queerbychoice | Jealous Computers

My old computer is definitely not reacting well to being replaced. I didn't have a chance to finish transferring my files from it to the new one when it suddenly started refusing to interface with my monitor. The same monitor that I'd been using for years with my old computer, and which is continuing to work perfectly fine with my new computer at this very moment, absolutely refuses to display anything whatsoever when plugged into my old computer - even though my old computer still appears to turn on when I press the on/off button.

Honestly, couldn't it have just waited another week for me to finish transferring my files before developing this problem?

This first happened several days ago. I tried unscrewing and rescrewing the monitor into the computer, but had no luck, so then I just decided to put it aside for a few days and hope the problem would just go away. But today I tried again several more times, and the thing just absolutely refuses to work.

As far as I can see, my only option now are to either buy a new monitor for the sole purpose of transferring my files (and despite what Frank thinks, I really do not think I have any need to replace my current monitor if only my existing one would please work with both computers), or else lug my computer to my parents' house an hour away and somehow persuade them to let me "borrow" their monitor for approximately 12 hours until I can manage to transfer the rest of my files. The primary person who would be driven insane by my commandeering their computer for 12 hours would be my little brother, who lives with them. Although the idea of driving my little brother insane for 12 hours is not entirely without a certain appeal, I have not yet decided between these two options.

A Froogle search suggests that the cheapest you can buy really horrid awful cheap refurbished computer monitors for the purpose of only using them for one week is about $50. Hmm.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If the monitor works with your new computer but not your old one, then the problem is likely NOT the monitor. Be sure you have the monitor plugged into the right spot. I have a computer that has TWO video ports.. One on the motherboard and another on the video card. I once plugged it into the wrong one and took me a long time to figure out what the problem was. If you are plugging it into the right spot, it could be the video card that is having issues. It might've just decided to take this opportunity to die on you. ;)

-kanga

Unfortunately, there is only one possible place to plug in the monitor on my computer. As for the video card, maybe . . . hmm.

You know how the monitor plug contains a certain number of metal pins sticking out of it that get inseted into the computer plug? Well, my monitor plug looks sort of like it might have previously had one more pin which is now missing. That might explain why it stopped working in my old computer, although I don't know why it still does work in my new computer.

Maybe I'll try just taking my old computer apart and fidling with the place the monitor plugs into from the inside.

Maybe the extra pin came off in your new computer and is still there? Not sure if that helps your old computer, but if that is the case, at least you know what happened... :/

-kanga

I looked. No sign of it.

Ah well. I hope you figure something out!

-kanga

If you're not afraid of pawn shops, you can get a cheap monitor cheaper than $50---even out there, I'd bet.

I guess you did another friends page cleanin', but this time I didn't make the cut?

I'm still reading, just not really posting. (Not that I ever really posted much.)

Yeah, sorry . . . if you really care though, you know the reliable way to get back on my list. ;-)

It just kind of sucks to be cut from someone's friends list when you've been mutual friends for quite a while without any warning. I mean, I considered you to be one of the people on my list that I actually had more of a connection to than just reading posts, and I had you on all of my filters. Your friends list, your choice, but it's just left me feeling kind of shitty.

That is the whole reason that I make it possible to get back onto my list for anyone who cares to. Because I don't want it to be imposed unilaterally, but I do need to prevent myself from being stuck on LJ 24 hours a day.

You missed the point entirely. This is not my round about way of saying "add me back!"

Well, it shouldn't make you feel shitty. I like a great many people, and merely ceasing to commit myself to reading every word you write does not equal not liking you. It equals absolutely necessary prioritization, and I like plenty of other people who aren't on my friends list either.

Well, sorry that my two sentence posts every couple weeks were too much reading.

Hmm. I'm having that problem too with the computer at home. In my case, it's the BIOS that's at fault, sometimes just not detecting a monitor at start-up.

The only solution that's worked reliably is obsessive rebooting.

It's hard to tell when it's a problem in the monitor or in startup, since you'll get a black screen either way in most cases. But since it works with the new computer, I doubt the problem is the monitor. (And don't worry about that pin that seems to be missing, lots of plugs purposely have a spot that looks like that for some inexplicable reason). Do you have any bootup disks for it? How long have you left it on with the screen black? Eh...I could probably help more if I had the thing in front of me, it could be any number of reasons off the top of my head. My guess is that in the process of exchanging plugs and moving the PC's around and such, something was plugged in wrong in the back or knocked loose inside. Although it is possible you were just unlucky, and some critical part decided to burn itself out now.

There's nothing plugged in wrong in the back, but the "knocked loose inside" theory is quite possible so sometime in the next couple of days I'll open it up and check.

And if that doesn't work, I'll . . . uh . . . arrange to put the thing in front of you. :p

Another suggestion: I'm assuming that since you've had the computer a while, you're at least moderately familiar with all the grunts and beeps it makes while it's booting up. You can often tell something is wrong by the noises it makes. If the computer sounds normal and makes all the same noises it usually does, then the problem is likely just a display problem, but if it doesn't seem to boot up right, there may be a more severe internal error.

It does make a beep that it didn't make before.

Jealous Computers

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