OK, maybe I'm confused, maybe I'm not.
I am installing a video card in my HTPC.
My motherboard has an NVIDIA GPU.
The video card is Radeon so I need to install different video drivers.
I use the NVIDIA RAID.
I have Windows 7 Professional.
What are the steps for installing the card?
The Quick Installation Guide says:
1. Disable the on-board graphics on the motherboard. (I assume that is through BIOS setup.)
2. Install the card.
3. Boot the system.
Now it becomes unclear.
4. Let Windows detect your card.
5. Restart your system.
6. Use the installation disk that came with your card to install the drivers.
(I'm confused since I found several recommendations to NOT use the disk that comes with the card.)
7. Update the drivers from Sapphire or ATI.
From what I have been reading regarding problems with installations the procedure that Tom's Experts suggest would be:
Slap the card in your box, boot the system and full speed ahead, d@mn the torpedoes!
Not really. Here is what I've gathered.
1. Download the latest driver package from the card vendor. (I'm guessing I should do this before I install the card since the installation may make connecting to the Internet and navigating to the vendor's site difficult.)
? Should I install the driver package now or after I've installed the card and booted up?
2. Uninstall the on-board GPU software.
? The Quick Install doesn't say this. Should I leave it installed in case the card fails? Would that cause conflicts?
? I'm not sure I can just uninstall the GPU software. If I have to uninstall the whole package then my RAID array may be affected.
I'm not sure what to do next, but I think this is the process.
3. Shut the system down.
4. Install the card.
5. Boot the system and enter BIOS setup.
6. Disable the on-board (internal) graphics and enable the card (external).
(On my mobo that is MCP7A Chipset Configuration. It calls the options Internal and External.)
7. Finish the boot and log into the OS.
I'm guessing again, but I assume Windows 7 would recognize the card and install some driver so that I get a display. Then I would proceed as follows.
8. Install the driver package downloaded in #1 if I haven't already done that.
9. Restart the system and pray everything works.
At this point everything should be up-to-date and working.
Is my second set of instructions the better method? Have I missed anything?
I am installing a video card in my HTPC.
My motherboard has an NVIDIA GPU.
The video card is Radeon so I need to install different video drivers.
I use the NVIDIA RAID.
I have Windows 7 Professional.
What are the steps for installing the card?
The Quick Installation Guide says:
1. Disable the on-board graphics on the motherboard. (I assume that is through BIOS setup.)
2. Install the card.
3. Boot the system.
Now it becomes unclear.
4. Let Windows detect your card.
5. Restart your system.
6. Use the installation disk that came with your card to install the drivers.
(I'm confused since I found several recommendations to NOT use the disk that comes with the card.)
7. Update the drivers from Sapphire or ATI.
From what I have been reading regarding problems with installations the procedure that Tom's Experts suggest would be:
Slap the card in your box, boot the system and full speed ahead, d@mn the torpedoes!
Not really. Here is what I've gathered.
1. Download the latest driver package from the card vendor. (I'm guessing I should do this before I install the card since the installation may make connecting to the Internet and navigating to the vendor's site difficult.)
? Should I install the driver package now or after I've installed the card and booted up?
2. Uninstall the on-board GPU software.
? The Quick Install doesn't say this. Should I leave it installed in case the card fails? Would that cause conflicts?
? I'm not sure I can just uninstall the GPU software. If I have to uninstall the whole package then my RAID array may be affected.
I'm not sure what to do next, but I think this is the process.
3. Shut the system down.
4. Install the card.
5. Boot the system and enter BIOS setup.
6. Disable the on-board (internal) graphics and enable the card (external).
(On my mobo that is MCP7A Chipset Configuration. It calls the options Internal and External.)
7. Finish the boot and log into the OS.
I'm guessing again, but I assume Windows 7 would recognize the card and install some driver so that I get a display. Then I would proceed as follows.
8. Install the driver package downloaded in #1 if I haven't already done that.
9. Restart the system and pray everything works.
At this point everything should be up-to-date and working.
Is my second set of instructions the better method? Have I missed anything?