Troubleshooting and Resolving Computer Problems - Motherboard Video Not Working

Troubleshooting and Resolving Computer Problems - Motherboard Video Not Working
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Many motherboards now ship with the video card integrated into the motherboard. Motherboard video sometimes goes by the name, integrated video, or onboard video, but they all refer to the practice of putting the video encoding/decoding capabilities onto the motherboard itself. Using a motherboard with integrated video helps to cut the overall cost of the computer system by eliminating the need to acquire a separate and dedicated video card.

As with all computer hardware components, there are sometimes failures. There are several reasons why the integrated video card could stop working; sometimes the problem is simple and can be easily resolved with a little jostling, and at other times it is not. Here are the usual suspects and the techniques to troubleshoot and resolve them:

The computer monitor is not securely connected to the video port

How to troubleshoot and fix

Check to see that the source of your video problems is caused by issues such as:

  1. A faulty cable
  2. A loose video cable connection
  3. Or, a problem with the monitor being used

The Onboard Video is disabled in the CMOS/BIOS.

How to troubleshoot and fix

  1. Follow the motherboard’s user manual to access the BIOS setup menu. For some motherboards, pressing the F2 or F10 key, just after the power button is pressed, will take to computer into the BIOS.
  2. Once in the BIOS, check the onboard video setting to verify that the video card is recognized by the BIOS and is not disabled.

Another video card is set as the primary output device

How to troubleshoot and fix

The integrated video may not be working because it is not set as the primary video source. Sometime this happens because it was set that way, or the system may have selected to compensate for a error that had occurred. Access the BIOS/CMOS, as instructed above, to resolve the problem.

The motherboard is broken

How to troubleshoot and fix

If all the above troubleshooting measures fail to resolve the problem, the integrated video card may be broken. The computer may confirm this by sounding a special beep error code, the actual beep code may differ from one motherboard to the next, so check your user manual or the manufacturer’s website for the specific beep code.

Sometimes the integrated video stops working because the video connecter is damaged or there is a fault with the motherboard itself. Usually this cannot be fixed and the user is left with one of two options.

  • Buy a new motherboard
  • Or purchase a dedicated video card.

Installing a dedicated video card adapter can only be consider is there are available ports to install the video card and a compatible solution can be found.

The drivers Need to be reinstalled

How to troubleshoot and fix

If there is video output from the onboard video port when the computer starts up, but it does not work once the operating system starts, there may be a hardware driver problem. Re-install the drivers that came with the computer or better yet, download and install the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

Summary

The very fact that video is integrated into the motherboard, makes it virtually impossible for the onboard video to be fixed if it does go bad. Assuming that it’s not the drivers that need reinstalling, or the integrated video is not disabled, there may be no recourse but to install a dedicated video card or buy a new motherboard to resolve the problem.

Credit

Image: Miles B.’s. https://www.flickr.com/photos/milesbannan/2151606558/