asked on

Monitor stays black

Hi all,

My girlfriend has this Acer Aspire L310 Desktop PC.
It's a mini PC...

Suddenly, the monitor won't show any picture.
It doesn't receive any signal.

I tried another monitor, didn't work.
The PC has a VGA and a DVI connection, so I bought a VGA to DVI adapter to try on that port, just in case...
It doesn' work...

I tried the adapter on my own PC ant it works, also just in case...

I disassembled the PC to have a look.
It's an onboard VGA card...
There is no space nor possibility to add another VGA card to try whether it works...
That might have been a solutiuon if it was a normal PC.

So, is there anything I could do regarding this?
I really hope that there will be solutions that don't include that the main board is broken :)

Here is a manual for this PC, you can also see everything that's inside
It might help...
Search in google for "AP2000_AS L310_SG.pdf"

Thank you in advance

Delphineous Silverwing

When you turn the computer on, do you see Hard Drive activity? Does the LED blink like the machine thinks it is starting? Do you hear sounds?

frankky

Well you could always try a USB to VGA adapter (external video card)

http://www.iogear.com/product/GUC2015V/

But if this is still under warranty, I'd seriously consider returning it or asking for support

alohadin

ASKER

Forgot to mention that there is HDD activity...
So, when I turn it on, the HDD light is not blinking but it's just ON.
I don't if that matters...
After a while, it turns off... let's say after 10-15 seconds...

there is no sound... no beep

and also no warranty anymore...

frankky

Try unplugging the HDD and if you have more than 1 memory dimm unplug 1 and/or the other to see if it changes anything (even if it's just an error message that would be a step ahead)

Delphineous Silverwing

If the hard drive light is solid, then goes out after a period of time without blinking, then most likely there is something more drastically wrong with your computer. Either failed memory, failed processor, or failed system board. As Frankky suggested, start with swapping out memory sticks. If you still get the same results than your processor or system board may have failed.

Are your CPU fan and other cooling fans spinning?

nobus

it looks like replacing the motherboard is the only option here
maybe you find it on e-bay

greg_vander

frankky did you try the usb video card ? does it work if the main video card is over ?

frankky

I must admit I don't know that, I did try the video card and it worked great, however my main display was working at the time.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

alohadin

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nobus

just for completeness :
Here my troubleshooting procedure :
Precautions :
-During connecting or disconnecting devices, be sure to have the AC removed
-Temporarily ground yourself, or use a wrist strap for ESD prevention

-With a new motherboard : verify if all mounting standoffs correspond with the holes in the mobo !!
Or test the motherboard outside the case, on a wooden (non conductive) surface
-Clean the system from dust, then test with the minimum setup - disconnect also all peripherals and network cables :
-What to connect : only motherboard + CPU + 1 ram stick, video card, power supply
-Verify that the 4-, 6- or 8-pin CPU Aux power plug is connected
-Verify that the VIDEO card has a power connecter - if yes, connect the power to it !
Now power on your PC : on boot, do you have a display?
-if NO it is one of the connected: RAM, Power supply , video card or monitor, so if possible swap ram, Power supply, video card or monitor - leaving only motherboard and cpu
-if YES, connect devices till the problem shows
*** note : if the fans are running, this shows there is 12 V present from the Power Supply; this does not mean the PS is ok, you still need 3.3 V and +5 V as well; and other signals.
Additional tests and things to try :
-boot without ram, it should beep; (also, without video card)
-try bios default settings, (if possible) or clear the bios by removing AC and bios battery
-renew the CPU heatpaste, and verify that the heatsink is mounted flat on the CPU, allowing for a good thermal contact
-you can also check the motherboard for bad capacitors as shown here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague
-you can test parts on another PC

The term POST refers to the Power On Self Test procedure - here a link with a short explanation http://www.pchell.com/hardware/beepcodes.shtml