Can I install a new graphics card without removing the old drivers?

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Dodgson

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May 4, 2014
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I know you are always supposed to remove the old drivers. However I've had intermittent problems that have recently gotten much worse. I think they are a graphics card issue and want to test a new one (and the old was is AMD with the new one being nvidia) but am not sure if the old drivers are uninstalled. My computer is losing video so quickly (including during boot up) and going to a screen with lines on it (frequently tan but I've seen other colors) or just black. I realize that this could be other issues but it did start out only while playing games, got better for a while, but is now doing it constantly. I cannot get far enough anymore to ensure that my drivers are uninstalled so I wanted to install the new card anyway (unless anyone has any other suggestions first).
 
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The power supply and graphics card (in a PCIe x 16 slot) worked fine for 3 years. The graphics card was apparently on its last legs for the last year but the power supply still seems fine. I posted something new below but:

1. Per my post I lost video too early to download or uninstall anything, that is why I was posting in the first place.

2. I could not uninstall anything...
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Dodgson

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May 4, 2014
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Well, unfortunately I don't know exactly but I looked up my old newegg order so it is a:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883147254&nm_mc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-

HP Pavilion P6310Y(AY747AAR) (Windows 7)
Processor - AMD Athlon II X4 630(2.8GHz)
6GB DDR3 (three sticks)
Original graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 9100 Graphics
Graphics card I installed - ATI Radeon HD 5670 (I think)
Corsair 650 W power supply - self installed
 
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Dodgson

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May 4, 2014
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As far as I know I have the most up to date drivers for everything but since I cannot access my computer really right now I am not able to give you the specific driver information. I wanted to see if it was actually the graphics card... if I can get video from my computer again I could check a lot more. I tried to run a memtest on it while waiting for the graphics card to be delivered but it went to a blank screen after I saw it around 99% with no errors. When I turned it back on I tried to go back into the boot menu but the screen went black and when I restarted my whole screen had a blue tint, even during startup (after leaving for the weakend it is now gone).
 
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Dodgson

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May 4, 2014
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Well I was finally able to get in the Bios menu prior to video meltdown and switch to the onboard video. That finally allowed me to make sure that my drivers were deleted. In the future, it would be hugely helpful for people like me who are not that knowledgeable and don't have any spare computers or parts laying around for an answer about whether or not you can install the new graphics card (or just pull the old one prior to removing the drivers) if we are absolutely unable to take any initial steps. My graphics card was definitely a bust and I COULD not do any of the normal steps or even stay on long enough to get to the bios screen to change to onboard graphics so I could do nothing suggested in any of the other posts. Please, please, please let us less computer literate people know what we can do if graphics are basically dead and I cannot do any of the steps that are mentioned in EVERY single post on this site. Do I just pull the old card and hope the computer recognizes the onboard video? Do I just remove the old card (with drivers perhaps still there) and install the new one anyway? I lost video while trying to access bios menu EVERY time prior to my attempt this morning (after 5 days of trying).
 
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Dodgson

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May 4, 2014
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The power supply and graphics card (in a PCIe x 16 slot) worked fine for 3 years. The graphics card was apparently on its last legs for the last year but the power supply still seems fine. I posted something new below but:

1. Per my post I lost video too early to download or uninstall anything, that is why I was posting in the first place.

2. I could not uninstall anything because my graphics were going out on boot... I couldn't even switch to my onboard graphics.

3. Once I got lucky this morning and could access the BIOS setup I set the onboard graphics to default and was able to actually boot. I had fully updated drivers, as I posted originally I thought my card was basically dead. Please if you know answer how someone in my position in the future can deal with this. Do I remove the graphics card and hope the system on startup will revert to the onboard graphics? Do I remove the graphics card and install a new one without knowing about the old drivers? I would have done a normal install if I could but when your graphics go out during boot and you cannot even access BIOS setup but you think it is a GPU issue, what do you do?

 
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Eggz

Eggz

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Sep 3, 2013
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Yes, you can! No problem. :bounce:

It sounds like you're trying to just fix it, so performance won't matter until it's fixed. Use any card you can get your hands on. As far as getting up and running, don't worry about drivers.

Also, I read title and OP only, so sorry if this is a repeat answer.

You don't need the correct drivers in order to get basic display. It will work enough for you to boot and check basic settings.

Go ahead and swap the video card if you think you need to replace it. If you can get into bios and have onboard video, try that as a temporary survival tactic.

If you need a video card because you can't get into bios or don't have onboard video, then buy one from Amazon. They give free returns, so you'll be able to get your money back in case the card turns out to not be the issue.

Good luck!
 
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shnuhh

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Feb 21, 2014
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It will recognize onboard video if you remove the graphics card from the motherboard

 
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