[Red_Light]

Hey guys,

I'm new around these parts, so thanks for letting me register and any help that anyone is willing to offer. This post is going to be quite long, but I figured I'd explain everything so that way if you guys can help, everything was explained in detail and it would save you time in the end. My apologies, but my response won't be this long lol.

This is my first card install ever, so please bare with me here. Trying to learn about building and modifying a pc so I can build my own one day but I'm having a problem getting my new card installed on my desktop, not sure if it's a driver issue, card malfunction, or I'm just missing something in my installation process.

I'll start off with my system and pc specs incase you need the information;

Dell Dimension E510
Windows XP 32bit (Media Center Edition)
upgraded RAM to max of 4GB (4 1GB sticks) from the stock total of 512MB
stock graphics card is a ATI X300
500GB Hard Drive
everything is stock as well (MB, powersupply, etc.)

Here's what started this journey of mine

I'm an art student and I use Photoshop (CS5) extensively. While in Photoshop, I could not make use of the rotate tool and get an error message that says "Could not complete your request because it only works with OpenGL enabled document windows." Going into the performance settings of PS, it says that there aren't any GPU settings available with Photoshop Standard. When I hover over that section, it says "Graphics hardware acceleration is unavailable, you will need to upgrade your video driver, and possibly your video card."

Ok, from there I was recommended by a friend that an ASUS 5450 HD card was compatible with my pc and would solve my issues I was having with PS and I could utilize OPENGL documents and what not.

I purchased the card reading and reading many different ways of how to properly install the card. I followed them numerous times, and all I ever end up with is a pixelated screen, a forced reboot after installing the new drivers, and a blue screen of death afterwards.

I'll list everything in my process that I did because maybe I'm missing a step or just not doing something correctly.

1. Right Click "My Computer>Properties>Hardware>Device Manager>Display Adapters>Right Click RadeonX300 SE 128MB> "Uninstall"

2. Turn PC off

3. Install new card, and turn PC back on (screen is already pixelated from here)

4. Install new drivers from the disk (forced reboot after installation is complete)

5. screen is still pixelated, and right after Windows loading screen, blue screen appears and says it's stuck in a continuous loop and a problem with ati2vag.

That's the process that numerous sites have told me I should follow, but it does the same thing every time. If I put my old card back in, it works fine. Not sure if the old drivers are still hidding somewhere or not, but that's what's going on.

Again, sorry for the long post, but I don't know what else to do. Any thoughts?

 

[Kieran]

If you can boot into safe mode remove the graphics card from the device manager and let it reinstall when you reboot.

 

[Red_Light]

after removing it in safe mode and rebooting, should I reinstall it in safe mode or boot normally?

 

[Spct]

boot normal

 

[Red_Light]

hey guys

I tried again and no luck. I posted some vids of my process to help show you guys what I've been doing. They're kind've lengthy if you wanted to watch and see what happens (just skip over the shut downs and booting sequences).

Any help would be awesome and appreciated!

You Tube

(vid 3)

 

[ViSioNx]

for 1 in vid 2 ram isnt seated properly. did you try to just boot without swapping drivers?

 

[Red_Light]

I'll double check just to be safe, but the ram is installed correctly. Windows even recognizes it lol all are snapped in, I think the video just makes it look like it's not.

As to the power plug, on the back the card? Or something else? The card doesn't need a power supply as there's no hook up for it

 

[brettjv]

Okay, I just watched your video. Lulz ... dunno who told you those steps, but ... they're WAY more involved than they should be, and arguably 'wrong' in many regards.

HOWEVER ... none of what you did 'sorta wrong' in regards to the driver installation matters one whit, because drivers are NOT in play when your PC is Posting/pre-Windows. The fact that your 'Dell' startup screen, and the text-mode stuff prior to Windows safe-mode starting, is jacked up like that ... it means that you have bigger issues than just drivers.

If you bought this card at a retail store, you should return it and tell them it's broken. Now, it MAY not actually be broken, but if it's relatively easy to try a different one of the same card, it's worth a try as the simplest option. I'd say there's about a 50% chance that's the issue.

Other possibilities include:
1) Your motherboard plain won't support that card, even though it's got a PCI-Ex slot and all that. This can happen w/older board and newer cards. If that came w/a x300, I'm guessing it's quite an old machine, yes? BTW, you didn't tell us what processor you have ... what is it, do you know?
2) Your mobo won't support that card unless you do a 'flash' to the latest firmware available for the board. You may not feel comfortable doing this at your level of expertise. It's not that hard, but if it's done wrong, you could end up 'bricking' your system, which means having to send your PC in for service to get it fixed.
3) Do you happen to know if that mobo has on 'onboard' graphics capability along with the X300 Card? Is there a VGA looking plug on the back I/O panel anywhere? If so, then the issue may be that the OB graphics aren't disabled, and it didn't matter with the x300, but it does with the new card. If it does, let us know and we'll help you get it disabled.

For future reference, this is actually the proper steps of what you should've done, start to finish:

1) With the old card in place, go into the Windows Control Panel/Uninstall Software, and hit the ATI Uninstall Utility, and choose to remove all ATI/AMD GRAPHICS software. Not the chipset stuff.
2) Shutdown, and install the new card
3) Startup, and go ahead and let windows auto-install drivers. At that point, it should either install a generic VGA driver, or a generic ATI driver made by Microsoft and included in Windows. It may then tell you to restart, and if so, go ahead.
4) Upon reboot, put in the driver disc, install the drivers on the disc, and restart.
5) At that point, aside from adjust resolution to your native size (if it isn't already), you're done.

Seriously, that should be all you have to do.

However, what you did, whilst WAY overly arduous, shouldn't have actually borked anything, because you did, at one point or another, basically follow those steps. The only thing you did really quite wrong was installing the new drivers before the card.

You see, gfx cards are NOT USB devices, you don't install drivers first, you install them after the device. But ... it shouldn't have 'broken' anything the way you did it, and this problem is NOT drivers at all, because drivers aren't active during the POST

The only other 'easy' thing I can suggest is just REALLY making sure the card is seated properly. But unless your board has an onboard gfx capability, you should return the card for another one. Then just put it in, attach monitor cable, and if your Dell screen still looks jacked up ... you're done ... unless you wanna see if there's a newer BIOS for your board, and 'flash' it, if there is.

 

[Red_Light]

lol yeah I'm definitely a newb!

I bought the card from newegg to keep the price down. I explained my problem to a friend and a gentlemen at amd (over the phone) and they both said the screen shouldn't be pixelated as it is after installing the new card. I followed up with newegg yesterday and they send me return labels and all that, so I can return the card, it just has to be in the next few days.

after looking at the I/O, yes there is another VGA looking input (it was covered by a small plastic cover), so maybe that is the problem as you suggested.

Either way, I'm down to try whatever you guys think could solve the problem. I just don't have a back up pc right now, so if we do decide to go further, I'll back everything up just to be safe (if you guys suggest doing so).

Should I keep the card and try, or return it, wait for the new one, and try all this again?

here's my board and processor specs;

Processor.Type Intel Pentium 4 630 / 3.0 GHz .64-bit Computing Yes .Installed Qty 1.0 .Max Supported Qty 1.0 .Processor Main Features Intel Execute Disable Bit , Hyper-Threading Technology , Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology , Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Board Chipset type Intel 945G Express .Data bus speed 800.0 MHz .Cache Memory.Type L2 cache .Installed Size 2.0 MB .Cache Per Processor 2 MB .Environmental Parameters.Min operating temperature 50.0 �F .Max operating temperature 95.0 �F .Operating humidity range 20 - 80%

hopefully that helps

 

[Awaz]

Nothing to add, but just want to say good post by brettjv.

OP, you are in good hands

 

[ViSioNx]

return and try again

 

[brettjv]

Okay, well since you ordered on NE (thus it's not super convenient to exchange it), AND your board apparently has onboard graphics (does a VGA cable plug into this jack you're talking about?), I would give one last thing a try, and that is going into your BIOS and looking to see what's selected as default video out.

To get into the BIOS, watch closely on the Dell startup screen, there should be a message that says 'Press X Key for Setup'. Typically it's Del, Esc, F1 or F8. It has to be pressed before that screen disappears, so if you miss it, press ctrl-alt-del quickly to reboot.

Once you're in setup aka BIOS aka CMOS (which should be really basic), look around for anything that suggests an option of which video out to favor or initialize first. You want to choose something that sounds like it's NOT the onboard. Sometimes it'll say "PEG" or something that suggests PCI-Express. Choose that, and try again. If you still get the jacked up Dell screen ... send the card back and try another.

If you don't, though, and everything looks okay, chances are everything will work fine after that. Might want to re-install the drivers from the disc though as you got errors the first time ... hopefully this time you won't

 

[Red_Light]

Thanks for options brettjv

I did as you suggested;

booted up with the new card after using the ATI uninstall option (just the software). Booted up with the same pixelated screen.

Went into BIOS> Video> Primary Video>

gives me two options from there which are;

Auto - use the add-in video controller
Onboard/PEG - use the integrated video controller unless a PCI express Graphics (PEG) card is installed. The PEG card will override and disable the integrated video controller.

The bold is the choice that I went with since it sounded similar to what you suggested. Saved my settings, and exited BIOS. Booted back up with pixelation, and made it to my Desktop as usual. Windows recognized that I installed new hardware, so when I popped the cd in, it stated installation as usual. Says it installed properly, and required a reboot. I did so, and ended up with the blue screen once again after the lol.

I'm sending the card back today so hopefully that solves the problem.

and just as a heads up, the VGA port on the I/O does accept my normal VGA cable, guessing that's the onboard video controller?

Just out of curiosity, if I get a new card and the same problems occur, what I should I do from there? Save up and buy a newer computer lol?

 

[brettjv]

Well, I would try both settings, since it's so easy to do.

If no luck there, the only other possibility other than a bad card is that the board and card are incompatible. It *might* be fixable w/a bios flash, but no guarantee, and like I say flashing a mobo bios is inherently somewhat risky, esp. for a novice or if having a working PC at all times is 'business critical' because if you bork it, you'll have to have it serviced to be fixed.

Might as well try sending back the card for a replacement, or if there's someone else who's machine you can try the card in, that might be worth trying as well before you do ... cause if it does work in someone else's machine, then it's likely a compatibility problem w/your board, in which case you'd want to angle for a refund.

 

[Red_Light]

Received the new card and had the same problems again. Has to be an incompatibility problem as mentioned (or it seems).

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the info and help you all gave. I greatly appreciate it! If I ever have any other questions, I know where to come

thank you so much again!