Can I run a PC w/o a vid card?

[darkcity]

I have an old PC (P166 on EPOX P55-TV) that I want to set up as a file server and I'm wondering if once I get it set up can I yank the card and have it still boot in and run windows 98? I'll just remote in using pcanywhere whenever I need to modify anything. This'll save me from having to get a cheapo card for the machine.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Scootin159]

Linux would make a much faster & much more reliable file server for you. I'm pretty sure that will boot without a video card too. Linux is also much more friendly to remote administration.

 

[Zorba]

I think that a computer needs some sort of video out to post. if you have intergrated video that would work, or you could probably get a cheap ISA video card.

 

[kylef]

Most computers that I've seen will not boot without a video card. You'll get a beep code from the BIOS that translates to "No Video output device present."

This comes as bad news to us, because we have a 32-node Beowulf cluster in which each machine has a Geforce 2 video card that isn't even used!

We've considered purchasing some dirt-cheap PCI video cards and swapping them for the Geforce cards just so we can put the good cards to good use

 

[Viper GTS]

There may be an option in the BIOS to halt on no errors, that should allow it to work.

Viper GTS

 

[Scootin159]

<< Most computers that I've seen will not boot without a video card. You'll get a beep code from the BIOS that translates to &quot;No Video output device present.&quot;

This comes as bad news to us, because we have a 32-node Beowulf cluster in which each machine has a Geforce 2 video card that isn't even used!

We've considered purchasing some dirt-cheap PCI video cards and swapping them for the Geforce cards just so we can put the good cards to good use >>



Why would you put Geforce cards in there to begin with? I'd never spend more than like $20 on a video card for a server.

 

[darkcity]

Wow, thanks for the help. I'll try the no errors/post thing. I just found a Matrox Millinium 2MB PCI that should fit the bill. The guy who I'm getting it from said it cost something like $450 when it first came out. I consider it quite a bargain at $10.

 

[kylef]

Scootin159: The machines in the cluster were donated by Intel to our ECE department at Duke University. They are dual P3-933's with the i840 chipset (dual RAMBUS channels), Ultra 160 SCSI with 10,000 RPM Seagate drives, and 1 gig of PC800 RDRAM each. They are actually re-badged Dell workstations, and the video cards just came as part of the package. I honestly don't know why Geforce 2 cards came standard, but I suppose they figured with all that other high-end hardware, they might as well throw in a decent video card as well Plus, I don't think they necessarily knew they were going into a Beowulf cluster. These things crunch numbers faster than we can generate problems

 

[MichaelD]

Wow! Nice donations...sheesh....I'd take one of those machines for my home rig ANYDAY!! Way cool.