[G4] Monitor blank

[Ron Steinke]

On 19 Feb, 2005, at 15:31, Linda S. wrote:

I just installed a Maxtor 130 Gb Internal hard drive to my Sawtooth G4. 
Seemed to go fine,
initialized it (it is the 2nd drive now) and then restarted. I also 
attached by USB an external
CDRW/DVD drive. and then the monitor would not light up (it is on but 
hte light is blinking) I
disconnected the CD/DVD and the new hard drive and still the monitor 
(VIew Sonic) is not lighting
up? any suggestions?

I would suggest trying a different monitor to check whether the problem 
is with your monitor or your computer. Normally, adding a drive 
internally and plugging in an external drive have nothing to do with 
the video output of the computer.

If a different monitor doesn't work with your Sawtooth, you will have 
to do some investigation into what is the cause of the video failure.
You could have reached that magic point called "MTBF" wherein your 
electronic device calls it a day and refuses to work for you any more. 
That happens to the best of us, so don't take it personal, it's not a 
conspiracy against YOU by the manufacturers.

Of course, the problem could be something as simple as a loose or 
faulty cable connection, so your real first step should be to 
physically check your video cable connection by taking the cable out of 
the socket, checking for corrosion, bent pins, and frayed areas on the 
cord, re-inserting the plug firmly (but not with a 10 foot cheater 
bar), and finger-tightening the connection screws. I have found a few 
cases of oxidation on the pins that was causing problems but got 
cleaned up by removing and replacing the plug in the socket.

Hope this helps.