Graphics Card Misery

[Gill]

I removed my graphics card to make way for a new network card in the PCI slot alongside the AGP slot. When I replaced the graphics card, I found there was no picture to the monitor, so I presumed I'd broken the graphics card.

I tried a new graphics card but there was still no picture. However, I noticed that when I disconnected the monitor from either graphics card, it flashed a message that a cable was disconnected. I don't get this message when the monitor cable is connected to one of the cards.

Next I reset the clear CMOS jumper, to no avail, and tried booting the system without any card in place, just to see if Windows had cleared the problem itself and could then re-intall it. Still no joy.

I don't believe I've disturbed the RAM because it's sited quite a way from the AGP slot.

The motherboard is a MSI 875P MS-6758 (v2.X) ATX.

Clearly, I'm writing this on my backup computer! Any advice would be most appreciated.

Gill

 

[Chris Knight]

Gill,
I guess the first question would be, does it work if you remove the new network card (ie make the system as it was before?).

 

[Gill]

Hi Chris

No, even without the new network card it doesn't work.

Gill

 

[RogerS]

Gill
have you tried booting into safe mode?

 

[Gill]

No Roger, I haven't. Unfortunately, there's no display at all on the monitor, not even a bios loading screen, so I can't boot into safe mode - unless you know of a deviously clever way round the problem!

Gill

 

[DaveL]

Gill,

Does the machine still appear to startup?
IE does the bios beep, scan the keyboard lights, or do you just hear the fans and hard drive spin up?

 

[Chris Knight]

Gill,
Graphics card drivers can do surprisingly awful things to a system and I guess your new card came with one? If you installed it, it might be that that is the culprit - although I am surprised you can't see even a bios screen. If you installed a driver, I should try to get rid of it and then retest your machine.

To do this you could try installing your Windows disk if you have one and booting from that (I am hoping here that your PC can boot from a CD drive - this will depend on how you have set up the bios) whence you could enter the recovery console. If you have no windows disk (as in the case of most OEM machines) you could download a copy of Knoppix (http://www.knoppix.org/ ) if you are able to do so on your old machine. Burn this ISO image to a CD and you have a Linux system on a bootable CD.

Knoppix works completely independently of any software in your machine, including the master boot record and it does an excellent job of recognising all the installed hardware and makes a great troubleshooting/data recovery tool.

You can also find similar Linux distros (so-called Live CDs) as cover disks on Linux magazines.

 

[Gill]

Dave - Everything's working as per normal, apart from the fact that there's no picture on the monitor no matter which graphics card I use! Yet, the monitor seems to detect the presence of the card.

Chris - I do have a Windows disk! Whether the the computer will boot from it or not is another matter because it looks first to the floppy drive and then to the hard drive. Perhaps I might get somewhere with a Windows start-up disk in the floppy drive. It's got to be worth a try, anyway. I'll let you know how I get on.

Gill

 

[RogerS]

Gill

Remove the network card.

Replace the graphics card that was there just before you put in the network card. Check no secondary power lead is needed/has fallen off.

3. Find the clear CMOS jumper on the motherboard and move the jumper to its clear position for 30 seconds and then return it to its default postion.

Then try and start again.

EDIT :To get into safe mode try pressing F8 every second...as you boot up...you might catch it at the right moment.

Or maybe Neomorph will be along soon

 

[Woody Alan]

Gill

I don't think it's a driver problem or windows problems. If you are not seeing anything on your screen then the default motherboard vga drivers that should give you your screen info during boot up aren't working, this I would suggest is because the hardware is not working. The message you are getting flashed on your screen about being disconnected is being generated from within the monitor so could be misleading, what it does mean is that the monitor is satisfied with some info coming in from the graphics connexion, when you talk about either graphics card I assume you mean the onboard graphics point of connexion and the actual card itself.
Cop out clause:-I am no expert but hopefully enough suggstions will produce an answer.

Alan

 

[Gill]

Still no joy . I'm trying to be optimistic but I'm increasingly worried that Alan's diagnosis of motherboard AGP slot failure may be accurate.

Gill

 

[DaveL]

Gill,

I would expect the machine to beep in an unusual manor if it cannot find the video card.
Does the mother board have its own onboard graphics card? You may not of been using it but some boards do have a simple one which can be shut off to allow the AGP slot to have a better card installed in it. Check the back of the machine for another video connector. If you find one plug the monitor into it and try to go into the bios setup. There maybe a setting for which video card to use.

This sort of remote diagnostics is always a bit hit and miss. :roll:

 

[prawnking]

hi
personally to start of with i would check to c if u bent pins in the end of your lead also make sure nothing is obstructing the graphics card being pushed fully int to your agp slot( amount of contact on some mother boards can be quite small, have you tried another monitor? also when you turn on your computer do u hear the boot up beep can you hear drives begining to work etc,

another thing is if you have seperate speakers turn on your computer you should eventually hear the windows logon tune after about 45-60 secs this will tell u if the rest of your pc is working correctly.

 

[matt]

Have you tried connecting the monitor to your back up PC - just to be sure...

 

[Midnight]

About the only thing I can think of that hasn't already been mentioned is a possible failure of the monitor's VGA cable.. Highly unlikely I know but still.. Could also be damaged pins in the HD 15 pin D type connector...

 

[CHJ]

Gill, have you still got a card plugged in the PCI slot adjacent to the AGP slot?

Some motherboards are very finicky about doing that as some boards share functions between the AGP and the adjacent PCI slot, and it depends on what the two cards are trying to access. (they assume PCI graphics card in slot as alternate to AGP)


If you have one, try putting a basic graphics card in a PCI slot. If you can get a display, and are running XP, and I would then go back to a known "Restore date" asap.

 

[RogerS]

Have you fixed it, Gill?

 

[Gill]

Hi Roger

I don't think it's fixed yet. I took the computer back to the shop where I bought it a couple of years ago, only to find that it had ceased trading the previous week. However, a man who seemed to be looking after the place in the absence of the proprietors gave me the details of someone who repairs computers, so I've taken it to him. Since he lives just down the road from me, I'll pop down tomorrow and ask for a progress report.

Gill

 

[JimNoble]

The manual for your motherboard http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/download/dld/spt_dld_detail.php?UID=554&kind=1 suggests no limitations with using a PCI card in the slot next to the AGP slot, and there's no on-board graphics, so no chance for misconfiguration/confusion there either.

Do you have the optional "D Bracket 2"? It fits in one of the PCI slot aperatures, but doesn't have a "card" to plug into the motherboard - just 2 USB sockets and 4 diagnostic LEDs. The manual details the lighting sequence that the LEDs go through while the machine is performing various pre-boot tests. Might be useful for debugging.

Also, it says some BIOS settings can be reset by rebooting the machine with the "Ins" button held down on the keyboard.

VGA/safe mode is worth a try. I think you hold down F8 while rebooting.

HTH,

Jim

 

[nonidentity]

No I did not read everything.

May I suggest that you reinsert the old card AGP and boot into BIOS so as to change the mode for Video to default to PCI. Than shutdown, change cards and boot up.

Some BIOS are finicky and badly designed.

Otherwise resetting BIOS means back to AGP by default.

Cheers.