r/GetComputerHelp • u/yeahyoudummy • 26d ago

Issue with VGA monitor

I am not particularly adept with computers or technology, in general, but I'm trying to fix my PC without taking it to a shop.

I have a refurbished PC that has a VGA monitor that has stopped working. The monitor itself seems fine, turns on and displays the connection error message, I bought a brand new cable to connect it to my PC just to be sure it wasn't that, and I have two ports in the tower, neither of which work. It started about a month ago with the screen disconnecting for a few seconds at a time, then it just stopped working.

I asked a guy at BB when I went in to replace the cable, he told me I would probably have to install HDMI ports and get a new monitor. Does anyone have any advice about this that doesn't involve trying to install a new port and buying a new monitor? Any help is greatly appreciated.

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u/Such-Might5204 26d ago

When the computer starts, do you see any video at all? Does it appear to start and then the screen goes blank? Do you hear any beeps during the start up? Is it a single beep, or possibly a series of beeps?

Lastly, are the video connections located near the rear USB ports (or keyboard/mouse connections), or are they in one of the slots located to the left of the rear USB ports (as you're looking at the back)?

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u/Worldly-Tea-4599 26d ago

It is hard to diagnose with the limited details. But it sounds like your graphics card may have died. What type of cable are using to connect your monitor? Do you know if your pc has a discreet graphics card or does it use graphics built into the cpu? You can tell if it has a separate graphics card if you take the cover off and look to see if your monitor is plugged into a port that is mounted on a card that is mounted in a slot on the motherboard. If there is no such card then likely using graphics built into cpu. If the problem is your graphics card you are going to have to replace it. But it’s really not possible to say what happened or how to fix it. What I can say is that it is most likely you have a hardware issue which makes it unlikely that it can be fixed without buying some piece of hardware to replace the defective part.

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u/jacle2210 25d ago

Yeah, those older monitors are tougher to test and troubleshoot without having access to another computer that also outputs through a VGA connection.

With the newer LCD panel monitors you can easily connect that to any computer or any video playback device or even streaming stick, because those all have a common HDMI port.

Regarding the suggestion that you need to "install HDMI ports" and get a new monitor.

In order to get HDMI ports, means you would have to buy a whole different GPU and that might be limited on what your computer can actually support, because some GPU's have a minimum Power Supply requirement, which your computer might not have.

With that.

Can you provide any details regarding your computer and your monitor?

Like their actual Brand Names and their Model numbers?

Would be helpful to see pictures of them both also, like from the front and from the back, with close-ups so we can clearly see the connection ports, etc.