WIN XP PRO Reinstallation Probems

[Hutch]

Looks like we are getting somewhere :)

 

Two steps forward and one step back . . . .

 

I duly refitted the video card yesterday and powered-up, and was instantly right back where I was a few days ago: corrupted and unstable graphics. Once again, following the system crashing, the MS error message blamed the instability on the Radeon 9250 driver (rather than the device itself).

 

I removed the video card once more today, rebooted and all was well again - but only after reinstalling the SiS VGA drivers. This puzzles me somewhat as I can't think of any reason for the drivers becoming uninstalled - I wouldn't have thought the Radeon 9250 video card drivers would have replaced the SiS VGA drivers.

 

So what do I do next??? I have just reinstalled Service Pack 2 which, from memory, includes drivers for the Radeon 9250. I suppose I could refit the video card once again(!) and try installing the relevant drivers from Windows XP SP2.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi rather than trying the video card yet, you do need to install service pack3 while the system and graphics are still stable on the original VGA system, it will have to go in at some point anyway, in order to regain what little Microsoft support is still giving in security patches etc.

Once service pack 3 is installed, then check the card out, who knows it may be down to some instability that service pack 2 or three has fixed, as also the current XP drivers for the card may also be geared up to work with SP2 or 3.

 

See how it goes, if instability returns after that it can only be some coincidence that something on the card has failed around the time the original hard drive did. I know we all thought the card should be OK, but sometimes we can be wrong.

 

Nev.

[JphnnyH]

Just a thought.

The symptoms you describe sound like an interrupt problem. Does the BIOS have an option for Operating System, and if so is it set to plug and play?

JH

[Synapse]

Go back to post 9. Check the device ID, if your Radeon card is not a standard device, the standard drivers may not install. To be sure of exactly what it is you need to look at the Device ID.

 

Go to Device Manager, right click over your Radeon and select Properties., then over to Details and select Hardware ID from the dropdown box.

 

Mine looks like this PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DE9&SUBSYS_14771043&REV_A1

 

Post yours please.

[KenB]

Hi again

 

Please take a look at Nev's post first.

Update to SP3 then take a look at the other advice.

[Hutch]

Just a thought.

The symptoms you describe sound like an interrupt problem. Does the BIOS have an option for Operating System, and if so is it set to plug and play?

JH

 

Hi, thanks for your input.

 

No, I've checked the BIOS and there is no option for the OS.

[Hutch]

Go back to post 9. Check the device ID, if your Radeon card is not a standard device, the standard drivers may not install. To be sure of exactly what it is you need to look at the Device ID.

 

Go to Device Manager, right click over your Radeon and select Properties., then over to Details and select Hardware ID from the dropdown box.

 

Mine looks like this PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DE9&SUBSYS_14771043&REV_A1

 

Post yours please.

 

I'm just waiting for the download of Service Pack 3 to complete then I'll install it and refit the video card. Then I'll be able to let you know about the Device ID. The only anomaly I had encountered whilst previously attempting to install the video card was a warning about the driver being unsigned, but this is nothing out of the ordinary so I went ahead and overrode the caution. Besides, this occurred when originally installing the software for the video card and all went OK back then.

[Hutch]

Hi rather than trying the video card yet, you do need to install service pack3 while the system and graphics are still stable on the original VGA system, it will have to go in at some point anyway, in order to regain what little Microsoft support is still giving in security patches etc.

Once service pack 3 is installed, then check the card out, who knows it may be down to some instability that service pack 2 or three has fixed, as also the current XP drivers for the card may also be geared up to work with SP2 or 3.

 

See how it goes, if instability returns after that it can only be some coincidence that something on the card has failed around the time the original hard drive did. I know we all thought the card should be OK, but sometimes we can be wrong.

 

Nev.

 

OK, thanks for that. I've just downloaded SP3 and am installing it even as I speak. Regarding the instability, I'm pretty sure that the original OS wasn't even SP2, let alone SP3, and yet the video card installed and ran without issues a year ago. When I obtained the computer s/h a year ago, after first installing the video card I then loaded SP2 because the pc didn't have USB2.

[Hutch]

Hi again

 

Please take a look at Nev's post first.

Update to SP3 then take a look at the other advice.

 

Thanks again! I'm just in the throes of loading SP3 now, then I'll refit the video card.

[Hutch]

Thanks again! I'm just in the throes of loading SP3 now, then I'll refit the video card.

 

I've just finished installing SP3 and have refitted the video card. Curiously, the Hardware Update Wizard didn't appear this time when the pc was first rebooted but seems to have automatically installed Window's own Radeon 9200 PRO Family driver. Unfortunately it's once again doing exactly the same as before - corrupted and unstable graphics, the display going blank and the computer shutting down. If anything, it's now even more unstable than before.

 

I then attempted to update the driver to Radeon's own from the video card's disk, rebooted again and it's started-up in Safe Mode. There's an Invalid Display Settings warning that says: "The currently selected graphics display driver can not be used. It was written for a previous version of Windows and is no longer compatible with this version of Windows. The system has been started using the default VGA driver." Once again the problem seems to be caused by the driver, not the video card itself. Has installing SP3 now made the situation worse???

[Plastic Nev]

Try the drivers from the Radeon site as they should be up to date for W XP SP3. If still no good then the card must be the reason and not drivers.

 

Nev.

[KenB]

Hi

 

Do you have internet access ?

If so try this first:

Running from the unstable video Card

Start > Run ....type in .....devmgmt.msc ....ENTER

Click the + next to Video and Game Controllers

Right click on your Video Card > Update Drivers.

 

Let Windows do this automatically.

[Hutch]

Go back to post 9. Check the device ID, if your Radeon card is not a standard device, the standard drivers may not install. To be sure of exactly what it is you need to look at the Device ID.

 

Go to Device Manager, right click over your Radeon and select Properties., then over to Details and select Hardware ID from the dropdown box.

 

Mine looks like this PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DE9&SUBSYS_14771043&REV_A1

 

Post yours please.

 

Between involuntary shutdowns, I've managed to copy the Hardware IDs for the Display Adaptor:

 

PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5960&SUBSYS_59601002&REV_01

PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5960&SUBSYS_59601002

PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5960&CC_030000

PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5960&CC_0300

 

I'm mildly curious about the PCI prefixes as this is an AGP card.

[Hutch]

Try the drivers from the Radeon site as they should be up to date for W XP SP3. If still no good then the card must be the reason and not drivers.

 

Nev.

 

I've already previously tried these without success. Even I'm beginning to wonder if it's the card now, although the Windows error messages suggest otherwise.

[Hutch]

Hi

 

Do you have internet access ?

If so try this first:

Running from the unstable video Card

Start > Run ....type in .....devmgmt.msc ....ENTER

Click the + next to Video and Game Controllers

Right click on your Video Card > Update Drivers.

 

Let Windows do this automatically.

 

I'd have to try and rig an external USB LAN to access the internet, and the system is so unstable now that I doubt it would work.

[KenB]

Do you have a connection for an ethernet cable ?

You can boot up from Safemode with Networking.

 

===========

 

Did you use this previously ?

 

click here

[Synapse]

Thanks for the info, confirmed ATI 9250 AGP card.

 

I've read the whole thread again......

 

Do you uninstall the onboard video drivers before you install the 9250, and install the ATI drivers? You should do.

 

Even if you disable an onboard video adapter the software can still conflict.

 

The correct sequence is to uninstall onboard drivers, shutdown. Install new card, boot up and install new drivers.

 

Also, have you tried just installing the 9250 driver rather than the whole Catalyst suite?

[Hutch]

Thanks for the info, confirmed ATI 9250 AGP card.

 

I've read the whole thread again......

 

Do you uninstall the onboard video drivers before you install the 9250, and install the ATI drivers? You should do.

 

No, I have never ever uninstalled the onboard video drivers whenever I have retrofitted a video card, not in this case or previously. When I originally fitted the Radeon 9250 a year ago I didn't uninstall the VGA drivers and it was running perfectly up until the moment when the hard drive died a couple of weeks ago.

 

Even if you disable an onboard video adapter the software can still conflict.

 

The correct sequence is to uninstall onboard drivers, shutdown. Install new card, boot up and install new drivers.

 

Again, I have never done this previously. The only time I have uninstalled a video card driver is when I have updated to another driver.

 

Also, have you tried just installing the 9250 driver rather than the whole Catalyst suite?

 

Yes, but without success. The ATI installer package only appears to want to install the whole CCC suite. Whenever I try to run the setup for just the drivers, I get a 'Severe' error message that says: "Setup did not find a driver compatible with your current hardware or operating system." And this is from the disk supplied with the video card!

[Hutch]

Do you have a connection for an ethernet cable ?.

 

Yes, but since installing SP3 I have lost connection with my laptop and am still trying to restore it.

 

You can boot up from Safemode with Networking.

 

Thanks for reminding me - I had forgotten about the list of Advanced Startup options

 

Did you use this previously ?

 

click here

 

Yes, this where I obtained an alternative set of drivers from.

[KenB]

Hi again

 

Try the Safe Mode with Networking.

 

If you can get an internet connection try Device Manager and update the drivers automatically from there.

 

( you will need the problem video card in the slot )