Blazey

My System Specs before I start:

Windows
Windows XP5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2
Memory (RAM)
1024 MB
CPU Info
Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.20GHz
CPU Speed
2189.3 MHz
Sound card
SB Live! Wave Device
Display Adapters
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500 | NetMeeting driver | RDPDD Chained DD
Hard Disks
C: 111.7GB
Manufacturer
Dell Computer Corporation
Product Make
Dimension 8200
BIOS Info
AT/AT COMPATIBLE | 03/18/02 | DELL - 8
Motherboard
Dell Computer Corporation Dimension 8200

Basically, i've had my PC for a while and it's worked perfect, minus the few glitches that I come across sometimes. But a month or so ago, it started playing up, I suspect 95% it's the graphics card.
NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti500 (Old, I know)
It's always been good up til now, the problem is that whenever I start my computer normally, it'll run in my normal 1280x1024 32bit Resolution, then a few minutes later the screen will distort a little into a black screen, then the monitor turns off. I can still hear the computer working in the background as I can still hear the sounds of things, iTunes, Msn etc.
It just sits there doing nothing, it isn't a Monitor problem as i've tried the PC on a different monitor and it still does the same thing.
So the only way I can get on the PC properly is by starting it up in VGA Mode from startup (Boot Screen > F8 > VGA Mode > Windows XP), then it runs in 800x600 Resolution only and I cant change it or the display will break again.

I've tried using a new graphics card, a ATI X1550 DDR2, my computer is old so I still use an AGP slot. I've unistalled drivers, shut the computer down, put the ATI graphics card in and all it does is bring up a distorted screen of colours. Once again, I can hear the computer running in the background as I can use my keyboard to navigate to my logon, and log-in to hear the Logon sound. Thing is, I cant actually see this happening as the screen is just a constant distort of random colours, not making even a vague picture from the colours.

I'ev also updated the drivers for my current NVIDIA card to the msot recent, which still does nothing.

Any help at all would be appreciated, either with the old card or why my new card wont work properly.

Thanks in advance.

ebackhus

To use the ATI card you'll need to install the ATI drivers. I have a PC that uses a GeForce 3 Ti 200 and it works great with the older 77 series drivers.

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Blazey

Aye, i've tried installing the drivers, so many ways lol.
Tried unistalling NVIDIA and installing ATI.
Tried installing ATI when NVIDIA is still installed
Tried unistalling all drivers.
Done all these at seperate points and then shutting down and putting the card in, didn't work at all, whenever I turned the PC back on the screen is still in a fixed distorted array of colours, with no apparent picture at all.
:(

Blazey

+bump

wrench97

Do you have another monitor to try on this pc or another pc to test the monitor on?

Blazey

Yeah I already said, i've tried changing the monitors, it didn't do anything.
I've also tried refresh rates, does nothing and i've only got one agp slot.

vIrUs_32

try another pc on this monitor....see if it still happens, if it does, that means it's the monitor, and ur second one is fked too lOL

Blazey

Lol it's not mate, that one was of the first things I tried.
I've switched up the pc's and monitor's as much as I can, it's not a monitor problem.

wrench97

Are you sure the ati card is good? If So then
It seems that you still had the Nvidia drivers when you booted with the ATI card you could try Driver Cleaner to remove all ATI & Nvidia video drivers then shutoff the system reinstall the ATI card and then the ATI drivers. A word of caution make sure you have the correct drivers to install before removing and only remove the video drivers.

http://www.download3k.com/Install-Dr...fessional.html

vIrUs_32

yea it's definetely the card