Fitted new GeForce GT430 and there is nothing sent to the monitor at all, I mean the light on the monitor is red and never goes green. Using VGA connector.

Can't post any output obviously.

Debian Squeeze 64 bit. It should work on my system.

The fan spins round and I'm pretty sure the heat sink gets slightly warm. Any suggestions at all?

Did you check in bios to see if graphics card is enabled?

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Thanks. Tried holding down <delete> immediately after switching on. Nothing, the monitor light never went green.

Tried putting in a live Ubuntu CD, again no green.

Turned computer the right way up and tried Ubuntu live CD again:

This time monitor light went green and got output:Asus M2N-SLI motherboard.

So I'll try putting in the Asus support CD??

Why would the BIOS go down the tubes, the computer has not been used since the old graphics card defuncted?

Have made the mistake of switching computer off. Switching it on again, the red light on the monitor never turns green. Is this a clue to what's wrong?

I assume the machine is not posting also?

I assume you tried both outputs on the card?

That information is needed.

I replaced my 8600 with an 8800GTS. The GTS was on its last leg and it heated up my motherboard literally hot enough to boil water. It fried the PSU, and if the mobo would have also died I would have not been in the least bit surprised. So yes, a bad video card could very well have destroyed or damaged your mobo.

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You mean posting this message? No using another computer for that. Perhaps post bios - there is some hard drive activity initially, for a few seconds then stops.

Both outputs on the card? You mean try it in the other PCI Express slot?

In motherboard manual it say: '! DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause system boot failure!' I've just done that, at least once. Not being too intelligent to put it mildly.

Reinstall...

The card conundrum might benefit by your removing the card and carefully putting it back in, at the same time checking that the mounting slot is clean, the contacts align, and that the card is well seated.

In addition, check anything that connects to the card and particularly the seating of both ends of your monitor cable.

Do you have the correct monitor cable(VGA or DVI-I)? If you are using an adapter, either VGA to DVI or DVI to VGA, does it have the right pin array? In some cases, more than one DVI connector can be mounted, but not every one has the right connections for a VGA signal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

If the card has a VGA and a DVI output connector, have you tried both?

Don't panic just because the system doesn't POST. A PC has to have a graphics card properly installed before it will go through a POST.

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Well, you didnt do it just then.

The system tried to find AWDFLASH.EXE and failed, so it wasnt updating the BIOS.

Trying the other PCIe slot isnt a bad idea, but its not what linuxpokernut meant. What was meant is 'try another video output from the card' (well, if possible, not everybody has a HDMI->DVI converter, or a monitor with DVI + VGA inputs).

I'd try clearing the CMOS, then updating the BIOS (via CD or USB).

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Yes sorry to be ambiguous there, I have the same card as OP, and it has 2 outputs. The one that looks like it should be primary is secondary.

By post, I mean does the bios register when you turn the machine on. There should be a beep, or series of beeps to indicate the general machine status. Some motherboards have LED's on them to indicate system status also.

However, given the last post you made, I would say the problem is almost invariably going to be that you broke your bios updating. If you could tell us exactly what happened, in chronological order, we may be able to help more.

I only have a VGA cable, male connector at both ends, it definitely works, but it remains possible it is not connecting to the new graphics card properly.

Computer has been unused for say 4 months - just a thought: could the battery have gone flat, would that produce no green light on monitor?

I'll try blowing gas on CMOS, cleaning memories, and generally cleaning. Also leave it switched on for a few hours. Have reinstalled the graphics card several times it seems well seated. I'll try the other PCI slot.

linuxpokernut, my new card has three slots: VGA, HDMI, DVI. Computer has never beeped, it does not have a little speaker inside the box (perhaps could put one in from old box). Don't think there are lights inside but I'll have another look. Asus M2N-SLI motherboard.

Swithched computer on using on/off button on front, nothing; switched it off and on again with button, nothing - no green light on monitor, nothing on the screen. Repeated this cycle several times. Cannot remember exactly what happened when, for the first time, monitor light went green and got message in above post. Had tried Ubuntu live CD, nothing; turned computer right way up from being on its side then for first and only time got something on monitor. Might have touched some keys or CD drive button, don't know.

Notice that HEC-350AR-PTV PSU is 350 watts maximum. Is it possible that is not enough for new graphics card? Have 2 hard drives and a multimedia card.

NO POST...

Did you try booting with your old card, or any other card that works? See if it will POST, or at least give a beep signal.

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Tried another graphics card, nothing to monitor, its light stayed red. The graphics card probably works, it got hot, but not definitive unfortunately. The computer has never bleeped, it does not have a little loudspeaker in the box.

I want to know why it gave something to the monitor once, post above. Does this suggest a bad connection somewhere?

2 grahics cards same results, 2 possible solutions.
1. Not enabled in bios.
2. Bad mobo
3. Bad memory, only if onboard graphics doesn't work, if onboard works back to 1. or 2.

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A flat CMOS battery would not cause your problems. All that would mean is you cant save the BIOS settings.

I didnt mean 'blow gas on the CMOS', I mean clear it. There should be a jumper on the board near the CMOS battery, labeled 'CLRTC'. Power the computer down, unplug the power cord, pop the battery out, move the jumper on CLTC from pins 1+2 to pins 2+3. Leave the jumper there for 10 seconds, then move the jumper back to pins 1+2. Put the battery back in, reconenct the power cord.

Before you go to boot the computer up, go to the asus site, get a new BIOS, then put it onto a floppy, CD or USB flash drive. Have the floppy/CD/USB flash drive connected when you go to boot up.

Its possible that will get your BIOS troubles fixed. Its also possible that it wont fix anything, you might have a more serious motherboard problem.

Other possible causes include- dodgy power supply, dodgy power switch. You cant really do much about the power supply if you dont have another unit to test, but there is an easy way around the possible dodgy switch- disconnect the switch then use something conductive to connect the power switch pins.

BTW, leaving the system powered on for a few hours will not help, and could make things worse....

Sometimes dodgy hardware does things like that.

The speaker is only of use if you are actually get some 'bad' BIOS beeps (you can use the error code to figure out what is going wrong).

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Have you tried reconnecting to the onboard graphics?

There isnt any onbaord video on that motherboard.

Most of the decent nVidia chipsets (and AMD or intel chipsets for that matter) dont have onboard video....