"James Sweet" wrote in message
news
Xnze.5161$VN3.1101@trnddc01...
Why is a monitor less likely to damage a computer? If the monitor
proves bad, as indicated by the open on a pin that should be grounded,
won't I still have to connect a good monitor to the neighbors' computer?
It's not, it's more likely as it contains much higher voltages right on
the
same logic board as the low voltage stuff, but the chance of damage is so
remote it's hardly worth mentioning, you're more likely to damage one or
the
other by dropping them.
What might be wrong with a computer's video card that would damage a
monitor? I could check the video outputs with a scope. Would that
assure me that it was safe to plug in my monitor?
Nothing, not on a reasonably modern monitor anyway. Some of the early ones
would fry if fed an invalid sync signal, anything made in the last decade
at
least will just shut down.
I thought I'd connect a good monitor and see if the computer worked.
What's the point of disconnecting everything in the computer without
first knowing that anything is wrong?
There isn't one, though if it doesn't boot you should disconnect anything
non essential and see if that allows it to boot.
My point. There's already evidently more things wrong than just video, as
evidenced by the OP's description of the audio. At the very least, pull
that sound card which is squealing (unless it's integrated into the
motherboard).
Lightning's a funny thing. I had a system which got hit. The only thing
that went out was the onboard IDE/floppy controller...in the days when
onboard controllers were rare (Pentium 60). Disabling it in BIOS allowed
the system to live out it's life in harmony; with the addition of controller
card.
I never fully trusted the machine, however, and thereafter relegated it to
non-essential duties.
I had another machine which fried in the same incident. About all that I
could salvage from that one was the hard drive and case/ps. It even blew
the fairly espensive speakers which were connected, as well as the parallel
port in the printer.
My son brought a machine back to me, one which I had originally built from
all new components, as a graduation present. That one was totally
unsalvagable. I mean that *nothing* was usable except the case. The ps
blew, all the memory, motherboard, CPU, hard drive, all outboard cards
(sound, video, modem etc)...a complete loss.
Lat week's strike (detailed in this forum) only took out one of the many
computer-related devices in the household (laser
printer/fax/copier/scanner); while destroying or disabling many, many pieces
of telephone and home entertainment devices.
If the OP can get it to boot by simply replacing the monitor, fine. If not;
what I said.....
jak