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New OS install, video stopped working

Tags:
  • Video
  • Graphics Cards
  • Graphics
Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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September 25, 2014 4:10:08 PM

Needing some help here, obviously. Windows was getting laggy so I decided it was time for a clean OS install. (It had been running for 4 years.) I moved from x32 OS Win7 Pro to x64 Win7 Pro, using the exact same hardware. Everything went great for several days, but then I lost video last Monday morning (not today).

Sunday, 14 Sept, I let Windows update while I was out for the day. Came home, rebooted the PC and went to bed. Woke up to a PC that acted like it lost the display drivers. Checked device mngr and no video card was installed. Reinstalled the drivers, rebooted, and video still didn't display correctly. Only one resolution was available, 640x480. I couldn't see any POST info but could see the OS on e fully booted.

I figured that im must have shocked the card while inside the case Sunday so I took the card to work (IT guy here) to test. The card worked fine and installed the drivers just fine on a test machine. Ok, so it's not the video card, but maybe the mobo.

Got home a brought a known good video card from work to test on my PC. Before I installed the test card I removed all updates installed on Sunday. Nothing improved. Plugged in the test card and it worked just fine. This card did not use extra power cables from the PSU like my original card. Ok, maybe it is the video card. I tried the built-in video card on the mobo and got absolutely no video. No POST, no OS, nothing. Ok, maybe it's the mobo now.

Since I can't keep the work card I dug through my junk and found an old nvidia quadro FX 570. Doesn't use power from PSU. It worked just fine. Ok, it is the video card, so I ordered a Radeon R9 270 and just received it today. If it's not the video card I'll just update the mobo if the card doesn't fix the problem.

Guess what, the new video card didn't fix the problem. Running on the old nvidia the PC has acted just fine. No hiccups or any other signs that the mobo is bad. (Other than the built in vid not working.)

But now I'm thinking it may not be the mobo but maybe the PSU. Cards that require power directly from the PSU do not work. Cards that do NOT require extra power work just fine. But if the PSU is somehow bad, why does the system work just fine when not using an extra powered video card?

Could it be that I'm now running 4 hard drives instead of 2? Before I re-did the OS I ran two hard drives. 2 are new, RAID 0, and hold OS and data. The 2 older drives are the previous OS install + data. I was too lazy to back everything up to my external so I left the original drives attached so I could copy off data to the raid array.

I just unplugged the 2 original drives and I don't get video until the login screen appears. POST does not show, but windows does. After installing drivers for the new card I see no POST and Windows acts like drivers aren't installed. Device mngr recognizes the new video card correctly but I get no other resolution than 640x480.

I tried one hard drive (old, original OS install) and the old nvidia card. I could see POST and windows. I then tried the brand new 270 and couldn't see a thing. Same with the 5750. I flashed the BIOS to the newest version and that didn't help either. I then tried using one PSU to power just the video card, and then my original PSU to power everything else. Same results; nothing worked.

Taking a chance I ordered a new power supply: Corsair CX600M. Swapped out the old PSU for the new and fired everything up while using the old nVidia card. Worked as it should. I then tried the 5750. No video on POST, as usual. I then swapped in the new R9 270. No video on POST, as usual. Installing the drivers did nothing to help the problem.

I've thrown enough money that I didn't have at this. I can't keep doing this until I've replaced everything. I've tested the memory using Win7's built in tester and everything showed good. The only thing left is the mobo and chip.

If you have any suggestions I'm all ears.

PSU: OZC 500w

Mobo: Gigabyte ma785gmt-ud2h

Old video: Sapphire Radeon HD 5750

New video: Sapphire Radeon R9 270

More about : install video stopped working

a b U Graphics card
September 25, 2014 4:20:20 PM

The thing that puzzles me is the no video on post.

If you remove all devices except RAM, CPU and mobo - do you see the post with the onboard graphics?

If yes, without adding anything else in, add the new GPU - do you see the post?
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September 25, 2014 6:16:24 PM

ronintexas said:
The thing that puzzles me is the no video on post.

If you remove all devices except RAM, CPU and mobo - do you see the post with the onboard graphics?

If yes, without adding anything else in, add the new GPU - do you see the post?


When I removed all drives and the video card, enabled the onboard video, and then rebooted, I got absolutely nothing. No POST was visible, no POST beep codes, nothing. I then plugged my raid array back in, rebooted, and got absolutely nothing. I spent the last 30 minutes googling a manual for the motherboard just so I could figure out how to reset the BIOS. Now that the system is back, well, here I am.
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a b U Graphics card
September 25, 2014 6:21:45 PM

Something has to be wrong with your mobo....it is the only component left to replace.
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September 25, 2014 6:33:13 PM

ronintexas said:
Something has to be wrong with your mobo....it is the only component left to replace.


What's weird is that I have no problems whatsoever when I run the old nvidia card. No hang ups, BSOD's, reboots, or any other issue. It's almost as if the PCIE slot went bad, but only when using video cards needing extra power.
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a b U Graphics card
September 25, 2014 6:43:13 PM

That is possible - I have had a few mobos that behaved rather strangely.....
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October 2, 2014 3:01:46 PM

ronintexas said:
Something has to be wrong with your mobo....it is the only component left to replace.


Installed a new motherboard this morning, and guess what, the system is still doing the exact same thing. No video until the OS boots.
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