Help with my video card...

[Mentalpatient87]

Okay, so about a month ago I bought an NVIDIA Geforce 8600 GT video card. The computer I have came with an NVIDIA Geforce 6100 nforce 405 card. I bought this new card to properly run The Orange Box, among other things.

The problem is, I have to run my games on the very lowest settings or else the game seems to just "stutter" along. I installed the drivers for the new card, I THINK. Whenever I insert the disk that came with it, it tells me that something is not the VGX product, and I need to visit Nvidia's website for the drivers. I did so, and I installed the drivers as far as I can tell. I was playing TF2 today and talked to someone who has the same card I do and runs it on the highest settings.

I tried disabling, and even uninstalling the 6100, but after doing that and rebooting my screen is all black except the mouse cursor. I have to reboot in safe mode and enable the 6100 card again to get my display back to normal. I don't know why the 8600 card won't display properly, or at all when it's the only card enabled. I'd try removing the 6100 card, but honestly I can't find it.

Please help. My AIM screen name is Mentalpateint87, if you'd rather walk me through this in real time.

[jlreich]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums.

The 6100 is an onboard video card. Meaning it is integrated into the motherboard. That is why you can't find it. It can't be removed.

Uninstall all your video drivers. Shut the system down. Plug your monitor into the new video card port, not the one you used to use up by the other connections. Start the system and install the latest video drivers for your new card, when prompted reboot and you should be good to go.

If you need more specific help post back with your system make and model.

Hope that helps. :)

[mjc]

Also, check your BIOS...there may be a setting as to which card is the default...make sure the add-in card is going to be used first and not the onboard one.

[Mentalpatient87]

Alright, everything is working as it should now. I selected the option to "Load Optimized Defaults" in my BIOS. Then, plugged in the monitor to the new card. After a slight adjustment of the desktop resolution I can now run my games perfectly. Thank you very much, jlreich and mjc.

[jlreich]

Glad to hear you got it sorted out. :)