Video card oddity
-
I was given a machine to work on, but found that the video card (it's a VGA/S-video/DVI card with an AGP connector) was faulty. To get the machine up and running, I simply pulled the original video card out and replaced it with one of my own (it's a VGA card with a PCI connector). That all worked fine. After I got the machine done, I swapped the video cards again, and, no surprise, it did not work. I just wrote it off as a bad video card and told the owner that he simply needed to buy a replacement. He took the old video card with him to ensure an exact match. He tells me later on that the new card does not work. His LCD monitor has both VGA and DVI connectors (as does the video card) so he tried both. I looked at it again, tried both connectors, several cables, all to no avail. Each time, the monitor would simply display, "No data. Check connection." I tried my VGA video card again, and it worked fine. So... At this point, I don't know if it's the new video card or the AGP slot on the motherboard that is bad, or if I am just doing something completely wrong. Ultimately he could just buy a VGA video card with a PCI connector and be done, but that still does not solve the mystery. Any ideas? - DC
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
-
I was given a machine to work on, but found that the video card (it's a VGA/S-video/DVI card with an AGP connector) was faulty. To get the machine up and running, I simply pulled the original video card out and replaced it with one of my own (it's a VGA card with a PCI connector). That all worked fine. After I got the machine done, I swapped the video cards again, and, no surprise, it did not work. I just wrote it off as a bad video card and told the owner that he simply needed to buy a replacement. He took the old video card with him to ensure an exact match. He tells me later on that the new card does not work. His LCD monitor has both VGA and DVI connectors (as does the video card) so he tried both. I looked at it again, tried both connectors, several cables, all to no avail. Each time, the monitor would simply display, "No data. Check connection." I tried my VGA video card again, and it worked fine. So... At this point, I don't know if it's the new video card or the AGP slot on the motherboard that is bad, or if I am just doing something completely wrong. Ultimately he could just buy a VGA video card with a PCI connector and be done, but that still does not solve the mystery. Any ideas? - DC
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
Check the bios. There might be a manual setting for the video adapter to use as a primary display, and that might have changed to "PCI only" when you removed the AGP card and used a PCI card instead.
Cheers, Sebastian -- Contra vim mortem non est medicamen in hortem.
-
Check the bios. There might be a manual setting for the video adapter to use as a primary display, and that might have changed to "PCI only" when you removed the AGP card and used a PCI card instead.
Cheers, Sebastian -- Contra vim mortem non est medicamen in hortem.
Thanks. I'll check the BIOS settings this evening.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
-
I was given a machine to work on, but found that the video card (it's a VGA/S-video/DVI card with an AGP connector) was faulty. To get the machine up and running, I simply pulled the original video card out and replaced it with one of my own (it's a VGA card with a PCI connector). That all worked fine. After I got the machine done, I swapped the video cards again, and, no surprise, it did not work. I just wrote it off as a bad video card and told the owner that he simply needed to buy a replacement. He took the old video card with him to ensure an exact match. He tells me later on that the new card does not work. His LCD monitor has both VGA and DVI connectors (as does the video card) so he tried both. I looked at it again, tried both connectors, several cables, all to no avail. Each time, the monitor would simply display, "No data. Check connection." I tried my VGA video card again, and it worked fine. So... At this point, I don't know if it's the new video card or the AGP slot on the motherboard that is bad, or if I am just doing something completely wrong. Ultimately he could just buy a VGA video card with a PCI connector and be done, but that still does not solve the mystery. Any ideas? - DC
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
As was mentioned, check the bios, especially if there is an onboard video that was disabled. Often the bios does the interchange between the onboard graphics and the AGP slot activating or deactivating one. Similarly there is sometimes a PCI slot near the AGP that is on a swap interface in bios, either-or, not both. Strictly on the AGP side, you can set a 4X AGP to 8x only via Bios if you put an updated bios into an older motherboard, resulting in a non-functioning AGP slot due to timing irregularities from the BUS. When you are not sure of an AGP issue, drop the timing back to 1x or 2x if available and test upward. It is possible a voltage flux on the motherboard as changed the timing on the BUS making 8x AGP unusable even on an 8x board, but 4X AGP might still be available because of the wider timing, or 2X.
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
As was mentioned, check the bios, especially if there is an onboard video that was disabled. Often the bios does the interchange between the onboard graphics and the AGP slot activating or deactivating one. Similarly there is sometimes a PCI slot near the AGP that is on a swap interface in bios, either-or, not both. Strictly on the AGP side, you can set a 4X AGP to 8x only via Bios if you put an updated bios into an older motherboard, resulting in a non-functioning AGP slot due to timing irregularities from the BUS. When you are not sure of an AGP issue, drop the timing back to 1x or 2x if available and test upward. It is possible a voltage flux on the motherboard as changed the timing on the BUS making 8x AGP unusable even on an 8x board, but 4X AGP might still be available because of the wider timing, or 2X.
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Most of this is Greek to me, Jeffry. The owner indicated that the computer used to work, but has sat idle for several months, if not longer, because it had Windows Me on it and was thus very slow and sporadic. Rather than fight with it, he just pushed it aside. He asked me if we could resurrect it by installing Windows 2000 on it. I did and it screams now (although it's a bit hard to see!).
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
-
Most of this is Greek to me, Jeffry. The owner indicated that the computer used to work, but has sat idle for several months, if not longer, because it had Windows Me on it and was thus very slow and sporadic. Rather than fight with it, he just pushed it aside. He asked me if we could resurrect it by installing Windows 2000 on it. I did and it screams now (although it's a bit hard to see!).
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
DavidCrow wrote:
but has sat idle for several months
which is what I expected. Basically my answer was the longer version of check the bios. There are many possibilities with AGP depending on the bios and configuration. Sitting idle long enough to get an interruption in CMOS backup battery (or a "minor" static shock) would result in a default CMOS setting, factory defaults, whatever those are. That would effectively change the settings from working to possibly not working.... Also a stronger static discharge to the VGA port could A) take out a card B) take out an AGP slot.
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
DavidCrow wrote:
but has sat idle for several months
which is what I expected. Basically my answer was the longer version of check the bios. There are many possibilities with AGP depending on the bios and configuration. Sitting idle long enough to get an interruption in CMOS backup battery (or a "minor" static shock) would result in a default CMOS setting, factory defaults, whatever those are. That would effectively change the settings from working to possibly not working.... Also a stronger static discharge to the VGA port could A) take out a card B) take out an AGP slot.
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Jeffry J. Brickley wrote:
take out an AGP slot.
an? I wasn't aware of any 2xagp boards in existance. What would the point've been. AFAIK there were no nongfx cards the used the agp bus, and PCIe predated the rebirth of SLI, so there wouldn't've been a need there either.
-- Rules of thumb should not be taken for the whole hand.
-
Jeffry J. Brickley wrote:
take out an AGP slot.
an? I wasn't aware of any 2xagp boards in existance. What would the point've been. AFAIK there were no nongfx cards the used the agp bus, and PCIe predated the rebirth of SLI, so there wouldn't've been a need there either.
-- Rules of thumb should not be taken for the whole hand.
dan neely wrote:
an?
it was my poor english way of saying that a static discharge any time during the idle of the computer, could have resulted in killing either the original graphics card, or the slot that the graphics card was sitting. I'm just a country hick who does 3D graphics. :)
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
Most of this is Greek to me, Jeffry. The owner indicated that the computer used to work, but has sat idle for several months, if not longer, because it had Windows Me on it and was thus very slow and sporadic. Rather than fight with it, he just pushed it aside. He asked me if we could resurrect it by installing Windows 2000 on it. I did and it screams now (although it's a bit hard to see!).
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
Windows 2000 will not recognize a large number of older VGA cards just like Win2k3 didn't recognize my old Netgear FA310TX (replaced it with a FA-311-TX, and everything is peachy). VGA cards are super cheap nowadays (the one in my Win2k3 server box was only $15). Newegg is your friend.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
Windows 2000 will not recognize a large number of older VGA cards just like Win2k3 didn't recognize my old Netgear FA310TX (replaced it with a FA-311-TX, and everything is peachy). VGA cards are super cheap nowadays (the one in my Win2k3 server box was only $15). Newegg is your friend.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Windows 2000 will not recognize a large number of older VGA cards...
But in this scenario, the older PCI card is working fine. It's the newer AGP card that is not working. Even the older AGP card is not working. On top of that, the machine is rejecting the AGP card long before Windows ever enters the scene.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
-
DavidCrow wrote:
but has sat idle for several months
which is what I expected. Basically my answer was the longer version of check the bios. There are many possibilities with AGP depending on the bios and configuration. Sitting idle long enough to get an interruption in CMOS backup battery (or a "minor" static shock) would result in a default CMOS setting, factory defaults, whatever those are. That would effectively change the settings from working to possibly not working.... Also a stronger static discharge to the VGA port could A) take out a card B) take out an AGP slot.
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
I checked the BIOS and it indeed had a setting for selecting PCI or AGP. Even though it was already set to AGP (which is odd since the PCI card is the one that works), I tried toggling it back and forth between the two but still could not get the AGP card to work. There was no setting for speed (e.g., 4x, 8x). Another anomaly I found was that with the machine working using the PCI card, I could simply insert the AGP card into its slot, power on the machine, and it would immediately start beeping.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
-
I checked the BIOS and it indeed had a setting for selecting PCI or AGP. Even though it was already set to AGP (which is odd since the PCI card is the one that works), I tried toggling it back and forth between the two but still could not get the AGP card to work. There was no setting for speed (e.g., 4x, 8x). Another anomaly I found was that with the machine working using the PCI card, I could simply insert the AGP card into its slot, power on the machine, and it would immediately start beeping.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
You could also try inserting and removing the OLD (might get damaged) AGP card a few times (with the PC switched off, of course). That might help to remove potential oxidation from the contacts. Also, you could try vacuuming the AGP-slot or cleaning it with compressed air. As for the BIOS: Does it work if you select "Load Fail-Safe Defaults" (or, depending on the BIOS, a similar menu entry)? The CMOS might have been lost over the time.
Cheers, Sebastian -- Contra vim mortem non est medicamen in hortem.
-
You could also try inserting and removing the OLD (might get damaged) AGP card a few times (with the PC switched off, of course). That might help to remove potential oxidation from the contacts. Also, you could try vacuuming the AGP-slot or cleaning it with compressed air. As for the BIOS: Does it work if you select "Load Fail-Safe Defaults" (or, depending on the BIOS, a similar menu entry)? The CMOS might have been lost over the time.
Cheers, Sebastian -- Contra vim mortem non est medicamen in hortem.
Sebastian Schneider wrote:
Does it work if you select "Load Fail-Safe Defaults" (or, depending on the BIOS, a similar menu entry)?
I did load the OEM defaults, but that had no effect.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
-
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Windows 2000 will not recognize a large number of older VGA cards...
But in this scenario, the older PCI card is working fine. It's the newer AGP card that is not working. Even the older AGP card is not working. On top of that, the machine is rejecting the AGP card long before Windows ever enters the scene.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
Dead motherboard. Replace it.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
Dead motherboard. Replace it.
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001After reloading the OEM defaults, cleaning the AGP slot and trying to start Windows (which should always work, at least in low res), I concur with John. Replacing the MB seems like the sanest thing to do now.
Cheers, Sebastian -- Contra vim mortem non est medicamen in hortem.
