Sounds like either a bad card or a loose card as you diagnosed. It's a
wonder that the BIOS isn't catching it at the POST instead of Windows at the
driver load. From what you are describing, the fault could be isolated to
the DVI connection on the card. DVI is much like HDMI for hi-definition
television in that it is a bidirectional digital signal mediated by software
at both ends, unlike the unidirectional analog signal used by VGA. If she is
able to switch over to a VGA cable, that could be one way to test the card
and monitor combination for a fault in the DVI interface. If it fails on
VGA, that would suggest that the whole card is bad or that it has worked
loose in its socket enough to fail after the BIOS finishes POST. If it
passes on VGA but not DVI, then the fault is either in the monitor side of
the connection or in the video card. At that point, the only way to
differentiate which end of the DVI is bad is to switch the monitor for a
known good, since your client is reluctant to open the CPU and fiddle around
inside. Also not a bad idea to swap the DVI cable for a fresh one and see if
it is a fault there. Do each swap one at a time, so you can tell what step
worked. Hope this helps. :)

Kenneth Whyman
[log in to unmask]
"Chance favors the prepared mind."

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 5:37 PM, g.Computer9f <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> My friend's pc is kaput & won't boot.
>
> It will give text info...
>
> it says "Windows is having trouble starting....long message..." it won't
> respond to any selection except "Start Windows Normally", then is says...
>
> "Check DVI cable" which she did and it is secure (and fairly new with
> Monitor)
>
> next it says "No VGA Signal"  and screen goes blank
>
> She moved it recently, but has used it once since then.  My guess would
> still be either the video card is not seated properly or it is bad.   But
> she is in Asheville, so I can't actually touch her PC and she is afraid to.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas besides loose or bad video card?
>
> Someone built this for her - just a black box - been working fine for 2
> years or so.
>
> Thanks guys,
> Anna Summers
>
>
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