No Display on Tyan S2696

[FordGT90Concept]

This has been an issue since I built my server two years ago. Basically, it has progressed to this point in three phases/realizations:

1) The monitor would only come on if I had the server selected via the KVM while it was booting up. If the server wasn't selected when the keyboard initializes (flashes all the lights on and off again), the only way to get a display is to restart the server and try again.

2) When I replaced the Radeon R100 graphics card with a GeForce 8500 GT about 6 months after I got it, the same was true as before but now there was a marked delay before the monitor coming on. Instead of instantaneous, it waited until the BIOS were a quarter loaded.

3) Then the Enermax Liberty 620w died and I replaced it with an Enermax Revolution 85+ 850w PSU and the monitor didn't come on until the computer was sitting at the Server 2003 R2 loggin screen.

That was all fine and dandy because I didn't need to get into the BIOS but, I'm trying to reinstall Windows on it now and I do need to get into the BIOS. I have no display so I can't tell what I'm doing.


Got any ideas? Is it the KVM, graphics card, or motherboard?

Edit: I put the Radeon R100 back in and took the GeForce 8500 GT out. I can proceed but I'd really like to fix this.

 

[newtekie1]

It sounds like a combination of the graphics card, the KVM, and the Monitor. I have a similar issue with my setup.

The first problem is that the KVM does not emulate a monitor when the other channels are active, so when you boot the computer and it isn't active on the KVM, the computer thinks there is no monitor connected and doesn't send a video signal out.

The second issue, is that the KVM is likely slowing down the "Wake-Up" signal sent from the video card, to the monitor to turn the monitor on.

The third issue is that the monitor is likely taking a while to actually wake up, this is esspecially true with CRTs, but I've seen it with LCDs also.

I don't know of any ways to fix the issue directly. However, I would suggest two work arounds, either connecting the computer directly to the monitor while you access the BIOS, or just start pressing the button to get into the BIOS right when you boot the computer. It should load into the BIOS, even without the screen being on, then the screen should kick on a few seconds after you enter the BIOS.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I don't know of any ways to fix the issue directly. However, I would suggest two work arounds, either connecting the computer directly to the monitor while you access the BIOS, or just start pressing the button to get into the BIOS right when you boot the computer. It should load into the BIOS, even without the screen being on, then the screen should kick on a few seconds after you enter the BIOS.

I tried the second and it didn't work.

I ended up putting a PCI card back in and taking the PCIE card back out and works perfectly. Problem is, I'm using an x64 OS and there are no x64 drivers for that card. The 8500 GT is going to have to go back in but...

Maybe I should just get a cheap PCI card that has x64 drivers?

It is peculiar how changing the PSU caused a major slow down though as to when the monitor powers up.


Edit: Here's a candidate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187058

Not too excited about it being a Sparkle card and also not excited that it is passively cooled. AMD is out of the question because they don't offer drivers for Server 2003 x64, NVIDIA does.

The CRT takes less than 3 seconds to power up once it has a signal. You can tell the instant it has a signal because the standby LED goes solid before the picture tube clicks on.

The KVM having to have the server selected during startup is a minor inconvinence but it is more important that I get the display working while the computer is still POSTing. I really don't want to spend $90 on a PCI graphics card if there is a way to make the 8500 GT at least acceptable again (i.e. not turn on the monitor two-three minutes after turing the server on).


Edit: Edit: If I do decide to get that 9400 GT card, what advantage would it be to put the 8500 GT in my computer (specs are in System Specs)?

 

[newtekie1]

Look in the BIOS and see if there is an initial display adaptor option, perhaps making sure it is set to PCI-e will make sure the PCI-e card gets initiallized as quickly as possible.

It is odd that swapping a power supply would cause the monitor to take longer to kick on though... I really don't know what would cause that.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

PCIE Slot #6 is set as the first device (the only options are PCIE Slot #6 and PCI).


I put the 8500 GT back in and took the R100 out. It seems to have gotten worse because the display isn't starting at all. Maybe it died?

I'm open to getting that 9400 GT but I need to know that it will fix the problem. I don't wanna blow $90 and have another card sitting on a shelf, ya know?


If I stuck that 8500 GT in my computer, what would I be able to do with it?


Edit: It would probably help if the monitor was plugged in...

Yeah, it's back to the way it was (monitor comes on about 3/4 of the way through the load bar). I just hope it stays that way...

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I ran into another problem. This server has two SATA/RAID controllers (Intel ESB2 and Highpoint RocketRAID 2300) but when I push F6 and try to add the second driver, it loads the list from the previous driver. In short, it appears to be impossible to load the second driver even though I am positive I've done it before.

Does anyone know of a way to fix it or at least a way to force the DVD drive to the letter E instead of defaulting to D?


Edit: I got it sorted. Apparently if there is anything in the floppy, it thinks it is a hard drive or something. I took the floppy disk out and waited until I got the prompt for "Insert your manufacturer supply disk and press ENTER." It worked after that.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

And now it wants the floppy again but the keyboard is completely unresponsive so I can't press ENTER to make it proceed. If it isn't one thing it's something else.


I just ended up restarting the computer, specifying the Intel followed by the Highpoint driver, putting the Intel disk back in, resuming the install, not formating any drives (overwriting C:\WINDOWS), and it made it through without losing keyboard support.