HELP!! PC won't boot after installing new graphics card!

Ray-blu

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Nov 15, 2008
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18,510
Hi all

Hopefully someone here can help me resolve an issue with a new Sapphire HD 4550 graphics card that I installed today on my Acer desktop. With the card in the PCIe slot, nothing happens. The fan on the card doesn't spin and the computer starts but doesn't sound like it is booting to Windows. Nothing comes up on the monitor so I can't access the BIOS.

I have managed to get Windows (Vista 32-bit) to recopgnise the card and install the drivers, but only if I set the BIOS to load the onboard graphics by default. If I then reset it to load the PCIe graphics card by default, the computer freezes on start-up and doesn't even reach the BIOS.

I am wondering how I can Disable the onboard graphics (Radeon X1260 on an Acer F690GVM motherboard) because this might be the problem. I tried to do it in Windows Device Manager, but it keeps coming back online. Any ideas?

My system has an AMD Athlon 64X2 dual core processor. The PCIe slot worked fine with the NVIDIA card that I tried in it recently (which I returned and replaced with the 4550).

I tried disabling the integrated graphics card and uninstalled the drivers before I installed the 4550 the first time. I have tried taking the card out and putting it back in. Nothing changed.

My PC has a 300 W power supply, which is what is recommended for the 4550.

Any ideas how I can get this card to work?

Many thanks!
 

Wolfshadw

Titan
Moderator
Well, none of the HD 4550s on Newegg show an external power connection, so I'm going to assume yours does not have one either. However, I do suspect this is a power issue. Not all 300 watt power supplies are to be considered equal (despite what recommendations there are). I'd probably recommend going up to at least a quality 380 PSU (Antec comes to mind).

Just out of curiosity, what NVidia card did you have in there that worked?

-Wolf sends
 

Ray-blu

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Nov 15, 2008
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18,510


The Nvidia card was an 8500 GT, which required a 300 watt power supply according to the specs on EVGA.com (or a 350 watt according to the box it came in). I had few problems getting that to work, but it didn't give me the HD functionality I wanted.

I thought it was a power supply issue, too, except that that it is detected and the fan works if I load Windows using the onboard graphics. Not sure if that rules out a power supply issue, though.

BTW, I bought the new card from Newegg.
 
G

Guest

Guest
I have ran into the same problem when I bought the HIS 4670. This is what I did to make my Acer M1100 works. 1 - Leave the integrated GPU 1250 On Board setting. 2 - Boot up the system and make sure it is working normal with integrated GPU. 3 - Once it is turned on, then shut-down the computer again. 4 - Install the NEW PCI-Ex card only (don't connect the DVI cable). 5 - Reboot/restart the computer with no setting changes (leave the "Initial Display GPU" set as On Board). 6 - Once the system ready, goes to Device Mgr. and clicks on Display to check that you are runing 1250 integrate video. 7 - Exits the device mgr. 8 - Now install the new PCI-ex software. Make sure to rename the Programs Files folder to different name/directory if you are installing the same "ATI GPU" softwares, because the system might get confused with existing drivers.(for example, ATI 1250 and ATI 4670 drivers and my computer goes nuts). 9 - Once the installation is completed restart your computer. 10 - Goes to device mgr. and you will find 2 Display monitors under Display setting. 11 - Clicks on the display from device mgr. and open yor display properties and go to the Setting tab. Here you will see a list of Display for your monitors. One for the on Board and the other is your PCI-ex. Select the PCI-ex card and check the boxes under neath for "Extend my desktop" and "Use as a primary display". 12 - Click "Apply" button and you will see the screen went black. 13 - Now remove the existing VGA cable and plug in your DVI cable for the new Card that your installed. 14 - I think that is all you have to do. you should see your new screen. 15 - Sometimes it took a fews seconds longer to start up your system so be patient. I hope that will help. I got it working on my system finally, after many days of trials and errors. Cheers