Help no signal to monitor after bios messing

[ThreePeanuts]

I have an NEC Powermate ML450 slim tower on which I wanted to install an PNY nVidia Geforce 7300 GT PCI-e graphics card. I looked on the internet and in the installation guide and scanned instructions, then went to the BIOS, which seemed to be the thing to do, to disable the integrated graphics. In the BIOS I changed a setting on the graphics from PE?/PCI to PCI/I?G and disabled the allocation of ??system memory?? (the options were something like 8Mb, 16Mb, or disabled). The third adjustable setting was already disabled and I left it so. I then exited the BIOS, saving the changes. I plugged in the nVidia card and got no signal to the monitor. I removed it, and no signal to the monitor. I have removed the lithium battery from the motherboard for a while to see if this would reset anything, but no. With no display output, of course, I can't see the BIOS to change it back. Any solutions for how to restore a graphical interface to my computer greatfully accepted

 

[hang-the-9]

When you removed the battery, did you have the power plugged into the wall? Unplug the wall power, remove the battery, then try it.

 

[ThreePeanuts]

Yes, everything unplugged. I left it for about a minute.

 

[hang-the-9]

If a BIOS reset got you no-where, you can maybe try a different video card to rule out an issue with the card, otherwise you need to either replace the motherboard or the BIOS chip.

 

[ThreePeanuts]

Hi, thanks for the advice. I should have looked up what PEG meant before changing it to PCI/IGD - I didn't realise that PEG meant PCI-e. Presumably it looked at the PCI port and there was no card, then the IGD, but that was disabled. Maybe the graphics card doesn't work, it's been sitting around for quite a while. I don't want to break someone else's computer trying to test it, and I haven't got a PCI card to see if one of those works. I've emailed NEC support, explaining my problem, but I don't suppose they will be interested. I would buy a new mobo, but my 2.8 GHz Pentium D is obsolete and I can't afford to replace the whole lot. Sorry for indulging in a bit or catharsis. I tried to reset the BIOS by trying to navigate around it using the keyboard and following some screenshots (NEC website) but whatever I might have changed I failed to get graphics back. One question, if the problem is with my mobo, and I buy a new graphics card, my motherboard isn't likely to kill it is it?

 

[hang-the-9]

One question, if the problem is with my mobo, and I buy a new graphics card, my motherboard isn't likely to kill it is it?

Not likely no, but a new card may not fix it if you can't get to the BIOS settings. Unfortunately now you are at 50-50 chance of the issue being in the video card or the BIOS issue on the motherboard.

 

[ThreePeanuts]

I have actually just solved the problem and now feel a bit silly. When I tried to reset the BIOS by removing the battery, I think that I did not get the top contacts to connect well with it when I put it back. I just saw that they seemed a little loose and soldered them down (I bought a soldering iron way back, but haven't ever used it before) and now we are away again. I hope I haven't wasted too much of your time. I'm kind of new to computer tinkering, so it's been a bit of a sharp learning cure.Thanks for all the advice.

 

[ThreePeanuts]

Okay. Can I ask oneish more question. Why do you have to disable the integrated graphics before installing a graphics card? b.t.w I failed to install the PCI-e card, but the IGD is up and running. I'm scared to try again. Could there be anything wrong with the mobo PCI-e slot or is this unlikely? And is there any way I can test the graphics card without potentially destroying my computer?

 

[hang-the-9]

Okay. Can I ask oneish more question. Why do you have to disable the integrated graphics before installing a graphics card? b.t.w I failed to install the PCI-e card, but the IGD is up and running. I'm scared to try again. Could there be anything wrong with the mobo PCI-e slot or is this unlikely? And is there any way I can test the graphics card without potentially destroying my computer?

You should not have to disable the intergrated videio, but that is really motherboard and BIOS based. There may be BIOSes that keep the intergrated as the main video even if another card is used. There "may" be an issue with the PCIe slot, the only way to test the video card and motherboard is to a. try a new video card in the motherboard see if it works, b. try the video card in another computer. So you'd have to take some risk here to rule things out.