At 02:44 PM 10/21/98 , you wrote:
>I have a no name generic PCI Video Card based on a S3Virge chip. This
>particular card or motherboard ...I'm not sure which but I suspect the
>video card .....requires that a monitor be plugged in and turned on in
>order for the PC to post. If the monitor is not signaling the
>motherboard....a Tyan Tomcat III ....will emit a error beep and stops the post.
>
>This PC is sharing a monitor by way of a switch box and it is often
>inconvenient to switch  the monitor solely for the purpose of  posting.
>Does anyone know for sure if it is the card or the board that requires the
>monitor to be on ........and if there is a work around.
>Thanks
>mark

Mark,

 I am fairly sure it is not the Tyan Tomcat III motherboard.   I built quite
a few severs using that board, (the dual processor model), and most of
them are in an ISP's NOC with no monitor connected to them...   we did
put inexpensive ISA 1mg Trident video cards in these.

If it were me, I would consider the problem to be the video card.

    Bob

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