Sound but no picture

I bought a new computer 3 weeks ago and I've been having problems with the live tv in windows 7 media center. When I first setup the computer WMC was working perfectly. I was able to watch tv and record tv without a problem. Then after about 5 days of it working, I turned my computer on and I started receiving messages that the recording couldn't start because no signal was detected. I opened WMC and when I clicked on a channel I would see a gray(or sometimes its red) screen, no picture, yet I still hear the sound fine.



After 3 days of it being broken and only showing the grey/red screen, it fixed itself and started working again. It worked for about 4 days and then it broke again. This time it started by the picture going all wavy, and the red/green colors were out of sync. It kept getting worse and then started showing the gray/red screen again and not being able to detect signal. Its been unable to "detect signal" for over 1 week now.



I've tried googling it but I can't find a solution. This is a brand new computer! Not sure why it worked one night, then was broken when I turned it on again in the morning. I've updated my TV tuner and graphics card and that didn't help. I'm not that computer savvy so please help me fix this.


Not sure what info you need about my computer. If you need anything else let me know.

- Dell XPS 8100, Windows 7 64bit, ATI HD5450 Radeon, Hauppauge 1250 tv tuner


Thanks,
Valerie

Have you installed the lasted driver? Support for WinTV-HVR-1250
If that doesn't work, turn off the power, unplug your pc, remove the tuner card and put it back in.

Should I download the WinTV version 7 application and driver, or the Windows Media Center driver installation package?

Just the Windows driver only.

I have already done that one and it didn't do anything.

Check your cable connection on the card.
Remove the card and put it back in.

You mean open up the computer and check the cable connected to the tuner? Sorry for being so dumb but I've never done this type of thing before.

On the back of the PC.
Your tuner card has a cable attached to it.
Hand tighten it, if it is loose.

If you're new to removing PC components, you probably should let someone experienced take a look at it.

In the meantime, you may want to re-run the MCE setup.

I had already tried to reconnect the cable attached to the tuner and run the setup again. When I run the setup it says it can't detect a tv signal, then gives me the option to let it try again or configure it manually. If I click manually then I can go through the process but the signal still doesn't work. I only get a gray gray screen with sound, no picture.

If you're adventurous, you can open up the PC and take a look at the the tuner card.
Sometimes a removal of the card and placing it back in sometimes resolves the issue.

I might try opening it up tonight to take a look. Not sure if i'm brave enough to unplug anything inside though. I might call Dell tomorrow and seeing what they say.

The thing that I dont' understand is the my friend and I both ordered the exact same computer, on the same day. We set them up exactly the same way. His is working fine. His media center is working, and he is able to play starcraft 2. Yet my media center is having issues and when I try to play SC2 my mouse cursor freezes(yet I can still click on things with my "invisible" mouse)

If they are the exact same computer, setup the same way at the same time, why is mine having issues and his works perfectly?

Could it be the actual cable that's causing you to loose video picture? In my experience, I've had to replace the tuner card cable/antenna with custom made ones from my uncle so I can get a better signal strength and sometimes every few years they die out and you need to get a new one.

Curious are you using rabbit ear antennas for your tuner? or are you using the antenna cable that goes directly into the wall?

Just thought I'd suggest it to you.

I'm using the TV cable that comes directly out of the wall.

Over the past week the tv has kind of started working a bit again. All of a sudden I noticed that it was recording something. Then whenI watched it it started out normal, then about 10mins into it it went back to a gray screen. Then it fixed itself and started recording again and the next show was ok for a few minutes but then went to static, or the wavy double red/green.

Its very weird.

1. Connect the cable to a TV directly and check that you really have the signal - both video and audio.

2.If into the TV the cable works well, then definitely the problem is in your computer.

3. Since you say that its a new one, it should be under warranty. In that case seek warranty support. If advised, return it to service. You may even insist they replace it with a new one immediately. Opening up and meddling with the innards by unauthorised personnel may void warranty.

Well I just spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone with Dell:banghead:. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. He tried a few different things(reinstalling, updating) and nothing worked. So he is sending a Dell tech to come and put in a new TV tuner.

Hopefully that fixes the issue otherwise I don't know what to do.

Yesterday I tried checking the cable. I connected it to my TV and it works fine. I even connected the other cable that went from my TV to the computer and that one showed the same result(grey or static pic, but working sound, "no tv signal detected"). So its not the cable.