Why do I receive "no signal to monitor"?

Question

My specs are (limited):
Manufacturer: Compaq
Model: CQ5320Y
Processor: AMD Athlon II
RAM: 3GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Other:
AC input 100-127 V-6 A
50/60 Hz 200-240 V-3 A

I was processing an edited video through Windows Live Movie Maker (2011 version I guess). It usually takes about 1 hour or so to reach 100% so I tend to leave the computer to do it. I usually don't process movies often, but within the last month I've done about 55 videos. First of all, I noticed that every time I simply add a video file to the movie maker, it has to process that as well and I often get a warning from windows that movie maker is using a lot of resources. After the edits are complete, it needs to process into a complete video file and the same CPU usage kicks up when doing so.

I've never really thought much of all this, and is why I leave the computer alone so that I don't take up even more resources or CPU usage. Now one day, I left the movie maker to process as usual and when I came back about 1 hour later, it was only at 2%. I thought, this can't be right, or perhaps it glitched somehow and multiplied the length without me realizing. But it wasn't the case, and I decided to just cancel it and get back to it another time. When doing so, movie maker started to not respond and as a result I ended it and then gave the computer a restart.

Several hours from then, I came back to the computer and it was off...well sort of. It never restarted, and the LED light was blue (normal), but there was no activity on the monitor nor computer. I didn't know what to make of it and just turned it off via the power button. When I tried to turn it back on, it never booted and the monitor said "no signal" and went into sleep mode. Soon after, the machine started to beep. It made 1 short beep and 1 long beep. I searched the beep code and found that it, along with having no signal is a RAM issue.

So the first thing I did was make sure everything was plugged in. There was no fault in the PSU and cable, monitor connection, keyboard, mouse or other devices. Then I turned the computer off via power button, unplugged every device, the power cord and opened the case up. I cleaned out all the dust I could, and resat the RAM. I connected all the devices back and tried starting the computer again, but still received the message "no signal" on the monitor. As far as the beeping goes, it was randomly occurring. Sometimes it would begin a few seconds after powering the machine on, and other times take several minutes before beeping.

I also decided to see if this was a monitor issue by any chance and hooked it up to a 2nd PC. I unfortunately don't have a 2nd MONITOR, but the monitor was perfectly fine on the 2nd PC. After this, I tested every other device to see if they were perhaps faulty. Unplugging one by one, restarting the computer with each one gone at a time but the error persisted. I should also note as this point that the keyboard lights do not flash, even slightly, when the computer is turned on at any point, and that the PSU fan works. Next, I decided to see if the RAM was faulty and not needed only to be re-seated. I removed one stick and restarted the computer, removed the other stick with the 1st one in, and removed both...but still received "no signal" and occurrences of the same 1 short 1 long beeping.

Lastly, I tried booting up the computer with the side panel off and noticed that the CPU fan starts and then stops. At first, I thought the CPU fan wasn't working at all, but it only spins for a few seconds after the power button is pressed. Also, at one point after starting and then stopping, it began to spin again out of nowhere for a good 30 seconds or so and then stopped once more.

This is currently where I'm at/what I've done:
1) Monitor only says "no signal" and BIOS doesn't start
2) Computer makes 1 short beep, 1 long beep
3) Cleaned dust out
4) Re-seated RAM
4) Tested monitor on 2nd PC
5) Restarted computer with various devices/RAM unplugged
6) CPU fan spontaneously starts and stops

Another thing I must note is that this is my family's computer, so it's an uneasy topic talking to them about buying all kinds of replacement parts just to have them not be the problem.
Any and all help will be appreciated, whether opinions or advice. Thank you!

Answer 1

try resetting your Cmos by either using the jumper or removing the battery, maybe bios doesnt recognize some of your components, resetting it will make it re-look for hardware. you can google how to reset cmos if you are unfamiliar or feel uneasy trusting me. Another thought is bad power supply, it should stay on during boot, they contain components that have built in self protection. If you jump the green wire to the black your power supply should stay on and have appropriate voltage at all pins.

Answer 2

If your BIOS is AWARD then it could be a RAM or motherboard error.

1.Make sure the RAM is the correct one for the board.

2.Could be a hardware problem with the motherboard. Difficult to find and fix.

Answer 3

Sounds like an issue with the on-board graphics processor,( no you cant swap it out, its built in to the board) chances are you will need to get a video card to put in it. i suggest this one from amazon.com

ECS GT620C-2GR3-QFT it's $43 after rebate.