computer issue

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 12:36 am

Nvidia makes graphics cards (Video card) for peripheral add-on as well as supplying chips as OEM to many mobo manufacturers.

Basically: you're looking for a "card" that plugs-into a socket on your mobo, to which your monitor will connect. here's a link to some Nvidia video cards, so you can see what we're talking about:
https://www.google.com/search?pq=nvidid ... a=N&tab=wi

if you don't have something like this, then you have on-board video, and you're prolly-hosed, and certainly beyond the DIY with me chattin' ya through it.

If you DO have a card, take it out, carefully. jot-down every number you see on it so I can figure-out what you've got, then put it back in, seat it well and see if that fixes it.

if it doesn't, then hopefully I've got a card that'll fit for ya.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:51 pm

Its not removable/ I read that I need a new graphics card installed, then I need to load its driver.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:03 am

well, if it's not-removable, then you can't well replace it.

so, I honestly don't know what happens if you instal a video card in one of the peripherals to try to circumvent bad on-board video. ?? I don't know.

You could try flashing the bios to see if your MOBO drivers pick it up. But I would probably take it to someone to do this, as there is much risk of jacking s**t up.

sorry. I think that's where we are right now.

jsab · Post by **jsab** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 1:00 am

If you think it is only failed onboard video, you can install another video card and the OS will install the minimal driver for it during the OS boot, if you have XP or later. After that, you can go into the BIOS and disable the onboard video. If you are hearing multiple beeps during POST, you can look up the info on the beeps specific to your mainboard at the manufacturers website or in the manual.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:06 am

jsab wrote:If you think it is only failed onboard video, you can install another video card and the OS will install the minimal driver for it during the OS boot, if you have XP or later. After that, you can go into the BIOS and disable the onboard video. If you are hearing multiple beeps during POST, you can look up the info on the beeps specific to your mainboard at the manufacturers website or in the manual.

I wondered.
So, Rey, if you can tell me what mobo you have, I probably have a video-card I'd send you for free, so you're not out anything for trying it. Most of what I have is AGP, though I may have a PCI or two as well. No PCI-E. As long as you're not running windows 7 and trying to do all the new 3d graphics, these cards will run just fine.
But I need to know what peripheral slots you've got, so I get you the right card.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Wed Nov 16, 2011 11:23 pm

Maytag,. Im running windows 7.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:08 am

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:30 pm

What you have there is an Azus A8M2N-LA mobo. Not a bad mobo, with some cool features, including onboard video.

A quick google search shows others have had trouble with the integrated video as well, some of them claiming it happened while (or soon after) playing video game with a LOT of heavy graphics. Some have suggested it is a PSU issue, but nobody I can find has actually solved the problem by replacing a PSU. MORE likely, is that the onboard video is shot, either because the PSU it is paired with was not adequate and it burned-up, or the graphics were too much for the card's capabilities.

SOME report limited success with an add-on video card, though most claim that the problem returned even with the new card.... this in my mind supports the idea of the PSU being inadequate to drive whatever they are trying to do with it. So my recomendation would be that if you decide to try an add-on video-card, upgrade your PSU as well. I can't tell what PSU you've got, but 300 is typical for a system like this, I usually consider 450 to be minimum, with my machines running 600-750.

So, the idea would be, replace the PSU ($80-ish) and add a video-card, a decent one with 3d capability (which windows 7 really needs) in a PCI-E config will run you $150-ish. (I looked, I don't have one to give ya)

OR: new computer from NEWEGG, or Tigerdirect, or?? and swap-in your HDD. I just bought a pretty good quad-core machine with 2 TB for less than $400, so good deals are out there.

Sorry I can't help ya more than that.

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:47 pm

Whats a psu? And sorry for what? You have been a great help to me here. I am very grateful for your time. I can take the machine apart. i bought an asus cm1630-8 to replace it. $430 on sale. I still need to fix it as I have tons of pics and music on it.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:21 pm

psu= Power Supply Unit.

You can take your hard-drive (with all of your data, music, photos, etc etc on it) and put it into your new machine. OR: if that'd void any warranty you might have, you can get a hard-drive dock that plugs-in via USB, and you can put your hard drive into it and read it like a giant flash-drive.

124JOE · Post by **124JOE** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 3:30 pm

my local goodwill had three power suply boxes last time i was there
$5 used

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:25 pm

Can you simplyfy the process so that even I can understand it. What does the hard drive look like? Why does the psu need replcing. Not doubting you , just trying to understand whats going on here.

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:10 pm

spiderrey wrote:Can you simplyfy the process so that even I can understand it. What does the hard drive look like? Why does the psu need replcing. Not doubting you , just trying to understand whats going on here.

yup.
The PSU question is 'iffy'. Pretend it is a stereo and speakers. your PSU is your amp, and the video-card is your speakers. If you are under-driving your speakers (not enough power from your amp) then you can easily destroy those speakers because there is not enough power being supplied to perform the function you are asking them to do.
The same is true of the PSU / video-card relationship. Your PSU is probably not bad, but if it is not producing enough power to get your video card to do what you're asking of it, then you'll fry that video card. At this point, you can replace the video-card, but if you are still using the same PSU, it is quite probable you're going to do the same thing to the new video-card. Remember that this is an educated guess of what the problem is here, based on the symptoms and the known issues with that mobo. It could be something else entirely unrelated.... just like trying to diagnose a fiat via the forum

Your PSU is the big square brick in the photos you supplied, that says "bestec" on it. I can't read any part #'s from the photo, but I would bet it is no more than a 350w. I usually consider 450w the minimum, but my machines usually run at least 600. The more performance you try to squeeze out of your computer, the higher the power needs. And just like a car: heat is the enemy. An under-driven PSU (one whose capacity exceeds the demand) runs cooler. An under-driven CPU runs cooler. Underdriven ram runs cooler. sometimes you need more fans to control the heat: this requires more wattage from the PSU. You see where I'm coming from on the PSU sizing?

Next: those two red flat cables you see in there. those are SATA cables. one end of each will be attached to your mobo, the other to whatever it is reading. based on what I'm seeing in the photo, I'd guess that you've got an exterior SATA port of some sort, or a card-reader (?) connected to one, (EDIT: in looking again, the first cable is connected to your DVD drive) but the other will definitely be connected to your hard drive. hard drives are going to be rectangular in shape, either 3.5" or 2.5" wide, about 3/4" thick. You can take that out of your current computer and read the info off of it from your new computer, just like a big flash-drive or a cd-drive, using a dock like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A4HAFS/ref ... B001A4HAFS

Does that help?

spiderrey · Post by **spiderrey** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 6:21 pm

Does this help, and output is 300 w max,

maytag · Post by **maytag** » Thu Nov 17, 2011 7:26 pm

yes, that red cable in the photo is plugged into your hard drive. it contains ALL of the data on your computer. Usually 4 screws, sometimes 3, will remove it (make sure your power is disconnected and all cables disconnected from it, and make sure you are grounded so no latent static charge builds). then, truly the easiest thing from there is one of those docks. it connects with a power-cord and a USB cord, and it makes your HDD into a hot-swappable unit that you can transfer to / from just like an external hard-drive.

300w is not enough. and notice the amount of dust in the heat-sink on your CPU. that is AFTER you've cleaned it!

If you are going to try to save this computer, start with 3 cans of air, and blow the crap out of everything. Then replace that PSU with a bigger one (450w at least) and then install a PCI-E video-card to connect your monitor to. in that order. and then cross your fingers when you plug it in and fire it up.

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