[jawsch]

Alright, so I recently experienced overheating issues when my exhaust fan stopped working.
I've replaced it but now the fan on my video card has stopped working. Monitor displays "Cable Not Connected" message, so I'm assuming either it's overheated and I need to replace the fan or the card is completely fried / dead and I need a new one. (Really hoping it's the former...)

Is there any way to tell if the card is dead or just needs a new fan (aside from buying a new fan and trying it out. Don't want to waste the money and time)
It was an expensive card and if it's possible to save it, I will be forever happy...
If replacing the fan is an option, I've googled like crazy and can't really find the specs to the card fan or a stock replacement.
Do I just need to take it out and measure it, then purchase a fan with the same measurements or what?
I built this PC myself (with some help from a friend) and am just enrolled in school for CIT but I'm not all that knowledgeable about this sorta stuff....yet

The Card - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card;
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814121390
It's only about a year and a half old btw...

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

This post has been edited by jawsch: 15 June 2012 - 06:18 PM

[mjd420nova]

Jawsch: Welcome to PC World forums. Your problem seems to have stemmed from the exhaust fan failure and has exacted its result on the video card. If the unit is cool and thus the video card too, then it does sound like the video card has failed. If you have any spare video card available, installing it and seeing if the fault is gone, that would confirm the videocard failure. The failure of the video fan may be from a total failure or possibly a burned trace on the card or the MOBO. These forums are quite handy for getting tips on trouble shooting and I'm sure there will be many members offering their advice and experiences.

[LiveBrianD]

That's interesting, because what I've found is that it doesn't take much to make a monitor think it's connected to something. I've connected monitors to graphics cards that weren't even installed in a PC, and the monitor didn't display a 'cable not connected' message. It's possible that the rear fan failing and the resulting overheating issues caused the graphics card to run the fan a lot harder than normal, wearing it out faster, and there's a failsafe here, preventing it from turning on without a working fan.

Does the PC appear to be starting otherwise? Also, can you borrow a friend's graphics card or put your graphics card in a friend's PC for testing? (warning: make sure the power supply in the computer being used for testing is enough)

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 15 June 2012 - 08:30 PM

[jawsch]

LiveBrianD, on 15 June 2012 - 08:30 PM, said:

That's interesting, because what I've found is that it doesn't take much to make a monitor think it's connected to something. I've connected monitors to graphics cards that weren't even installed in a PC, and the monitor didn't display a 'cable not connected' message. It's possible that the rear fan failing and the resulting overheating issues caused the graphics card to run the fan a lot harder than normal, wearing it out faster, and there's a failsafe here, preventing it from turning on without a working fan.

Does the PC appear to be starting otherwise? Also, can you borrow a friend's graphics card or put your graphics card in a friend's PC for testing? (warning: make sure the power supply in the computer being used for testing is enough)

Yes. The mobo lights up, HDD runs, all the fans turn on, PS turns on, etc. I just can't see anything on the monitor.
I don't have a graphics card I can borrow from anyone. :/
It's a custom built PC and when I realized the PC was overheating I kept the computer off (for about a week til I bought a new fan).
The graphics card fan stopped once before (along with the exhaust fan) like a week before the exhaust finally totally quit. I cleaned the entire pc and all the nooks and they both worked again.
So I'm hoping maybe it's just the fan. If it is, how would I go about finding a suitable replacement fan?

[coastie65]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 05:55 AM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 15 June 2012 - 08:30 PM, said:

That's interesting, because what I've found is that it doesn't take much to make a monitor think it's connected to something. I've connected monitors to graphics cards that weren't even installed in a PC, and the monitor didn't display a 'cable not connected' message. It's possible that the rear fan failing and the resulting overheating issues caused the graphics card to run the fan a lot harder than normal, wearing it out faster, and there's a failsafe here, preventing it from turning on without a working fan.

Does the PC appear to be starting otherwise? Also, can you borrow a friend's graphics card or put your graphics card in a friend's PC for testing? (warning: make sure the power supply in the computer being used for testing is enough)

Yes. The mobo lights up, HDD runs, all the fans turn on, PS turns on, etc. I just can't see anything on the monitor.
I don't have a graphics card I can borrow from anyone. :/
It's a custom built PC and when I realized the PC was overheating I kept the computer off (for about a week til I bought a new fan).
The graphics card fan stopped once before (along with the exhaust fan) like a week before the exhaust finally totally quit. I cleaned the entire pc and all the nooks and they both worked again.
So I'm hoping maybe it's just the fan. If it is, how would I go about finding a suitable replacement fan?

Hi and welcome to the forums. First, you have to determine if in fact the fan / heatsink is replaceable. I have found fans for EVGA & Galaxy cards, but nothing for ASUS. If you have checked the cable and determined that is in fact connected proerly, then in all likelyhood the card is toast ( Overheated GPU ). Nothing much to do in that case but invest in a new card. You said it was a home built rig, so most likely would rule out any onboard graphics chipset that you could try to use ( unles you were runninh a Sandy Bridge processor or one of the AMD things with an integrated GPU.

[jawsch]

coastie65, on 16 June 2012 - 06:10 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 05:55 AM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 15 June 2012 - 08:30 PM, said:

That's interesting, because what I've found is that it doesn't take much to make a monitor think it's connected to something. I've connected monitors to graphics cards that weren't even installed in a PC, and the monitor didn't display a 'cable not connected' message. It's possible that the rear fan failing and the resulting overheating issues caused the graphics card to run the fan a lot harder than normal, wearing it out faster, and there's a failsafe here, preventing it from turning on without a working fan.

Does the PC appear to be starting otherwise? Also, can you borrow a friend's graphics card or put your graphics card in a friend's PC for testing? (warning: make sure the power supply in the computer being used for testing is enough)

Yes. The mobo lights up, HDD runs, all the fans turn on, PS turns on, etc. I just can't see anything on the monitor.
I don't have a graphics card I can borrow from anyone. :/
It's a custom built PC and when I realized the PC was overheating I kept the computer off (for about a week til I bought a new fan).
The graphics card fan stopped once before (along with the exhaust fan) like a week before the exhaust finally totally quit. I cleaned the entire pc and all the nooks and they both worked again.
So I'm hoping maybe it's just the fan. If it is, how would I go about finding a suitable replacement fan?

Hi and welcome to the forums. First, you have to determine if in fact the fan / heatsink is replaceable. I have found fans for EVGA & Galaxy cards, but nothing for ASUS. If you have checked the cable and determined that is in fact connected proerly, then in all likelyhood the card is toast ( Overheated GPU ). Nothing much to do in that case but invest in a new card. You said it was a home built rig, so most likely would rule out any onboard graphics chipset that you could try to use ( unles you were runninh a Sandy Bridge processor or one of the AMD things with an integrated GPU.

If that's the case then I'm really screwed. Classes start in a week and one being online and I don't have the money for a new card...wonderful -.-

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset. Going to school for CIT xD friend helped pick out the parts and helped me put it together...

I appreciate the help :/
You'd think a $150 card would have some sort of fail safe for overheating...

This post has been edited by jawsch: 16 June 2012 - 07:11 AM

[Rommel]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset.

Could you list what model your motherboard is and the cpu you are using?

[jawsch]

Rommel, on 16 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset.

Could you list what model your motherboard is and the cpu you are using?

Motherboard;
ASUS Maximus III GENE LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131599

CPU;
Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116368

and just as an FYI, I have contacted ASUS since the card is only a year and a half old and it has a 3 year warranty. Although from reviews I've read online, their customer service is horrible. So I don't expect much form them...

This post has been edited by jawsch: 16 June 2012 - 08:06 AM

[coastie65]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 08:04 AM, said:

Rommel, on 16 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset.

Could you list what model your motherboard is and the cpu you are using?

Motherboard;
ASUS Maximus III GENE LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131599

CPU;
Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116368

and just as an FYI, I have contacted ASUS since the card is only a year and a half old and it has a 3 year warranty. Although from reviews I've read online, their customer service is horrible. So I don't expect much from them...

No onboard graphics and the first Gen. Core i processors didn't have Integrated graphics. As for Failsafes, CPUs do have a Failsafe of sorts. Once they reach a certain Temp ( doesn't take long ) it will shut down to protect itself. Having said that, you can't do that but so many times without rectifying the problem, before toasting your CPU. As for the GPU, I'm not sure of that as I think they will just continue to run until they are toast. If you are certain your connections are fine, then the reason you are getting that message is that you are not getting a signal from the card and a new card is in order. I don't what kind of case you used, but did notice you used an mATX MOBO. That tells me you built inside a Mini Tower. A mid Tower would have had less issues with heat, even if the Exhaust fan had gone out ( more room and better airflow ).

[jawsch]

coastie65, on 16 June 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 08:04 AM, said:

Rommel, on 16 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset.

Could you list what model your motherboard is and the cpu you are using?

Motherboard;
ASUS Maximus III GENE LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131599

CPU;
Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116368

and just as an FYI, I have contacted ASUS since the card is only a year and a half old and it has a 3 year warranty. Although from reviews I've read online, their customer service is horrible. So I don't expect much from them...

No onboard graphics and the first Gen. Core i processors didn't have Integrated graphics. As for Failsafes, CPUs do have a Failsafe of sorts. Once they reach a certain Temp ( doesn't take long ) it will shut down to protect itself. Having said that, you can't do that but so many times without rectifying the problem, before toasting your CPU. As for the GPU, I'm not sure of that as I think they will just continue to run until they are toast. If you are certain your connections are fine, then the reason you are getting that message is that you are not getting a signal from the card and a new card is in order. I don't what kind of case you used, but did notice you used an mATX MOBO. That tells me you built inside a Mini Tower. A mid Tower would have had less issues with heat, even if the Exhaust fan had gone out ( more room and better airflow ).

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811133046
That's the case I have.
There's plenty of open space and room on the inside.
I don't think there's any issues with the CPU, would the computer turn on and run if the CPU was dead?

I guess I'll probably have to buy a new card but I don't have a clue when I'll be able to afford one. Especially with classes starting next week.
Kinda freaking out because I don't know what I can do especially having an online class...

Can anyone recommend a decent and/or affordable GPU until I have the money to buy a better one? (One that will at least give me decent res; 1920x1080 or more)

[LiveBrianD]

One little thought (I doubt this is the problem, but it's easy enough to try): remove the CMOS battery (the coin battery next to the PCIe x16 slot where the graphics card is), and wait a few minutes. Put it back in, and see if the system will boot. Also, are the power supply connectors (particularly the ones to the graphics card) tight? Is the graphics card installed securely? Also, can you try another cable for the monitor? (DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort/VGA) I'm starting to suspect that last one, given that the monitor doesn't detect the card at all. (oh, and make sure the cable is tight too) As I said, it doesn't seem to take much to make the monitor think it's connected to a graphics card. Even if the GPU were fried, the monitor would probably still know it's connected.

Also, it's hard to fry a CPU. More likely, a fail-safe will kick in before that happens. (unless you overclock it with some stupidly high voltage or something like that) Keep in mind that graphics card fans aren't very standard, and it looks like yours connects via some oddball 4-pin connnector (not a standard fan connector, though those use 4 pins now and I wouldn't be surprised if they're electrically compatible). I'm guessing that's an 80mm fan from the picture, but I'm not certain.

If you need a temporary GPU, keep in mind that any cheapo GPU (geforce 210, radeon 6450, radeon 5450, etc) can drive a 1080p display, as long as you're not gaming. I had a 210 before, and although it was crap at gaming (unless 1024x768 medium settings is ok), it was able to drive two 1280x1024 displays just fine. Those also worked on the geforce 6200 I had on my old Pentium 4 machine.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 16 June 2012 - 11:06 AM

[Rommel]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 08:04 AM, said:

Rommel, on 16 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset.

Could you list what model your motherboard is and the cpu you are using?

Motherboard;
ASUS Maximus III GENE LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131599

CPU;
Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116368

and just as an FYI, I have contacted ASUS since the card is only a year and a half old and it has a 3 year warranty. Although from reviews I've read online, their customer service is horrible. So I don't expect much form them...

Thanks for posting your specs.

I was hoping we would had found a temp onboard or cpu salution until this is resolved.

Try everything Brian and others had suggested. Should the problem remain, don't quit on Asus so quickly.
The card has a three yr warrenty.
If you call and get a stupid run around, hang up and call back.
It's amazing how you can call and get no where then call back and get someone more professional.

I own nothing but asus mobos except 1 MSI and I am lucky so far, I am satisfied with my dealings with them.
Once I called and got an undiserable but a second call was different.

[coastie65]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 09:17 AM, said:

coastie65, on 16 June 2012 - 09:11 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 08:04 AM, said:

Rommel, on 16 June 2012 - 07:41 AM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 07:02 AM, said:

I have no idea about onboard gfx chipset.

Could you list what model your motherboard is and the cpu you are using?

Motherboard;
ASUS Maximus III GENE LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813131599

CPU;
Intel Core i7-875K Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Unlocked Desktop Processor BX80605I7875K
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116368

and just as an FYI, I have contacted ASUS since the card is only a year and a half old and it has a 3 year warranty. Although from reviews I've read online, their customer service is horrible. So I don't expect much from them...

No onboard graphics and the first Gen. Core i processors didn't have Integrated graphics. As for Failsafes, CPUs do have a Failsafe of sorts. Once they reach a certain Temp ( doesn't take long ) it will shut down to protect itself. Having said that, you can't do that but so many times without rectifying the problem, before toasting your CPU. As for the GPU, I'm not sure of that as I think they will just continue to run until they are toast. If you are certain your connections are fine, then the reason you are getting that message is that you are not getting a signal from the card and a new card is in order. I don't what kind of case you used, but did notice you used an mATX MOBO. That tells me you built inside a Mini Tower. A mid Tower would have had less issues with heat, even if the Exhaust fan had gone out ( more room and better airflow ).

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811133046
That's the case I have.
There's plenty of open space and room on the inside.
I don't think there's any issues with the CPU, would the computer turn on and run if the CPU was dead?

I guess I'll probably have to buy a new card but I don't have a clue when I'll be able to afford one. Especially with classes starting next week.
Kinda freaking out because I don't know what I can do especially having an online class...

Can anyone recommend a decent and/or affordable GPU until I have the money to buy a better one? (One that will at least give me decent res; 1920x1080 or more)

Ok. I am surprised you went with the mATX MOBO instead of the full sized one, but that is fine. As for the card, this should do unti you can get a better one: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814129255 It was the best I could fine under the circumstances.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 16 June 2012 - 11:20 AM

[jawsch]

LiveBrianD, on 16 June 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

One little thought (I doubt this is the problem, but it's easy enough to try): remove the CMOS battery (the coin battery next to the PCIe x16 slot where the graphics card is), and wait a few minutes. Put it back in, and see if the system will boot. Also, are the power supply connectors (particularly the ones to the graphics card) tight? Is the graphics card installed securely? Also, can you try another cable for the monitor? (DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort/VGA) I'm starting to suspect that last one, given that the monitor doesn't detect the card at all. (oh, and make sure the cable is tight too) As I said, it doesn't seem to take much to make the monitor think it's connected to a graphics card. Even if the GPU were fried, the monitor would probably still know it's connected.

Also, it's hard to fry a CPU. More likely, a fail-safe will kick in before that happens. (unless you overclock it with some stupidly high voltage or something like that) Keep in mind that graphics card fans aren't very standard, and it looks like yours connects via some oddball 4-pin connnector (not a standard fan connector, though those use 4 pins now and I wouldn't be surprised if they're electrically compatible). I'm guessing that's an 80mm fan from the picture, but I'm not certain.

If you need a temporary GPU, keep in mind that any cheapo GPU (geforce 210, radeon 6450, radeon 5450, etc) can drive a 1080p display, as long as you're not gaming. I had a 210 before, and although it was crap at gaming (unless 1024x768 medium settings is ok), it was able to drive two 1280x1024 displays just fine. Those also worked on the geforce 6200 I had on my old Pentium 4 machine.

I think I love you.
I took the CMOS battery out and the GPU fan works now.
So I can learn from this experience, what does CMOS stand for and what is it? What's it power? etc.
How does taking it out for a few minutes affect the GPU?

Thank you a ton again! Nothing I found online mentioned anything about possibly taking out the CMOS battery.

This post has been edited by jawsch: 16 June 2012 - 04:11 PM

[coastie65]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 16 June 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

One little thought (I doubt this is the problem, but it's easy enough to try): remove the CMOS battery (the coin battery next to the PCIe x16 slot where the graphics card is), and wait a few minutes. Put it back in, and see if the system will boot. Also, are the power supply connectors (particularly the ones to the graphics card) tight? Is the graphics card installed securely? Also, can you try another cable for the monitor? (DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort/VGA) I'm starting to suspect that last one, given that the monitor doesn't detect the card at all. (oh, and make sure the cable is tight too) As I said, it doesn't seem to take much to make the monitor think it's connected to a graphics card. Even if the GPU were fried, the monitor would probably still know it's connected.

Also, it's hard to fry a CPU. More likely, a fail-safe will kick in before that happens. (unless you overclock it with some stupidly high voltage or something like that) Keep in mind that graphics card fans aren't very standard, and it looks like yours connects via some oddball 4-pin connnector (not a standard fan connector, though those use 4 pins now and I wouldn't be surprised if they're electrically compatible). I'm guessing that's an 80mm fan from the picture, but I'm not certain.

If you need a temporary GPU, keep in mind that any cheapo GPU (geforce 210, radeon 6450, radeon 5450, etc) can drive a 1080p display, as long as you're not gaming. I had a 210 before, and although it was crap at gaming (unless 1024x768 medium settings is ok), it was able to drive two 1280x1024 displays just fine. Those also worked on the geforce 6200 I had on my old Pentium 4 machine.

I think I love you.
I took the CMOS battery out and the GPU fan works now.
So I can learn from this experience, what does CMOS stand for and what is it? What's it power? etc.
How does taking it out for a few minutes affect the GPU?

Thank you a ton again! Nothing I found online mentioned anything about possibly taking out the CMOS battery.

Okay, as For CMOS,it isn't relevant but if you have to know it is Complimentary Metalic Oxide Semi-conductor. When you removed it and then replaced it, you reset your BiOS to their default settings ( which include fan settins and such ). Nice call Brian, even if it was a wild shot in the dark. To be honest, I hadn't given that any thought, as it just never occured to me it could be BiOS related. It is obvious that something got disabled in the BiOS and by resetting it, it was taken care of.

This post has been edited by coastie65: 16 June 2012 - 05:35 PM

[jawsch]

coastie65, on 16 June 2012 - 05:27 PM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 16 June 2012 - 10:14 AM, said:

One little thought (I doubt this is the problem, but it's easy enough to try): remove the CMOS battery (the coin battery next to the PCIe x16 slot where the graphics card is), and wait a few minutes. Put it back in, and see if the system will boot. Also, are the power supply connectors (particularly the ones to the graphics card) tight? Is the graphics card installed securely? Also, can you try another cable for the monitor? (DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort/VGA) I'm starting to suspect that last one, given that the monitor doesn't detect the card at all. (oh, and make sure the cable is tight too) As I said, it doesn't seem to take much to make the monitor think it's connected to a graphics card. Even if the GPU were fried, the monitor would probably still know it's connected.

Also, it's hard to fry a CPU. More likely, a fail-safe will kick in before that happens. (unless you overclock it with some stupidly high voltage or something like that) Keep in mind that graphics card fans aren't very standard, and it looks like yours connects via some oddball 4-pin connnector (not a standard fan connector, though those use 4 pins now and I wouldn't be surprised if they're electrically compatible). I'm guessing that's an 80mm fan from the picture, but I'm not certain.

If you need a temporary GPU, keep in mind that any cheapo GPU (geforce 210, radeon 6450, radeon 5450, etc) can drive a 1080p display, as long as you're not gaming. I had a 210 before, and although it was crap at gaming (unless 1024x768 medium settings is ok), it was able to drive two 1280x1024 displays just fine. Those also worked on the geforce 6200 I had on my old Pentium 4 machine.

I think I love you.
I took the CMOS battery out and the GPU fan works now.
So I can learn from this experience, what does CMOS stand for and what is it? What's it power? etc.
How does taking it out for a few minutes affect the GPU?

Thank you a ton again! Nothing I found online mentioned anything about possibly taking out the CMOS battery.

Okay, as For CMOS,it isn't relevant but if you have to know it is Complimentary Metalic Oxide Semi-conductor. When you removed it and then replaced it, you reset your BiOS to their default settings ( which include fan settins and such ). Nice call Brian, even if it was a wild shot in the dark. To be honest, I hadn't given that any thought, as it just never occured to me it could be BiOS related. It is obvious that something got disabled in the BiOS and by resetting it, it was taken care of.

-facepalm-
I have a feeling when I was attempting to disable my OC'ing I had previously done (my mobo and what not were built for it, advertise it like mad) I probably stupidly disabled one of these fans. o_x
Good thing I asked, now I know to keep my nose out of the damn BiOS unless I'm 100% sure I know what I'm doing.

[mjd420nova]

Problem solved?? I was following things and was going to suggest the BIOS but wasn't aware you'd been tinkering with some settings. Default settings can get you back to square one. I like to print things out or write them down so I can do it maually of at least compare things to see what changed. The failure of the CMOS battery can yield some very strange, intermittent failures that seem unrelated but is often the last thing I think of as most users don't go messing with them.

[LiveBrianD]

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

coastie65, on 16 June 2012 - 05:27 PM, said:

jawsch, on 16 June 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

I think I love you.
I took the CMOS battery out and the GPU fan works now.
So I can learn from this experience, what does CMOS stand for and what is it? What's it power? etc.
How does taking it out for a few minutes affect the GPU?

Thank you a ton again! Nothing I found online mentioned anything about possibly taking out the CMOS battery.

Okay, as For CMOS,it isn't relevant but if you have to know it is Complimentary Metalic Oxide Semi-conductor. When you removed it and then replaced it, you reset your BiOS to their default settings ( which include fan settins and such ). Nice call Brian, even if it was a wild shot in the dark. To be honest, I hadn't given that any thought, as it just never occured to me it could be BiOS related. It is obvious that something got disabled in the BiOS and by resetting it, it was taken care of.

-facepalm-
I have a feeling when I was attempting to disable my OC'ing I had previously done (my mobo and what not were built for it, advertise it like mad) I probably stupidly disabled one of these fans. o_x
Good thing I asked, now I know to keep my nose out of the damn BiOS unless I'm 100% sure I know what I'm doing.

It's possible that the overclocking messed up a setting. You see, the BIOS is permanently stored in an EPROM chip on the motherboard (non-volatile - it doesn't require power to keep the information), which doesn't get changed. (unless you flash a new bios) The BIOS is copied to volatile memory that is kept alive by the CMOS battery, and any settings you change in the BIOS are stored this way. When you remove the battery, you're wiping those settings and the loaded copy of the bios out, forcing the motherboard to load the bios again from the EPROM. If something gets corrupted in the volatile memory (which often makes the system not boot and do odd things like that), this will fix it.

Once, I was dealing with a computer that would not start - the CPU fan would spin full blast (it normally does that for a second and then slows down when it goes through POST), and it wouldn't POST or anything. It turned out that the CMOS battery was dead - once I replaced that, the machine came back to life! (strange - they say that the normal symptoms are just the computer forgetting the date and time)

What it sounds like is that your graphics card is fine, but the copy of the BIOS that was loaded in the volatile memory was corrupted and thus wasn't recognizing the GPU correctly or something. I'm glad you got it fixed.

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 16 June 2012 - 09:44 PM

[mjd420nova]

For me and my clients, going way back to'85, that battery has gone through some changes. The first was a coin type on a 384 KB memory expansion that had a serial and parellel port along with a clock. It was the SixPackPlus. The IBM and 80286 chip gave the system board the function and the battery was mounted with velcro to the side of the power supply. It was onward and upward from there and the CMOS took over the roll of holding the BIOS instead of a "firmware" chip. The firmware still exits but a "flash" BIOS chip has been added, allowing users to update the BIOS without having to remove and reprogram an EPROM chip. Many times, the removal forces the firmware to unload as the flash chip requires system power. This is one method of getting rid of ROOTKIT viruses. Some system boards have a jumber berg allowing you to force the default settings without pulling or replacing the battery. In some of the newer systems, the CMOS battery is actually a bunch of small capacitors mounted under the controller chips plugin socket, not easily replaced. The weakening or gradual loss of voltage from the battery can cause all kinds of strange failures and in many cases an intermittent fault that changes each time you boot. This battery is only used when the mchine is shut down. Thus a server or unit that runs 24/7 would seldom rely on the BIOS. Power interuptions can be the first indication of this and many techs have lost a lot of hair over this. A few servers suffered major damage to the MOBO when the batteries which were five years old, leaked electolyte unto the socket and ate away some traces. When I do OC changes, I document the default and then any changes made so I know how to get back to the beginning again. Some changes in BIOS will force other changes you aren't aware of and changing your OC setting back to normal may not make the other changes revert back to normal.

This post has been edited by mjd420nova: 17 June 2012 - 09:57 AM

[PASystems]

I've had similar problems with Video, booting and boot sequence. My Boot sequences kept getting changed and external drives often were not seen or listed. They all seem to have stemmed from a weakened CMOS Battery. Replacing it also required to reset the BIOS to the Optimized Default settings. That's because once a CMOS Battery is removed the BIOS settings are lost and replacing it requires a reset in the BIOS setup to some kind of default settings. I learned of this on the third reboot. Since I did that booting is quicker, Windows 7 shuts down and restarts without the usual hitches and overall the PC is running better. Does the CMOS battery and its health have an impact on all sorts of processes? It appears to me that it does.

This post has been edited by PASystems: 02 July 2012 - 03:00 AM