I just bought a new video card for my computer, because we bought a game and it won’t run with the card that is in here.
I have an e-machines T1096 running Windows XP which we bought in 2002. I have SP2 on it.
The instructions with the new card say to remove the old driver by using the “add/remove programs” - but when I look at the list of programs there I don’t see anything that says “driver” as part of the program name.
On the front of the CPU there’s a sticker that says I have “3D AGP graphics Intel Direct AGP”. I don’t see anything resembling that in the add/remove list either.
A thought - do I have to log in under the administrator account before I can see the driver in the list??
Anybody know what it’s likely to be named?
I’m going to Google and see if I can find any info about this myself, but you folks are really good at giving suggestions in plain English so I thought I’d see what you say. If all else fails I’ll call the store I bought the card at and see if they can walk me through it.
If my husband and daughter had checked the system requirements first, or if I had read them before my daughter opened the game and installed it, I wouldn’t have to do this!
Do eMachines have the video card built into the motherboard, or will
you have to remove a card to put the new one in? Either way, I’ve
never had to remove a video driver in XP before installing a new card,
XP is pretty smart about the driver situation, compared to old versions
of windows…
I don’t know - would it say that in the documentation that came with the computer? I actually do still have that (and even know where it is!) I haven’t opened the CPU yet.
I’ve been talking with my husband, and we may just not even bother - I have 21 days to return the new video card and I just might do that. I’m 99.9% positive we can’t return the game since it’s been opened. I’m going to look for the receipt later this afternoon when I have time.
I wouldn’t worry about it, Charlene.
The Video board manufacturer is covering himself in case you’ve loaded another video driver previously, and that one doesn’t work with your board.
It is possible to load video drivers WITHOUT loading the hardware - and they do make a difference.
The default video driver, the one that came with your machine, will just sit there quite happily, and appear when it is needed for things like Word and Xcel and Desktop. Your super-duper video-card will not be interested in these, and will just pass control along to the regular software.
In any case, the video driver that you already have, even if your new software deletes it - which is just possible, though unlikely - will still exist in the CDs that should have come with your computer - they will be in CAB files (“cabinet” files which store all those drivers and things). You can, if necessary, reload the things. I’d doubt very much that it would be necessary.
This is pretty complicated for a non-computer person to do..
It’s pretty easy for a computer person.
You can go to the device manager and find your video card and remove the drivers there. Reboot and install the generic VGA drivers. Some cards (notably some ATI cards I’ve installed in the past, as well as some Creative Labs cards) this is a requirement, or the drivers won’t load correctly.
You can find the device manager by right clicking “my computer”, selecting properties, and going to the hardware tab. But since this is video stuff, and the consequences of a mistake can be pretty drastic (not being able to see your windows desktop when you boot, for instance) it’s probably better to find someone who is more experienced, or pay $20.00 or so to have a computer professional spend the 10 minutes this will require.
Well, 3 hours ago I followed the directions to uninstall the old driver, then shut everything down, uplugged, and opened up the CPU. Cleaned out 4 years of dust and a mummified fly. Finally managed to get the strip off the side where the new board has to stick out (whatever that’s called - I think if it was an electrical box it would be called a “knock-out plug”). Installed the new board. Put everything back together. Tried running the installation disk.
In the middle of installation my husband asked me something from the other room, and since he couldn’t hear me from where the computer is, I went to answer him. I must have missed my chance to click on something, because when I came back the screen was black like a DOS screen with the cursor flashing up in the left corner. When it stayed like that for 10 minutes I first cursed the thing up one side and down the other, then had supper, then shut it down and changed the monitor plug back to the original slot.
It’s working now on the old system, and I can get on line and everything else.
I’m going to turn everything off and plug it into the new slot again, and see if I can reinstall anything or if I still get a black screen. If that happens, I’ll open her up, take the board out, and take it back tomorrow.
And yes, I did make sure to ground myself beforehand so I didn’t zap it.
I’m also supposed to be making potato salad for tomorrow and my daughter has a gaggle of girls over for a sleepover.
Is there a plug-in video card on the original system or is it built-in video?
Removing the knockout doesn’t tell the whole story.
If you had a plug-in video card that was PCI and you are changing to an AGP (or vice versa) you would have to open a slot. Removing a card to insert another card is OK, Sometimes Windows will detect the new hardware and ask for the disk containing new drivers. It may take a few rounds of rebooting for things to settle down.
I suspect you have onboard video and the two are conflicting.
Adding a card to replace a built-in video requires you to ‘turn off’ the onboard video.
Most machines have a diagnostic screen accessable when you first turn the computer on. Usually it’s pressing the ‘delete’ key when you see it ‘posting’ things like memory and what devices are connected. If you wait too long it’s already loading Windows and you have to shut down Windows and try again… It may be tricky for a novice to find it and hopefully you have an explaination in the owners manual. Many times that stuff is too techy and omitted from many user manuals.
I have a few computers and it’s on Advanced Setup or PCI/Plug & Play screens. When you get to that screen you will see ‘onboard video’ (or something like that) and a selection to Enable or Disable.
Select Disable and save the value into the system BIOS then shut the computer off and install the new card.
Who cares? How much is Charlene’s time and aggravation worth? An expert can have the whole thing up and running smoothly in half an hour. A newbie can spend days messing with this stuff. Is it worth it? That’s up to the individual to determine.
Tony, there is no question that you can eventually solve most computer problems on your own if you are even just the teeniest bit technically competent. If you can do this stuff for yourself, that’s great! But for a lot of people, its just not worth the time and trouble. That is why I suggested a local computer shop as an option. The cost has to weighed against the value of one’s own time and sanity, but as you mention, must also fit within one’s budget.
PCs are expensive little beasts. I think that if you can’t afford to run one, you should be prepared to do for yourself, as Tony mentions.
This isn’t worth the hassle. Not just so we can play a $20 game.
I got into safe mode and it finished installing the new driver, then went to the black screen again. So I shut it down and went to bed.
This morning I managed to get into safe mode again and did a system restore to before I started messing with this whole thing. I’m not exactly a “newbie” - I do know about creating restore points before you start messing with anything important, and my old boyfriend got me interested in computers over 20 years ago. But I do get frustrated when stuff doesn’t work smoothly.
So now that it’s working again under the old driver, I’m going to tear into it and remove the new board, and take it back. CompUSA is open today until 6 and I have all the wrappings and documentation and the disk and the receipt, and I have 21 days to return it anyway, so that should go smoothly.
Did you even try to just plug the video card in and see if XP will figure
it out? I swear, XP is much smarter about AGP cards than Windows
used to be. This should not be so painful. I don’t think you have to
turn off any drivers! If you have a built in AGP card (you do), and you
put in a new AGP card, the built in one turns itself off. It’s smart like
that.
Maybe I’m silly, or maybe it’s a woman thing, but I read and follow directions, at least the first time I try something.
Anyway, it’s a moot point now. It’s back at the store and my computer is back to its old self, except now I have a hole in the back where I had to take that plate out. I guess that will help with ventilation!
