pc wont work!!

hello all, i was recently given a pc tower but yo my dissapointment it doesn't seem to work. when plugged in and switched on at plug it comes on by itself but monitor stays blank. i know fault does not lie with monitor as it works fine with our currant pc. also it wont switch off via standby button, only when i switch off at plug. would like to get it running as it has much better spec than currant pc. was wondering if there may be any obvious solutions from anyone and if so how feasible is a diy fix, considering i've never seen the inside of a pc before this one?!
any help greatly appreciated,
ed.

could be something as simple as a video card shaken loose. open it up and reseat the card in the motherboard (assumes it is not built into the motherboard to start with)

more difficult would be if the display resolution has been set outside the limits of the screen. you'll need to find out what operating system it has and get hold of a boot disk to allow you to reset it. I'd expect it to at least give you the startup sequence though before it goes blank if this were really the case.

when you've got it open have a look to see if the power button on the front is in line with the microswitch behind. A common fault is for the sprung plastic clip behind to fall out of alignment or snap off. this renders the front panel button u/s and you are left with the master switch on the rear - or pulling the plug.

does it bleep at all on startup? if so how many and any pattern. (i.e. three bleeps approx 1 second apart) if it does then make a note and then go look at the manufacturers website. they should give you the diagnostic reason for the beep sequence to point you to a failed component.

if you don't have an anti-static strap then pull the fuse out of the mains plug and reconnect the power lead. the earth cable will act as a ground so you reduce the risk of static damage to the PC.

had a look inside but no cards loose.noticed that fan at back does not spin, fan over processor does spin as does hard drive.cd & dvd both eject when prompted.stanby switch works when held for a few seconds. monitor remains blank as if not connected.no bleeps when switched on. pc is a gateway atxstf model no. my1300. penium 4 operating on windows me. any advice?
ed.

Is the monitor card built onto the motherboard or is it a separate card ?

Does the PC appear to be booting when switched on i.e. everything is normal except no picture ?

Did the person who gave it to you have any issues ? e.g. is this the reason they gave it to you ?

monitor card is sperate from motherboard, has elsa gladiac 920 on the label. when switched on it makes normal whirring noises, but no picture or any beeps. the person who gave me this was given it himself but didnt need the tower as he already has his system set up to his requirements. don't know if he realised it wasn't working and just wanted rid.
p.s incase this makes any difference the fan at rear of pc does spin, not as i stated in previous post.

Is their another place where the monitor can be plugged? i.e. it may be that there is also on board video and the bios is set to use this.

Does the PC sound like it's booting up.....is there lots of hard disk activity etc...?

It could be a dodgy monitor card so try and loan a spare one off someone...be aware that monitor cards come in different architectures, the one you have listed about is an AGP which works in an AGP 2x/4x slot.