Video Troubleshooting

Symptom 2: There is no display, and you hear a series of beeps when the PC initializes. The video adapter failed to initialize during the system's POST.

• Check the video board installation. Make sure that the video board is installed securely and completely in the expansion slot. Often, flexing of the motherboard can allow the video board to "pop out" of the bus slot.
• Replace the video board. If problem persist, try a known-good video board in the system.

Symptom 3: You see large blank bands at the top and bottom of the display in some screen modes, but not in others. Multifrequency and multimode monitors are not auto-sizing correctly. This is not necessarily a defect, but it can cause some confusion.

• Check the monitor. If the monitor is not auto-sizing, It will not compensate for change in screen resolution. Try a different monitor.
• Replace the video board. Your particular video board may not be providing the proper sync polarity signals to drive the monitor's auto-sizing features. Try a known-good video board instead.

Symptom 4: The display image rolls. Vertical synchronization is not keeping the image steady (horizontal sync may also be affected). This problem is typical of a monitor that cannot display a particular screen mode.

• Check the monitor. If the monitor is not capable of supporting a particular video mode, try a different monitor instead.
• Reconfigure the software. Set your application or windows to use a different screen resolution.
• Replace the video adapter. If the monitor is supposed to operate properly but does not, the video adapter sync circuits may be defective.

Symptom 5: An error message indicating an invalid system configuration appears on system startup. The system CMOS backup battery has probably failed. This is typically a symptom that occurs in older systems.

• Check your CMOS setup. Look for the entry marked " Video System" and make sure that it is set EGA/VGA. If there are any other video setup entries, make sure they are all set properly. Replace the CMOS backup battery if necessary.