Vid card problem

[shampoo]

Hello everyone. Recently I started having trouble with browsing websites, running games and applications, and pretty much everything.. Well, from the help I got on the forums we were able to pinpoint the problem.. It was, and still is, my video card. For some unknown reason my video card just wasn't getting picked up by my computer.. So naturally everything that would have used the video card ran slowly, or in some cases, not at all.

I run Windows XP Home edition OEM, and my card is a MSI GeForce Ti 200 128 MB card with the latest drivers.

It seems that I can install the video card hardware just fine.. But whenever I restart my computer the card just doesn't work.

This is what I see when I first install the card (before restart)

http://server5.uploadit.org/files2/010104-hmm.bmp

And this is what I see right after I restart..

http://server5.uploadit.org/files2/010104-doomed.bmp

I'd really love to get my vid card working again.. You just don't know how much you love your vid card til it's gone.. =(

It was suggested by a very very very helpful person that I go here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm and repair my Windows XP, but there is a chance that something might go wrong and my files could be lost. So before I backup everything on my computer to disks (which I can't do yet..) and do this, I was wondering if anyone knows what the problem might be and if I can possibly fix it without repairing.

Some other things I've tried:

Taking the card out of the slot and putting it back in to make sure it was in the slot correctly.. And it was. Also I have been using this card in this exact computer for a very long time with no problems.

Update drivers

Update DirectX

Remove all of the vid card software from my computer and uninstall the hardware then reinstalled several times with the same results every time (card shows up fine when I install it and upon restarting it doesn't seem to work..)

Is a repair the best/only solution? Do you think my problem can be fixed by repairing? Do you have any other suggestions before I repair?

Thanks TechIMO

[slinky]

Does the fan still spin and did you try cleaning it out?

[rpertusio]

hey shampoo,
I see you've made a new thread. For those that are interested in what shampoo tried already, take a look at the original thread

And shampoo, if you're scared of the Repair option, I'd be happy to walk you through every step.. even by phone if you'd like. (Feel free to message me if you'd like to go that route.)

In reality, since I've known of this feature, the success rate is 100%. HOWEVER, it is an excellent idea to backup anyway, regardless of whether you do the repair install or not.

- rp

[shampoo]

Hi again same 2 people that helped me last time. You two should get paid for this. Sorry guys.. I don't want to bug you or anything. I just thought I'd go ahead and post this in the video card section since we know that it has something to do with the video card now.

slinky: I have checked inside my case just now, and it seems like the fan is still running on the video card. Earlier I cleaned it out with an air duster. It's a good thing I did or that would probably be another problem.

rpertusio: Thank you for offering to help me personally. I think the guide on the site you gave me explains things well enough though. If there is a low chance that this will fail then I'm going to go for it right away. I'll post back when I finish to let you guys know how it went. Thank you again for helping me so much.

[shampoo]

I have a quick question for you.

I'm going to be doing the repair install right?

If so, I have 2 Windows XP disks, and I'm curious as to which one I should use to reinstall.

The Windows XP that I have on my computer right now was installed from the full version OEM disk that I have, but I also have a Windows XP Upgrade disk which isn't an OEM.. I'm wondering if it would be easier to just use the upgrade CD since it has the option to upgrade, or the OEM version. The full version OEM doesn't have the upgrade option so I would have to do other steps to get to it.

[rpertusio]

Use the OEM CD. Because you are simply repairing, you won't have to jump through all the hoops as when you originally installed it.

Have your CD key ready, and just make sure you never choose to "Format" anything. (If you did everything correctly, you should never even get an option to format anything.)

- rp

[shampoo]

Last question! I hope..

How do I configure my system to where it will boot up using the CD in the drive? Whenever I stick the Windows XP CD in and reboot it just boots right up to my Windows desktop. I'm trying to get the the blue screen that he has in the picture.

[rpertusio]

Immediately when your computer boots up, you may see a logo (maker of your motherboard/computer). It should tell you on the screen what key to press to enter BIOS Setup. (Hint, you may first have to press the [tab] key if you can't see anything but a logo)

Typically, the keys to enter the BIOS setup are <Del> OR the <F1> key. If you see the Windows bootup logo, then you've booted too far. Try it again.

Once you enter the BIOS setup, you can change the "Boot Order". Somewhere in your bios settings, you will see a place where you can change what 'drives' your computer will look at to boot up with.

Typically, the boot order is: Floppy, Hard Drive, CD-ROM
You'll need to change it so that it checks the CD-ROM before the Hard Drive (Floppy, CD-ROM, Hard Drive)

If you can't seem to enter the BIOS setup, or can't figure out how to set the boot order, please post back with the brand/model of your motherboard or computer.

- rp

[shampoo]

Thank you very much! It went smoothly and the card is working great. Everything is back to normal, and my files are all still here.

Thanks for sticking with me, I couldn't have done it without you.

I don't think I've ever been so happy.. Does that make me a geek? Haha.

[rpertusio]

Yay! I'm glad you got everything working!

The word "geek" came from the term "geck", which was the sound that crazy people made. So if you find yourself "geck"-ing, at your newly working computer, then you fit the description.

- rp