4850 no video prior to driver install

[dpstrand]

So I put together a new PC using a 4850. The motherboard has on board video, it's a GeForce7050 / 610i chipset.

I disabled the video card in the bios, plugged in the 4850, and the bios, and dos vesa video mode for the first part of the xp install shows video just fine.

Where I run into trouble is where the xp install reboots into the 640x480 mode to finish up installation. At this point there is no video from the 4850. Well, rather than outputting nothing, it appears to be outputting 640x480 black screen (the monitor has a washed out black image, detects 640x480).

I can switch back to the onboard and it can display this 640x480 (the no driver compatibility mode) with no problem. The 4850 just displays a black/grey screen.

What do I do? I can't load the ati driver since I can't see the desktop. Could it be a bad 4850?

 

[dpstrand]

Side note: I removed the 4850 and switched back to the onboard video to finish the xp install, which worked fine. Now that the install is done, anytime I use the onboard video it works fine, but anytime I switch to the 4850 I get video up through the "starting windows" splash screen and progress bar deal, and then it switches to this black screen. Windows clearly starts (start up sound chimes), but I get the same black/grey screen.

I tried the analog composite video, component video, and the normal dvi video (dvi to analog converter due to older monitor without dvi).

I have an antec case with an earthwatts 430w power supply, I don't think that is the problem.

 

[shangshang]

430W should be enough, I have it too.

Try to boot into XP Safe Mode. If this still doesn't work (ie, you're still seeing black/grey), then I think have problem because:

1. the PCI-E slot is bad. (You can test this if you have another pcie video card)
2. the 4850 is bad. You can exchange it if you bought it at a retail. (btw, make sure the 4850 6pin power connector has power going into it!)

I have a feeling the video card could be bad.

 

[dpstrand]

I don't have another pci-e card to use to test the slot, but I think I'll go ahead and exchange it, or see if they will test it for me, at best buy tonight.

 

[dpstrand]

I exchanged the 4850 tonight and get the same result.

Could it be the motherboard?

Has anyone else seen a problem like this with an ati and an nforce motherboard?

 

[FSH42NA]

Is this an ECS crap mobo that came as pkg deal at Fry's? If so and you have the same problem after getting another 4850, then it's probably the mobo (got 2 of those myself to keep as paperweights - noone wants to buy them from me:shocked

 

[dpstrand]

Yes it is the crap ECS from the package deal at fry's. It's the GF7050VT-M.

I figured out what the problem was. In the bios there is a setting called "Top of Memory under 4GB" which I had set to 3.5 GB. When I set it back to 3.25 GB the 4850 works fine, no black screen. Hurrah!!