I'm attempting my very first PC build, but I'm faced with a problem: nothing displays on my monitor. I can't even access the BIOS. The LED for DRAM on my motherboard is lit up, which makes me think there's an issue with the RAM. I've tried some troubleshooting tips I found online, like repositioning the memory sticks, but that didn't help at all. As a complete newbie, I'm feeling really stuck. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Try connecting your monitor directly to the motherboard's display output to see if anything shows up. Sometimes the GPU doesn't initialize right away, especially if you're using onboard graphics for your setup.
Here's a step-by-step: Remove the CMOS battery and all RAM sticks for about 5 minutes. Then, put the CMOS battery back in and only insert one RAM stick in the second slot. After that, try booting up. If that works, you can then power down and reinstall the rest of the RAM in the appropriate slots.
If you're using a graphics card along with onboard graphics, your display might default to the onboard output at first. You might need to install drivers before it recognizes the GPU. Check your monitor connections!
I'm really hesitant to remove that CMOS battery. It seems locked in with a plastic bracket, and I'm worried I might break something. By the way, I switched one of the CPU cables, and now the DRAM light is off, but the VGA light is still on.