My 10 year old Dell desktop was having issues, so I purchased a new computer. I decided to see if I could repair my old one to use in the garage. I replaced the power supply and it works fine. So I put it in the garage and use my 36" Sanyo tv as the monitor. The problem is that it won't boot up using the tv as the monitor. If I start the computer with the original monitor and then disconnect the monitor and connect the computer to the tv, it works fine, but once I shut off the computer, I need to restart it using my original monitor. I am not using a hdmi cable, I'm using a cable, I can't think what it's called, but it has two screws that it attaches to the computer and the tv. The port on the tv that I'm using says pc. Any suggestions?
First thought - does the TV automatically change the input “source” away from the PC port? Second - the computer’s video card might not be up to the task...
I have to manually change the source on the tv from hdmi1 to pc. How would I know if the video card is up to the task? The computer is 10 years old and is running windows 7. Does the computer need something different to boot up with the tv as opposed to the original monitor? Like I said, once I start the computer with the monitor and switch the cable to the tv, it works fine. And by the way, I know very little about home computers, but I was able to correctly diagnose the faulty power supply. I just like fixing things.
Try: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ There are a few free tests out there for the graphics card, give it a good Google. Also take a look at the graphic settings when you do get it fired up. Backing down from full screen resolution may help if it is the card. I’m like you, always happy to try and fix something, but I’ve learned: 10 years old is old. Microsoft is about to stop supporting Windows 7 so while it may make a good Garage unit for now, soon it won’t be able to load new versions of browsers and such. And then, websites won’t look right, and and and. It’s happened to me twice now (upgrading older machines only to be outdone by newer software and still needing an updated operating system). In the future I’ll just find a new or refurbished basic machine for less money, and time.
It's likely a VGA port on the TV . How is the primary monitor connected? Have you tried it with an HDMI cable?? I think it should work with Win 7.
That's why I got a new computer instead of repairing my old one and upgrading to windows 10. But for the garage, the new power supply was $24 and my new computer has no cd drive and I have some informational cd's.
That's the cable that I couldn't think of. The primary monitor is VGA and I'm using a VGA to VGA between the computer and the tv. I thought about trying a VGA from the computer to hdmi on the tv, but I don't want to buy a cable if there is just a setting that is wrong. I could just use my monitor instead of the tv, but I'd like to try and figure it out.
Have you tried turning the TV on first, setting it to PC input and then powering on the PC? TVs are notoriously slow to recognize a PC for input. I use a 10 year old Windows 7 PC as my home theater PC connected to my 55" Samsung without issue but I'm using an HDMI cable.
...unlike monitors, modern TVs have smarts and go thru a boot process. Even if you default TV to your VGA input, you still have to wait for TV to get there before PC can talk to it. Since TV likes HDMI1, interaction may go smoother if you change PC default vid output to HDMI...
