BIG Computer troubles

[Thorgram]

I am having some serious troubles with my one-year-old computer. First, the 6 month old graphics card stopped work for no reason. Next, the Internet will not work on the computer either; it will not receive information any longer. And now the big problem is that, hooked to the orginal graphics port, the screen appears as nothing but a small line that runs across the screen. I discovered that letting the screen turn off (you know, the mode after the screensaver) will make the screen return to normal for a short period of time. Unfortunatly, the setting for when the screen turns off was set from 2 minutes to never, so now I can't get anything to work.

We asked Best Buy and they said that it may be motherboard problems, but it would cost $60 to find out for sure, so I thought I should ask you guys first.

[Dan]

It could be a driver issue, does the screen show anything well the computer is booting up?

I would try totally formating the hard drive and reinstalling windows (or what ever OS you might use).

If that does not work then it is time to start checking each component starting with the monitor. Hook the monitor up to another computer and see how it works. If it works ok on another computer then there is no problem with the monitor.

As for Best Buy i would avoid them at all costs.

[S_Grimm]

Try to format it, like dan said. Is it still under manufaterers warrenty? contact them and ask.

[Insectoid]

I doubt it is under warranty; Most warranties are voided if you take off the case panel, and in order to install a new video card, you would have to.

[andrew.]

Are you using the integrated ethernet port? Or are you using an external one (i.e. D-Link Gigabit ethernet)? It sounds like it is either a driver problem or your motherboard is broken. Try downloading a Linux Live CD and see if that works. If it does, then your hardware is fine, you just have to reinstall Windows. If it doesn't work, then most likely you have to replace your motherboard.

[Insectoid]

If you have to replace your motherboard, well, you've got a big job ahead of you! You're almost completely dismantling and reassembling your entire computer.

[andrew.]

It's not really a big job. Everytime I get a new computer, I build it and it's not that hard. It's just a matter of putting things back where they came from and removing screws. Just make sure you take pictures of how it is supposed to be if you are unsure.

[Zeroth]

Its not just the integrated card, its a serious of separate hardware failures. The fact that you've had several indicates two possible causes:

If you built your own computer, then there is the possibility you have an intermittent short caused by building the computer improperly(not accusing you of lacking any skill).

Another possible source, is the power supply is broken and is delivering "dirty" power, or the hardware is taxing the power supply too much. Most store-bought computers have very low power PSUs to cut costs. Adding a high-powered video card, ram, etc will effectively destroy that PSU.

So, its two causes: broken PSU or intermittent short. Since you are asking us, I presume you do not have the tools on hand to diagnose and fix this problem. You could outlay $75-120 on a brand new 500W PSU, and if that fixes your issues, hallelujah. However, it is much smarter to take the computer to a /small/, /local/ store. No "The Source by Circuit City". No Best Buy. No Futureshop. Find a store that has been around for awhile, and thus, must have kept their customers happy. Any good tech will be able to diagnose the issue within several hours, and have a decent fix for you.

(Disclaimer: I worked for two years as the "goto" guy for tech issues at The Source, though I was a salesperson. I've seen every kind of thing that can happen to a computer, and in my time, I've fixed two computers that had problems like yours, one was an intermittent short circuit, and the other was a crapped out power supply. However, The Source has massively gone down the drain, so avoid like they have the flesh-eating plague.)

[andrew.]

Zeroth, come to think of it, you're right. It does sound like a PSU problem especially after the video card upgrade. I can't believe I didn't think of that before. Well, I guess that's why I don't work at the Source.