Enable both graphics card and motherboard graphics

[aegisjester]

Hello,
For years I used an nvidia GEforce graphics card for 2 monitors, and a third monitor plugged into the vga slot on the motherboard of my desktop.

I just got a new graphics card (another nvidia GEforce, but 2gb mem instead of 512mb), as the fan in my old one burnt out. However, with the new card, the onboard graphics are disabled, and do not appear in the device manager (as far as I can tell, at least not where it used to be).

Is there any way to force it to enable to get back to 3 monitor set-up, or will I have to purchase another graphics card to compliment my new one?

 

[Ironsounds]

hello... did you uninstall the old drivers? did you install new drivers? did ya under "screen resolution" "identify" and set your display modes?

 

[aegisjester]

For the old drivers, I don't think so but its hard to tell. The current nvidia card's driver appears in the programs as a driver, the old does not.

The old card was nvidia GeForce 8400GS, I upgraded to nvidia Geforce GT 610. The motherboard is an intel express chipset of some sort, the specifics escape me at this time.

The new card uses the PCI express port, the old card is this:

which I do not know the name of. I originally wanted to scrap this one when I got the upgrade, but installing the new card into the PCIexpress port caused my computer to either recognize the PCIE card, or (when I changed bios to specifically do so) the onboard VGA, I haven't been able to get both working simultaneously.

I put the old card back into the slot it fits in, but the fan burnt out a few days ago. I ordered a new GeForce 8400 to replace it, but upon arrival its replacement only fit in an PCIE slot (of which I only have 1, I have 3 of whatever the 3-section card is called). So I am sure the driver of the old card must still be installed, but I'm not sure how to find it, and it was not interfering with the function of the new PCI card

edit: the motherboard is Intel G45/G43 Express Chipset.

If I tell the bios to load the onboard graphics first, the intel is enabled and the GEforce on the PCI express does not enable, appear in the device manager (initially or after scanning for hardware changes), and attempting to launch the nvidia control panel returns an error that no nvidia graphics card is detected on the system.

When setting the bios to enable graphics by PCI, PCI express, or Auto, the nvidia card enables, with the intel card not appearing anywhere. I have no other options in the BIOS

 

[aegisjester]

I guess nobody has any idea whats going on.

From what I can figure, the bios is just configured to allow the PCI and onboard video hardware to run simultaneously, or the PCI and PCIexpress, but not the PCIexpress and the onboard.

The most frustrating thing is that I was able to find what I thought was the exact same graphics card that broke (nvidia GEforce 8400GS), but since my original purchase it seems the 3-piece connection (from what I can figure, it is a universal 32bit PCI card) has been completely abandoned.

When I originally purchased it, with my desktop, it seemed to be a fairly standard configuration (hence 3 of those PCI ports, but only one PCIE), but now the cheapest I could find fitting the same port is twice the price of the PCIe version of what I had in the first place.

All very frustrating just to have an additional VGA monitor while I'm doing research.