Video output gone on two computers

[Guest]

My computer PentIV, 1.6 Ghz, 128MB 120GB HDD, etc., was left on (as always)
but recently experienced a power outage. When power resumed, the monitor and
mouse were nonresponsive. (optical mouse) and nVidia monitor. Simply
nothing. House has surge protection on it. I have a cable modem connected.
The system appears to be booting normally, but no mouse or video output. Any
explanations?

Also, i removed the cable modem to an alternate computer in the house. It
was working correctly until I connected the modem to it and then the monitor
remains blank also (can hear the windows sounds playing). Is this just some
freak incident or is something else going on. My cable provider ensures me
that there is no software running within the modem so doesn't have a clue as
to what could have happened. After a third computer, everything is working
fine... Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Bob I]

Other than suggesting you swap things from one PC to another to see what
items actually failed, it's anybodys guess as to what happened.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

If the entire house is "surge protected", you will need to check with the
folllowing:

1) Check surge protector. Normal surge protector power bars can only
protect for ONE (1) surge. After thatm the surge protection is "poped" and
can not normally be fixed by us end-users.

2) Check "bad" monitor on different PC. If it works, then the "bad" PC may
have a video card problem. Open PC and check video card slot seating. If
it appears correct, you may have to replace your video card.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

My computer PentIV, 1.6 Ghz, 128MB 120GB HDD, etc., was left on
(as
always) but recently experienced a power outage. When power
resumed,
the monitor and mouse were nonresponsive. (optical mouse) and
nVidia
monitor. Simply nothing. House has surge protection on it. I
have
a cable modem connected. The system appears to be booting
normally,
but no mouse or video output. Any explanations?

First of all, although it's very good to have whole-house surge
protection, it's not perfect. Nothing, short of unplugging will
protect you against a really big surge, such as one caused by a
nearby lightning strike.

Second, there are two routes for a surge to reach your computer.
Your whole-house surge protection provides some protection
against the surges that come down the power line, but surges can
still came through the cable connection. That may have happened
and caused damage.