My desktop has been giving me fits lately. The HP 2009m monitor seems to have a mind of it's own. It will shut off, and the blue-amber light in the on-off switch will slowly flash blue-off. When it's doing this nothing works, not even the switch. I fiddle with unplugging the power, shutting down the tower, and after a while something happens and it works again. I have the laptop for when it's out, but I really don't do pictures with that. Any of you experts have an answer for this?

I have been having PC problems also. I did find myself a new PC at Walmart.com. Here is a link to a page where I purchased mine. There are several choices, and you can even get a PC with less capability for around $100. I used the search for "16GB" or Random Access Memory (RAM). Change the search and see what works for you.

---

As for why your PC is acting up Danny, you may have something that changed your "sleep mode" setting. You should be able to tinker with "sleep mode" in the settings. I do not turn off my PC, or permit it to go to sleep. Only my monitor display turns off. The PC or hard drive never goes in the sleep mode. The monitor will turn off the display after 10 minutes. When I press any key or the mouse is moved the monitor comes to life.

The symptoms Danny has are those of a signal loss to the monitor. Contemporary monitors sleep with no signal.

Two things may help; first exercise the connector/s for the monitor at the monitor and the PC.

If that doesn't help, it's time to go to the PC's innards and exercise the graphics card slot at the mobo.

quote:

exercise the connector....the graphics card slot/s

OK ...how does one "exercise" these/those pieces??

I am going to assume unplug and plug back in at least once. Rusty, let us know if my guess is correct.

Kevin got it - plug and unplug several times; the use of contact cleaner may help.

Rusty, is cleaning acceptable with 91% isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip?

Depends on what you're cleaning. Connectors, yes, but make sure the Q-Tip leaves no fibers, and do not reconnect until the connectors are completely dry.

After unplugging and plugging back in all the connectors and still having no picture, I finally borrowed a monitor that we know works. This one will show a dim image of the screen then quickly fade to black. Turn it off, back on and does the same thing every time. Rusty mentioned the video card but I have no idea what that is or where it is. I guess it's time to take it to a shop and let them fix it.

The video (a/k/a "graphics") card is what the cable to the monitor connects to on the back of the PC.

Some PCs (rare for desktops) use an integrated (hard soldered on the mobo) videao which can't be replaced; this is unlikely.

It would be best to take it in. Video card replacement is simple and quick, but it should e left to someone who knows what needs to be done (configuring, installing drivers, etc.)

Back up and running! Had a buddy stop by yesterday to do some diagnosing. He brought a new VGA cable to try but no good, so we went with HDMI to a TV and it worked fine. [My monitor doesn't have a HDMI input]. So I got the 24" TV out of the coach and am using it as the monitor. I guess this means the VGI connection in the tower is kaput. My biggest problem now is I have a very nice 20" monitor that I can't use.

If the VGA output is dead (it sounds like it is)*, then a new video card is needed. Your friend may have enough g33k panache to replace the video card. It's simple:

1. Power the PC off

2. Open the case

3. Remove the old video card.

4. Insert the new card.

5. Close the case;; connect the VGA cable.

6. Turn on

7. Windoze will install generic drivers. Better results happen when installing the card builder's.

I don't know what version of Win you're running. but find "Device Manager" (start in Control Panel). Click on Graphics or Video adaptor, and it will tell you what's in there. With that info, you can get a replacement from Best Buy, probably <$50. with HTML, your PC is relatively new.

* Before casting the old video card to the scrap heap, test your PC with another VGA monitor - the culprit could be the monitor's connector.

When the humidity is low be careful inside the chassis a little spark, "ESD Electrostatic discharge" can render your CPU or motherboard useless.