Not really a new pc, but...

It's not a new PC. I just used a couple comps that were laying around the house. This is my first time doing this, and so far I have gotten everything together. I push the power button and I see the lights on my disc drives light up, and I hear and feel the HDD spinning, yet there is no video on my monitor. When the monitor is unplugged from the comp, there is a repeating message saying no signal. I plug it in and the message goes away. So, I assume that means that it has made a connection with the MB, but maybe I didn't connect a wire somewhere or something. Need help with this.

This is what I have:

Motherboard: Not sure, AMD build, 2 memory slots, 2 IDE slots, 1 Floppy slot, built in sound and video

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ATA IV, 40 Gbytes, Model ST340016A

DVD-ROM: Delta, OIP-DV1200A, Manufactured February 2001

CD-ROM: Mitsumi, Model CR-4809TE, Manufactured December 2001

Power Unit: EZ Media, QC Pass 2003, Pentium 4 sticker (dunno if that means much).

Processor: AMD Athlon 64, Approx. 2001

NOTE: Power Unit is '03 because it had to be replaced. Comp was originally built in about 2001.

If you could use pictures to help explain what to do, that would be quite helpful. Thanks.

If you're using onboard video (no video card), you need to make sure that bios is set to onboard video instead of PCI or AGP or whatever (or vice versa). Just make sure that the video output in your bios matches what you're using.

One way to test it (I'm assuming you're using onboard video since you didn't mention a video card) is to borrow a video card from another computer, put it in, and try the monitor with that instead of the onboard. If it works, then you need to go into bios, change it to onboard, then you can put the card back where you got it from.

Hmmm... when you start the computer, does the monitor come on, show this and that, and then turn itself off?

Try starting the computer in Safe-Mode and see if the monitor stays on. If it does, then you've probably got the drivers for a graphics card installed, or you've not got your integreated graphics card installed.

It's hard to go to safe mode if you don't have anything on the screen.

Let's clarify the problem, though. Do you get any picture? Bios, RAM counting, etc?

True, but he might have a picture right at the start.

When our graphics card died on it's arse, we still got a picture until the drivers started up - about the same time as the XP Loading screen.

Actually no...no picture or anything...

And I tried using another graphics card, but still nothing. I know the monitor works, because I am using it on another computer, which I happen to be on right now.

My neighbor said it might be the Processor, because everything gets power, the HDD spins, the disk drives start their warm up stuff, but not a single thing is on screen. I hope it's not something with the motherboard. The only other motherboard is a crappy one that came in a prebuilt computer with no room for any expansion, just 3 slots for modem-type crap. And it is a crappy Intel Celeron processor...from like...who knows how long ago.

If it is the processor, does anyone know where I can get one with a good performance/price curve?

Also, does it matter how I have the drives wired? I have the HDD by itself, and the CD-ROM as a slave, DVD-ROM as master, and no floppy. Don't need those no more right? HDD is on the primary IDE and the discs are on secondary IDE.

UPDATE: Here is the pretty much the same motherboard I have...dunno if this helps.

You can boot without any HDDs, and you'll still get a picture. It's not that.

Is there any beeping or anything? If so, it's most likely your RAM.

If there's no beeping, I say that it's your bios. You can try resetting your bios if you have the manual (or can look it up online). It'll just take setting a jumper and then giving it power. That should default it back to onboard display. Otherwise, try onboard video, an agp video card, and a pci video card (and pci-e if you have it). if any of them works, then it's definately your bios.

Try and report back.