Major video problems, please help! ! !

[Sennin156]

System Specs: Epox 8k7a Mobo, AMD T-Bird 1.2ghz, 512mb DDR, Windows 2000, 30g WD HDD 7200 rpm, SB Live Value, Netgear NIC.

I just purchaced a Gainward GF3 Ti450 video card to replace my GF2 mx400 (getting passed down to another machine). I installed it and upon trying to install the drivers my copmuter reboots just as the process gets started. I cannot for the life of me get dirvers installed! It reboots everytime the first file starts to install. Upon returning to my desktop it will reboot again, and get stuck in an endless loop of reboots. I have to finnaly switch video cards to aliviate the problem.

I tried the GF3 card on my back up computer, a Celeron 333, diamond c300 mobo, sb 16, 256mb pc133, wd 8.2gb 5400. And it runs just fine. The install goes smooth and it runs games great (well as good as a celery 333 can, heh).

What's my problem?! Why can't I run this fancy, new, ferrari red, GF3 on my main machine? I've updated all my Mobo drivers, all the windows crit updates are on, DX 8.1 is installed......I can't think of anything else!

please help!

thanks in advance

Sennin

[Hikeon3]

Hmmm... Baffling

The only thing I can think of is perhaps to check your BIOS. Perhaps an option or two can jumpstart your I/O settings and force your ferrari red GF3 into existence.

Best Wishes

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Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?

T-Bird @1200mhz
512mb Mushkin pc133
Asus V7700 Pure
Funny looking mouse with a worn off Microsoft Logo (Thanks Diablo 2)

[RoadWarrior]

Just a couple of wild guesses:

Before trying to install make sure you switch your ccurrent (MX400) card back to the "standard VGA" driver. Then uninstall the MX drivers and any utilities. Once that is done try switching the cards.

If you have any overclocks going on that machine, back them off until you get the cards successfully switched.

That first suggestion has bailed me out a few times; the second one is pure SWAG.

I also just installed a Gainnward card (just yesterday), and I found the drivers on their CD lacking. I had the best results with these beta drivers: http://www.maxreboot.com/newspro/vie...4934025,87706, .

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Free advice, and worth every penny.

[Sennin156]

I got the drivers installed! after about 3-4 hours of trying everything in my not so vast knowledge, I got it to work!

Now I have another problem! heh. My machine (now with the GF3 installed) still does funny semi-random reboots. It reboots about 50% of the time when an install program starts up. After I got the drivers installed I wanted to install some of the programs I had lost. As soon as the install program comes up I does a full power exit reboot.

Could this have something to do with monitor refresh rates, or super cosmic energy circling the planet?

This is SOOOOOooooo frustrating!!!

[pradhan_aditya]

Could win 2k be the source of ur probs?
Win xp and 2k share the same core and u must have heard of the infinite loop prob in xp
Do u have a VIA chipset?

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Don't think you can..know you can

[blinky]

Can you run any games or demos without locking up.

My gut instinct is power supply (not sufficiently powerful enough, clean or stable enough).

How hot does your system run? Those geforce3's do kick out a fair amount of heat.

These are three of the most common reasons for random reboots in modern systems.

Is it branded DDR RAM?

NIC's and Soundblaster Lives both like to hog the PCI bus. Therefore careful selection of which PCI you use is critical.

Doesn't sound like the Infinite loop error but the latest version of NVmax has a fix for it.

[Sennin156]

I'm leaning toward the power supply also.

I'm using Kingston PC2100 Ram, and my temps seem very good.

I've got the machine pretty stable right now, tweaking the BIOS with WPCRedit/set.....no games though, it can't handle it. At least I can use IE and check my mail. I can run about 1 benchmark of the 16 in 3dmark2001 before I get a reboot.