Graphic card nightmare!!!

hairyeyeballhairyeyeball
edited May 2006 in Hardware
Hey peoples,

Im having a major headache installing a PNY GeForce FX5200 128MB PCI graphics card!!!

I have changed the BIOS to use the PCI card (not PCI-Express or AGP!) as the default video adaptor instead of the on board graphics and everything starts working fine until windows has finished loading when the monitor just switches off??? I've disabled the on board graphics in windows via device manager to and tried booting up again but it starts off ok but then the same happens and the monitor goes off. I've tried and tried but haven't been able to sort it out! need to get it working for the kids cos they cant play some of the games they have cos the onboard graphics is only 16MB.

The PC specs are as follows

Asus Terminator K7 barebone system
Asus A7VC Motherboard
AMD Athlon XP 2100+ 1.67Ghz CPU
256MB RAM
Windows XP Pro SP2

Anything else you need to know please ask.

Thank you for any help / advice you can give.

Trev

Comments

  • madmatmadmat
    edited May 2006
    When you boot the PC Windows is switching to the default video adaptor which is the onboard. You need to boot with the monitor on the onboard adaptor and go into hardware manager and disable the onboard display adaptor in there.

    You should also be prompted to install the drivers for the new card if they haven't been installed. Do that first then disable the onboard and shut the PC off (don't reboot). Switch the monitor back to the 5200 and boot the PC and see what happens then.

    Good luck!
  • jradminjradmin North Kackalaki
    edited May 2006
    There may also be a jumper setting on your motherboard (sounds like it has some age to it) that you need to set to disable onboard graphics.

    I would try to find and download any manuals/info you can on your MOBO.
  • hairyeyeballhairyeyeball
    edited May 2006
    madmat wrote:
    You need to boot with the monitor on the onboard adaptor and go into hardware manager and disable the onboard display adaptor in there.


    Do you mean in the device manager? If so, i've tried that and the monitor will still switch off. If not, where would I find the hardware manager?
  • hairyeyeballhairyeyeball
    edited May 2006
    jradmin wrote:
    There may also be a jumper setting on your motherboard (sounds like it has some age to it) that you need to set to disable onboard graphics.

    I would try to find and download any manuals/info you can on your MOBO.


    I think it was manufactured in or around 2001. I have downloaded the manual for the barebone system and also the motherboard and it doesnt mention anything about jumpers to do with onboard graphics.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited May 2006
    hairyeyeball wrote:
    Do you mean in the device manager? If so, i've tried that and the monitor will still switch off. If not, where would I find the hardware manager?

    Yes I mean device manager. Try booting into safe mode after disabling the onboard video and see if it does indeed boot all the way up. If it does reboot and press F8 and choose "Boot into VGA mode" and set the proper resolution and refresh rates once it's booted. If your card is pushing either beyond the ability of the monitor as windows loads the monitor will just shut off.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    sounds like a hertz setting to me... drop your moinitor refresh rate.... and all should be good.
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited May 2006
    Does the output from the onboard card start working when your add-in card stops working? (check by swapping the cable when your add-in card goes off) If so it's something to do with the onboard graphics. If not, it's probably a display resolution / frequency problem as Sledge said.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited May 2006
    deicist wrote:
    Does the output from the onboard card start working when your add-in card stops working? (check by swapping the cable when your add-in card goes off) If so it's something to do with the onboard graphics. If not, it's probably a display resolution / frequency problem as Sledge said.

    Sledge? SLEDGE??!! Look at the post above his!
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    LOL! I was just confirming the issue :)
  • madmatmadmat
    edited May 2006
    I know you were, that wasn't my issue. Heh, I was just amazed that you got credit for my possible fix...
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited May 2006
    madmat wrote:
    Sledge? SLEDGE??!! Look at the post above his!

    and by Sledge I of course meant Madmat.... sorry mate, I had a brain fart :)
  • madmatmadmat
    edited May 2006
    It's all good, I was just giving you a bad time man :)
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    TBH I only read the first post... and than the last from hairyeyeball seeing the issues wasn't fixed yet. So Iposted than I saw your post... :( If I only wasn't argueeing in the Pub I would have been here sooner....
  • hairyeyeballhairyeyeball
    edited May 2006
    I had a look at the refresh rates and resolution and it doesnt seem to make any difference. the monitor supports upto 100herts and a high resolution (forgot what the max is lol) swaped the monitor over to the onboard graphics while the default was set to the PCI in the BIOS but it didnt work either. How do I check the frequecy? not sure that would make much difference cos all is ok until windows has finished loading. The onboard graphics is also disabled in the device manager and the drivers are also installed.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited May 2006
    Right Click Desktop -> properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> Monitor -> Screen Refresh Rate.

    Now select something in the 55 range and see if it works...

    It doesn't matter that your monitor can run at 100 hertz, it is what that GPU can support, and knowing it is a 5200 I am guessing it is around 55 to 60 hertz.
  • madmatmadmat
    edited May 2006
    Reboot the PC. When you reboot the PC begin pressing F8 down repeatedly as soon as it goes through the POST. I mean as soon as the ram stops checking not when the OS starts to load. When you get to the boot choice menu choose "Start in VGA Mode" and continue. If it's a case of incompatible resolution or refresh rate this will cure it since it will boot to a 640x480 resolution at 60Hz.

    You can then adjust them both like normal from display properties.
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