ATI Expert 2000 a no-go in Win2000?

[Modus]

I was just putting together a system for a customer:

A/700
Gigabyte 7VM KX-133
128M PC133
Maxtor 20G 7200rpm
ATI Expert 2000 32M AGP (Rage 128 chipset)
AOpen 10x Slot DVD (this is why we used an ATI card)
etc, etc.

I'm installing Win2000 onto the blank, unpartitioned HD (it partitions and formats it for you), and all is well up till the part where "Windows is detecting and installing devices such as your keyboard and mouse. . ." At about 60% of the progress bar, the screen goes black with a text-mode cursor in the upper left corner. Then, about three seconds later, the screen fills up entirely with apostrophes ( ` ), two thousand of them to be exact because it's in the standard DOS 80x25 text mode. At this point, the system is frozen and must be reset. Rinse and repeat, ad nauseum.

The motherboard has the latest F2 BIOS. Safe mode won't help because Windows isn't even installed yet. Win98SE works great, of course. And Win2000 will work if I throw in a V3/2k, but as soon as I get everything installed and try to switch back to the Expert 2000, it gives me the same jazz. I only survive on the desktop for about 5 seconds before it happens.

Strangest thing. Ideas?

Modus

 

[The Stigenator]

sounds to me like a bad card. try putting a another ATI Xpert 2000 card in.. Make sure you got the Win2K drivers on hand.

I had a similar problem in NT4.0 it was stable until I added the ATI drivers in. I tried a another card and it worked fine.

 

[Modus]

Well, ATI says that Win2K has full driver support for cards like the Expert 2000 which are based on the standard Rage 128 chipset. The only Win2K drivers available from ATI are "special purpose" -- a euphemism for beta -- and not recommended for maximum stability. Regardless, I cannot even get to the point where drivers come into the picture, because Windows does not even finish installing.

I suppose the card could actually be defective, but why would the problem only show up in W2K and not 98SE? I guess I'll RMA to my supplier and try a replacement card.

Has anyone else experienced these symptoms?

Modus

 

[Tripleshot]

Modus

I know you know what you're doing,but just a thought. Is the card on the Win2K HCL?Do you have another AGP card to try?

 

[The Stigenator]

Modus when I get home let me email you my Win2K drivers for my RageFuryPro that also works for the Xpert 2000.

TGG

 

[Modus]

Tripleshot,

Microsoft provides built in support for Rage 128 chipsets under Windows 2000, so I would assume it is covered in the HCL. ATI also has a "special purpose" (read beta) driver for W2K.

The_good_guy,

You don't understand. I can't even get to the point where drivers become an issue. Windows 2000 won't even finish installing before it hangs with that demented screen.

I'm beginning to think it's a defective card. What I'd really like to see is some responses from people running the Expert 2000 in W2K successfully.

Modus

 

[The Stigenator]

Modus,
I am not running Expert 2000, but I am running the Rage Fury Pro, which is very similar to the Expert 2000, and infact under Win2K for video settings, it says "Expert 2000 / Rage Fury Pro 32 MB AGP".

Check your email in a while.

 

[cobain]

Have you tried the card in another computer, I got an ABIT motherboard ( suprise there hehe ) that refuses to boot into Win NT but is fine in Win 98.

 

[Electric Amish]

Hahahahahahahah!!!!

The curse of the apostrophe strikes again!!!!!


Yeah, Modus I got the same thing trying to use the Xpert 2000 on a brand new Win2K Server install.

My boss and I struggled with it for awhile, then traded vid cards to a Voodoo3 we had and it worked perfectly. I put the Xpert 2000 in a 98 box and it works just fine. Also, I've installed the Xpert 2000 in an NT box without any problems as well. I guess the Win2K setup just doesn't like that card.

amish

 

[Modus]

Electric Amish,

Interesting. It looks like I'm not alone. I'll go yell at the ATI people and see what they say.

Modus