Please, pretty please help me - computer to monitor connection issues

Hello,

My issue is very urgent to me, although I'm sure it is just as urgent as as everyone else's is to them.

I have a tower PC, which was hooked up to an HD TV monitor via HDMI cable and it worked beautifullly for months.

Today, I had my video card upgraded and found this new video card (Radeon HD4890) does not have an HDMI port.

I have spent hours trying every combination of setting and cables at my disposal (red/blue/green cables and PC or Component settings on the monitor), and I cannot get any display on my screen.

The computer turns on, the HDTV/monitor turns on, but I cannot get the two to connect. The screen stays blank. At the computer repair shop, where they installed the new graphics card, they were able to make the connection and show me how nicely the new graphics card was working. I'm doing something wrong in the setup here at home.

Will someone please advise me as to what I am doing wrong as far as connecting the TV to the tower PC?

Thank yuo very much.

 

Make sure the TV is hooked up, and you need to go into the AMD Vision Engine control center, and enable the TV under " Common Display Tasks". Expand that category, and click "Detect Displays".

BTW, does this vid card have two DVI ports? If so, you can get a DVI to HDMI cable. I use one myself.

This one is nothing special, but it will get the job done:

http://www.amazon.com/DVI-HDMI-Cable-6ft-Male-Male/dp/B0002CZHN6

Or, if you have an HDMI cable already, this adapter will do the job as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA

 

My PC tower no longer has an HDMI cable, but I will try the other method suggested right now.

Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I will report in a few minutes if the other works or not.

 

Oh, unfortunately I do not have a HDMI to DVI cable.

At the computer repair shop, they used a DVI cable to connect the computer to the monitor.

I do have a DVI/DVI cable, but neither end fits the HDMITV monitor. The shop is closed now, so I have no way to use my DVI cable to connect right now and it is vital that I be able to connect the two tonight if at all possible.

I can certainly look into the DVI/HDMI cable tomorrow, but I spent $200 today getting the new graphics card installed today and would like to avoid any further financial expenditure if at all possible.

 

You should have two (2) DVI connections for dual monitors on that card. One on either side of the component connection, right? You can convert the plug for a monitor, into an HDMI cable style connection.

DVI, and HDMI are both the same kind of digital video signal.

If you still have the HDMI cable you used to use with the old card, all you need is the fifteen dollar adapter.

Let us know how if "Detect Displays" works...

 

New/Additional information:

I tried to edit my post, but the Forum would not allow me to do so.

ETA: I have looked over my noted from the computer store, and while my tower PC still has an HDMI outlet - the graphics card does not support it, so an HDMI cable of any kind is not an option.

 

Without an adapter, you are correct. You need to use component, and an adapter for red, green, and blue should have been supplied with your card.

Do you have the latest Catalyst Software Suite from ATI?

If not, you can get it here:

http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx?src=CCC-CheckForDriverUpdates

 

Thank you, The Mekanic. I will try DLing the driver right now and report my results. I'm very thankful to your attention/concern to mt particular issue, which is urgent to me.

 

That link is not only the latest driver, but the latest edition of software that goes with ATI video cards.

 

Hi Mekanic,

I am as about as novice as you can get and I am still having real trouble.

I tried to connect my monitor to the PC tower the way I had it before I ever took it into the computer shop - via the HDMI cable, just so I could get on the Internet and DL the driver.

I have tried via the HDMI cable and the RGB cords, and all I get is a blank screen on my monitor. At this point, it's not a matter of getting the Internet or even Windows, I just get a blank screen.

Currently, I have my HDTV/monitor hooked up exactly as I did before I took it to the computer shop and I cannot get anything but a blank screen. I have rebooted/restarted more times than you could imagine, and nothing works.

I know this is something i am doing wrong on my end, because they showed me the visuals with the new graphics card at the computer repair shop.

I needed to be online a few hours ago - anything you could suggest to just get my computer and monitor transmitting to one another would be so very appreciated.

 

Do you have a TV, and a monitor?

Or is your HDTV your only monitor?

 

The HDTV is my only monitor, although i have access to a neighbor's laptop for about 20 minutes longer tonight.

 

UPDATE: My kindly neighbor has let me have her laptop for the night. I am trying to use it as a monitor for my PC tower, any tips would be appreciated. If I can get it to work, I shall try to install the driver.

 

UPDATE II: I have failed in trying to use my neighbor's laptop as a monitor for my PC Tower.

Both the HDTV monitor and the laptop (which I am trying to use as a monitor for my PC tower) have DVI ports. However they are female connections and the cablles I have, as well as the little adapter I have, are female connections. I am unable to plug any cordes i have into the DVI ports as the laptop and montor both have holes, and the cables do as well.

The toer PC has one large-size prong prot, and a small-size hole-port. The HDTV monitor has a small-size prong port.

Thr cable I have has long-size prong ports at each end, and the little adapter piece has a large size port on one end and a small-size hole port at the other end.

Any advice, please, on how to make this work? The laptop I'm borrowing does not have an HDMI port.

Thank you so very much to anyone still reading this thread.

 

Sorry, I fell asleep. It was late here on the East Coast.

The only way you will be able to hook up the HDTV to this graphics card is via an adapter of some sort.

You need to convert the DVI connection, to an HDMI connection. Or, a seven pin adapter that converts the small black port between the DVI ports to component.


For reference, you will never be able to use a laptop as an external monitor. They simply are not designed that way.

 

Good Morning,

I got the seven pin adapter and it is working now. Thank you

I was glad you told me the laptop couldn't be used as a monitor, I would've been messing with it all night. I thought people did it all the time, little did I know.

 

People may attach an external monitor to a laptop to better see what is on the laptop BUT, as you discovered, it doesn't work in reverse. You can't force a laptop's screen to "see" what is on a different computer.

 

Glad I could help!

See you next time...


:major