Re: [SLUG] No Post screen

From: Eben King (eben01@verizon.net)
Date: Mon Jul 20 2009 - 23:59:49 EDT


On Mon, 20 Jul 2009, Bob Stia wrote:

> On Monday 20 July 2009 12:03:21 Eben King wrote:
>> On Sun, 19 Jul 2009, Bob Stia wrote:
>
>> This could potentially be a problem with the power supply.
>>
>> If you were to wait, say, 5 minutes.. before you try to turn on the
>> computer after you turn everything else on, what happens?
>
> Hmmm...don't know but will try it. Never waited that long. The power
> supply is a big one for the time I bought it. An Enermax 460 watt. Should
> be more than adequate. Really hope that I don't have to find specs on all
> the components.
>
> Thinking way back, this box had a CRT monitor and didn't have a problem.
> The LCD can't draw more than the LCD, can it?

No, but the monitor generally isn't powered by the computer power supply
(even if you daisy-chain it to the back of the PS) -- it's a pass-through.
The PS's switch(es) turn that outlet on and off, but that's about all of
their involvement.

> And Eben, not sure what you mean by "sleep" mode. The monitor was just
> powered up less than a minute before. I don't have any power saving turned
> on and even at that it wouldn't come into play until after it is booted,
> right?

Correct.

> and no, it is an lcd, Samsung Syncmaster 213T.

Mine's a 204T.

> Does a monitor sleep at "power up/on" until the OS wakes it up?

Yeah, sometimes. But not any particular action by the OS, just a
correctly-formatted video signal. Usually; I don't know why it doesn't like
the POST. Maybe it has a thing againt text modes. On my RH monitor, the
power LED (in the power button) flashes until it admits it has signal.
What the BIOS sends may not be sufficient to wake it up. And either it's
also not enough to put it back to sleep when you reboot, or it doesn't
happen for long enough.

Mine, I can't recall having a problem with it, but then I very rarely do a
cold boot.

> When I don't get the Post the first time I get alternating messages that
> flash on the screen. "digital" "analog" until I shut the OS down and
> restart the box.

It doesn't see a signal on either input. In the same situation a Dell
2001FP would rotate among D-sub, DVI-D, S-video, and Composite.

But enough with forensics. How about solutions?

Do you have any other cards (even unused/unneeded ones) that have a
full-screen setup program you can get into blindly? Maybe mail the guys at
Samsung and see if there's a way to turn off sleep mode semi-permanently or
a way to deactivate it with creative button-presses? Can you do all your
BIOS work after a short jaunt in Linux? (If you reboot the machine before
it remounts root r/w you're in no danger of hosing something.)

-- 
The people don't want war, but it is a simple matter to drag the people
along.  The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the
pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. - HG
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