System specs first:

Asus k8n-e deluxe motherboard
1 gig stick of corsair xms ram
Sata 74 gig raptor hdd
Athlon 64 3700+
GeForce 7800 gs oc (256mb) agp
520w power supply

I just installed the new video card listed above and now I cant get the system to do anything at all... I can't even access windows installer to do a fresh install. I swap back in my radeon 9800xt pro (256) and I can use the computer, but the card is failing so only for a little bit at a time.

I've updated all my drivers, flashed the bios, run driver cleaner to wipe all the ati drivers before putting in the new nvidia card, etc, but no matter what I do the system still hangs when I get to the windows login screen, safe mode, or the windows installer loads and presents me with my options.

I've unplugged everything but the vidcard and cd drive and hdd to see if it's a power load, nothing. Unplugged all usb hookups, nothing. I've messed around in my bios settings (adjusting agp voltages and options), nothing.

This vidcard was rmaed for this reason and the replacement is doing the same thing... problem with my system, not the card, since it works a friend's.

1/22/2007 9:58:43 PM

Quote :

"but no matter what I do the system still hangs when I get to the windows login screen, safe mode, or the windows installer loads and presents me with my options."

so wait, it gets to the logon screen and does nothing? or it gets to the safe mode menu and freezes? and when you say windows installer you mean the blue windows setup menu right...and it comes up but then you cant select any options? try a different video card just for fun (is there one onboard?), and if you are able, try to run the system file checker before proceeding with the below.

pending more details, it sounds like yous os is hosed. put in another hard drive, install windows on it, then plug in the sata drive and pull off all your data etc. then use imaging software to pull the image off the slave hdd and put it onto your primary hard drive (though you can avoid this step by using the replacement hard drive as your primary.

1/22/2007 11:06:16 PM

OK,

Windows normal startup, gets to where the login box should pop up, but stops before that and only shows me lots of blue and a mouse cursor (which won't move)

Safe mode startup, I get as far as where it shows me a black desktop with "safe mode" in all four corners, then freezes.

Windows install, I boot from cd, it loads lots of stuff for a while, then gives me the "press enter to install a new copy of windows", "press r to start recovery console", etc.


When I use the one I'm replacing (the radeon) none of this happens.

I try to install windows on a spare 80 gig ide drive I have but I run into the same problems. I could do this with the radeon in, but since everything seems fine when I run it off this card I don't see how it would help... I'm out of other ideas though.

1/22/2007 11:12:05 PM

i dunno thats weird...maybe return/sell that card and get another ati (you could always test with another ati first)

1/22/2007 11:58:30 PM

ESD fried the mobo?

1/23/2007 9:59:09 AM

Quote :

"When I use the one I'm replacing (the radeon) none of this happens."

definitely sounds like the new card you're putting in...if everything works just fine when the old card is in, and then goes wonky with the new one, it seems the logical explanation is that the new card is either bad or windows doesn't like

try uninstalling the old video card through hardware, and installing the drivers/software for the new card...turn off the pc, swap out cards, and start over again...may or may not fix it

if it doesn't, do what synapse suggested

1/23/2007 10:16:52 AM

^ he said hes tried two different new GeForce 7800 cards and got the same result (and tried one of those cards on a friends system and it works fine). i was thinking it might be an nvidia conflict with his board and he should try another ati card since thats what worked in there last.

but yeah, im assuming he correctly unistalled the hardware and software for the old card before installing the new one.

[Edited on January 23, 2007 at 10:33 AM. Reason : ]

1/23/2007 10:31:47 AM

Yeah BFG tech support gave me a copy of Driver Cleaner Pro, which I used to murder every driver on my system... same problem.

I've tried to install the nvidia drivers before swapping the cards, but they refuse to install because at the time I'm running the installer i still have an ati card in there.

1/23/2007 10:38:56 AM

^^ d'oh...i didn't catch that

i wouldn't think an asus board would have a conflict, but stranger things have happened

sucks that you don't have onboard video...i rarely buy a board that doesn't, for this very reason (or, at least, similar ones)

good luck, man

1/23/2007 11:07:16 AM