mode, correct?

Let me google this a few times and see if I come up with anything.

 

[Cashew Nut]

Yep thats what I am saying, thanks

 

[yeplo]

Hm. I haven't found anything just yet. But either you installed something odd before you left that messed up your os itself (I scratch out the possibility for drivers, since you said you have already reinstalled them), or, for some reason, a thunderstorm came in and shocked the crap out of your system (although I HIGHLY doubt this and it probably didn't happen).

Did you try to install something before you left on vacation? Anything at all? Also, did you try to maybe mess with the windows system files before you left on vacation?

As a last ditch effort, I'd try a reinstall of windows. However, I'd only do this if I were absolutely positive it wasn't a hardware error.

 

[valis]

if it works in safe mode and not in regular mode, chances are VERY high that you have either a missing, incorrect, or corrupt video card driver. Go to the vc mfg site and d/l the correct driver for your card. If you don't know what type, download everest from geeks squad(the free version).

When you go to start > run > sysdm.cpl > hardware tab > device manager, are there any exclamation points in there, or yellow circles? If so, let us know what devices they are pointing to.

v

 

[Cashew Nut]

Well the only thing I did was put in a SATA harddrive,but that shouldnt be a problem

If video card and graphics card is the same thing then I ahve already tried installing the newest driver and it didnt work.

I'll go check at device manager now and let you know.

 

[valis]

when you installed the latest driver, what happened?

 

[valis]

is this where you got your latest drivers from?

http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

 

[Cashew Nut]

Just checked, no exclamation points

Nothing new happened when I installed them

And yes, that is where I got them from

 

[valis]

i'd crack the case, take the video card out and examine it for faults. If I don't see any, I'd pop it back in and fire it up. If it works, it was seated wrong. If it doesn't, is it still under warranty?

Do you have onboard video as a backup, btw?

v

 

[Cashew Nut]

I wouldnt know what to look for if there is a problem...

But I guess taking it out and putting it back in again can maybe help

Yep its still under warranty so if it comes to that...

Nope I dont have a back up

 

[valis]

scorch marks on the contact edges is an idicator, albeit a rare one. Usually that lovely fried electronic component smell accompanies a dead one, but not always.....

did you put this in, or did the pc come with this? If you added it after you bought it, and it worked after you bought it but before you put that in, then you have onboard video somewhere. If you build this yourself, or had someone do it from parts you bought, chances are it does not.

v

 

[Cashew Nut]

Well it did work before with this vid card in it,played Oblivion and all, its just now that I turned it on after the holidays that things are weird, and I def dont have an onboard one...

Still have to take it out and put it back in again.