UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Yeah I think it is a very old version of OpenLinux. Because the first thing I tried was to install it on a separate partition on my main PC. I had a problem with it then and ended up unable to boot windows xp or linux, so I installed windows again and then destroyed the linux partition. Got everything [almost] working back to normal (except for a dvd problem).

The monitor works. Because I have a dual head video card on my main PC and use the monitor with it also. It works perfect. But I have a KVM switch attached to my 2nd monitor and that feeds off to the 2nd PC I built. When I turn on the 2nd PC (the one now giving me the problem) and switch the kvm to use that monitor, the screen just goes blank, even though I see the light in the computer and hear that it is on.

The video card in that computer is securely in place. I tried removing it and testing it on a 3rd PC I have, and it worked fine. I then installed it back into my 2nd pc (the one giving me the problem) and turn on the computer, but the screen still remains blank.


Hmmm....

The monitor works on my main pc, just not on the 2nd one. And I think the bios boots up because I see the lights on PC come on (if this is an indication).

Yes... I did try the monitor without the kvm switch and I still get nothing. There are signs of life in the pc, however, be cause I do hear it booting up.

What motherboard is it? I have an AMD XP 2500 also, on a Soyo Black Ultra Dragon KT400. I've experienced problems with the system booting. If I reboot the system, it sometimes does not reboot, I usually have to hold the reset switch in for around 4 seconds and then the system restarts. But not all the times. sometimes I'd have to shut the box off from the switch on the power supply.
This leaves me with the case's power on, but the monitor not powering on as well. Since I later built another box with the same board, CPU, but with a different case and power supply, that box has no issues powering up. I've never bothered seeing exactly what the problem is to fix it, since its just a slight annoyance. It might very well be the power supply. You might also want to check that the motherboard is correctly grounded to the case.

What I usually do is.
Try shutting the box off from the power supply On/Off switch, located on the backside of the computer case. Listen for any odd sounds when turning it off or back on. Then try turning the machine on, and count how long it takes for the machine to turn back on, look for any signs, I look for the optical mouse to light up, which indicates the machine is working.
If the machine does not restart in about 30-40 seconds, hold the reset switch down for a count of 4, release and look for any signs the machine is starting.

Sorry to jump in late but I have a thought I didn't notice in my quick readthrough.

Could it be that the PC is working fine but the version of Linux you installed is spitting out a resolution the monitor doesn't support? Maybe the X config isn't right or something. Although if it was X I guess you'd see the boot messages ok then when it started up the desktop it would fail.

Just a thought. I'm not sure how you'd check that possibility other than throwing another OS on that same computer and see if that works.

Something is up, because it started up recently. But then when I turned it off and started it again, I would not come up. Could it be the power supply? Its 300 watt.

BTW, its an ASRock k7vt4a+ mobo

I had nothing better to do, so I started googling your problem. Here's what I came up with:

(a) k7vt4a+ seems to be highly sensitive to the correctness of the FSB frequency. See: http://www.asrock.com/support/instru...setting_K7.pdf
pg. 8

(b) k7vt4a+ can only take a 1.5v graphics card, quote from motherboards userguide http://www.asrock.com/Drivers/Manual/K7VT4A%2B_UM.pdf pg. 6: (c) Users with other motherboards, but with the same problem found that resetting the BIOS (clearing CMOS) (temporarily) resolved the problem. See the previous link, pg. 13

I hope this helps.