Dell Inspiron 530 video failure

bret · 01 Feb 2014

This Dell Inspiron 530 had an optional (PCI?) video card which failed. I removed it, and the computer ran normally, I assume from the video "card" built in to the motherboard. Now, this is all I get when I turn it on (screenshot). I've tried a Linux boot disc, Windows repair disc, f2, f12 and I never get beyond this screen. I suspect a hardware problem, but I'm hoping someone has had this same issue and can tell me whether I should just trash it, before I go buying parts for it. BTW, the background in the image is a messed-up "Dell" logo.

fireberd · 01 Feb 2014

Have you tried resetting the BIOS? With the PC Powered off, open the case and remove the CR2032 CMOS backup battery on the motherboard for at least 10 minutes (Intel says 15 min). Reinstall the battery, observing polarity. Power back on and see if that helped.

Just to verify that its not the actual monitor, do you have another you can connect for test?

bret · 24 Feb 2014

Fireberd: Thank You. This was this issue. The only catch was that I had to remove all the RAM before I could even get a "beep" response. I then reinstalled them, one by one, and everything worked. BTW, why is the battery necessary to power the bios when the computer is plugged-in to AC power?