Startup problem - monitor wake up requires restart

For a couple of weeks this has become an increasingly severe problem. When I start up the computer (six year old PIII 800 MHz on a Gigabyte 686BX) the monitor won't activate. Judging by hard drive activity it also seems that Win 2000 does not load all the way, activity seems to stop after some 20 secs. To solve this I have to press restart. At first once was enough, now four or five restarts are necessary to wake up the monitor.

Worn out computer? Worn out graphics card? Or what?

Thanks

 

What operating system are you using? Can you start up easier in safe mode? Google on "safe mode" for instructions. Does a scandisk show any bad sectors? Have you defragged the hard drive recently? Do you have the CD or disks to allow a re-install of your OS? Could be some loose connections inside the case too.

 

hansen i had an issue along those lines also (refering to your harddrive) shortly later my harddrive DIED. I didnt know what was happening to it so i didnt back anything up (bad choice) while it could be loose connnectors i would recommend playing it safe and burning some important files on CD'sor storing on removable media

 

Well HDD is a less than a year old Seagate 80 GB, regularly defraged. It should be OK. When the comp starts after the four or five restarts OS loads OK. I´d like to focus more on the monitor problem, the monitor should wake up at the very start of the boot process, regardless of what happens or not happens later. Can someone understand why the fifth reboot will activate the monitor and the others not?

(The only problem with this new HDD is long search times in some situations, guess I need a controller card to make the old comp and the new HDD get along better.)

 

It May be your Motherboard (Leaky Capacitors)
Or even a power supply problem...
Do you get BEEPS when it is started???

 

Yes, one normal POST beep and, apart from monitor not responding, normal activities such as recognizing drives and peripherals.

 

And also no signs of capacitors leaking or wires being unconnected. I note now as I powered down, opened up comp and 10 minutes later put the power back on that monitor starts already on second restart.

Forgive me for this but: Is there possibly some piece somewhere that is supposed to keep a certain charge to wake up the monitor, and could it possibly be that this something doesn't keep the right charge, thus taking five restarts to charge? And now, since comp was off only for 10 mins, didn't have the time to decharge, making it possible to start the monitor after "only" two restarts?

 

Leave The Powercord unplugged from wall for 15min to let all cool off.
Then replug in and start.

Results: = ???

Power supplies wear out and power surges get them and mobo's also.

1) Possible Bad Mobo
or
2) Bad Power Supply

 

Cord unplugged for 30 mins. Results: monitor wake up and normal startup after third reboot.

 

do you have another monitor you can use?

 

Do you have access to another Power Supply to use for testing???

 

The graphics card was the reason. Changed it - everything works again!