re-enabling video adapter

[arpee]

I made a seriously bone-headed troubleshooting manuever and can't back my way out --- can anyone help.

Dell XPS desktop, Windows XP, NVIDIA accelerator card.

While troubleshooting video issues with MS Crimson Skies, I first disabled the NVIDIA adapter, to make it operate off of the windows "default adapter"

Then, here's where it gets good, after figuring out the Crimson Skies video glitch, I went to re-enable my NVIDIA card, but not thinking, INSTEAD, disabled the Windows default adapter too. Now, NO video adapter operating-- interesting black screen -- very hard to navigate.

I restarted in safe mode and from there chose VGA mode, but still won't bring up the screen.

Anyone got ideas on how to get back in and re-enable either the windows default adapter or get all the way back to my card?

Quit laughing -- my wife is doing plenty of it for everyone "you mean, you shut off all the video -- how did you think you were going to see anything..."

thanks,
arpee

[mjc]

Use the f8 boot options and instead of Safe Mode, try Last Known Good...

[arpee]

thanks, that doesn't work. I'm guessing becuase it isn't sensed as a "bad configuration" since it was intentionally turned off.

arpee

[mjc]

Check the BIOS...make sure that it is set to use the video card and not onboard video, if the computer has onboard as an option.

[arpee]

The bios is set for the card in the PCI slot -- no onboard.

It has two options under video, PCI controller and PCI express graphics controller. Default setting is PEG. I cycled from one to the other a couple of times, rebooting, thinking that it might reinitiate the card. No luck.

It seems like this disabling the adapters is a setting within XP that I am not yet finding the key to override...

thanks for the thought.
arpee

[mjc]

Specs on the card...

[Sylvander]

"try Last Known Good...
that doesn't work. I'm guessing because it isn't sensed as a "bad configuration""
It didn't produce a fix because it isn't a bad configuration as far as windows is concerned because it is [pretty certainly] succeeding in loading Windows [unseen], but without any display [just as it is configured to do!]

[Assuming that you don't have a recent image backup of the Windows partition made before the problematic change]
Go back to a Restore Point saved before this unfortunate configuration change.
That aught to restore to the way things were when all was well.

[mjc]

The 'last known good' should go back to the saved configuration whether or not the current one is 'bad'...

Is there video during POST/ BIOS?

If there isn't, then there is a 'bigger' problem...hardware related and not just Windows.

If that video card is a PCI-e card, then the BIOS should be set to use that first, not PCI.

Using the setting in BIOS to update the configuration may force Windows to detect the card again, if it is just a Windows problem.

[Sylvander]

"The 'last known good' should go back to the saved configuration whether or not the current one is 'bad'..."
The current configuration IS the "last known good configuration", and has been saved.
Windows "thinks" it's a perfectly good configuration because it produces a successful loading of Windows...
But "people" [like the user and you and me] think it's pretty useless because it gives no display [because it has been configured in error so to do].

[arpee]

I think Sylvander has really hit on it. As far as Windows is concerned, everything is just ducky -- it is only we mortals that can't see that it's operating just as it has been set for.

There is video during POST/BIOS and even the first XP splash screen -- then it goes black. Even more indication that it is during the Windows load that the settings are dictating a disabled adapter.

The "restore from last good" approach doesn't work, and, booting from safe mode, I can't get to a choice to pick a specific restore point -- this must happen after XP starts or something.
arpee

[mjc]

The point is, there is no way that you can totally disable all video drivers in Windows and have it go through a reboot and still have no drivers and be 'good'. By default, Windows will load at least a very basic driver...400x600 16 color simple VESA compatibility...a plain simple VGA driver. If it doesn't do that, then it isn't a 'good' boot.

Now, there may be an entirely different problem here...one that we are overlooking...what kind of monitor do you have?

[Sylvander]

1. "there is no way that you can totally disable all video drivers in Windows"
I may be misunderstanding due to incomplete knowledge, but here's the way I see it:
Windows wouldn't load any video drivers because all video adapters [including the windows "default adapter"] have been configured to be disabled.
After all, it might be that the user wanted Windows to run unseen [with no monitor connected?]

2. "and have it go through a reboot and still have no drivers and be 'good'"
I don't see why not; the user might want it to run that way, and as we all know, Windows can be configured to run in any one of innumerable ways.

3. "Windows will load at least a very basic driver...400x600 16 color simple VESA compatibility...a plain simple VGA driver."
Not if it has been told to disable ALL video adapters surely?

4. "If it doesn't do that, then it isn't a 'good' boot."
It is a good boot if it's been told to work that way.

I wonder if it would be possible to produce a fix by resetting the necessary configurations by editing the registry from outside of Windows?
Trouble is I don't know which settings in the registry would need changed. :(
[I'd have this fixed in minutes by restoring an image of the Windows partition. :) You haven't said, but I guess you don't have any, right?]

[Sylvander]

Was discussing this with ErnieK and he suggested...
Replacing your video card...
Perhaps with one borrowed for a short time.
The idea being that the new video card would not be disabled.
What about drivers though?
Normally you'd expect Windows would use the basic ["default"] drivers until you get the OEM driver installed.
But that won't happen will it?
Would it be possible to install drivers with Windows not running, and before the new card has even been swapped in?

And then when that works and you're into Windows you fix the problems with your own card and the "default".