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Thanks for all the help but I have thrown up my hands. I guess I will wait until I buy the KT266A motherboard I am planning on. Nothing worked so I put my ATI 4 meg PCI "all in wonder" card back in. >>
You know, I really, really don't intend to pour salt water on your open wounds, but I encourage you wholeheartedly to start thinking about your purchases a bit more and definitely use the Internet to research your information a
lot more than you've evidently done to date.
First rule of thumb I have for myself is that I never, ever, under any conditions buy anything from a store which refuses to take back an item--in other words, a store in which "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" is phrase from another galaxy that has absolutely no meaning...
That's one reason I buy from places like Best Buy's, which provides me up to 30 days to return an item like a videocard (14 days on other items) for
any reason whatsoever. It's a satisfaction-guaranteed-or-you-money-back kind of store for me, whenever it's possible. They ask absolutely no questions at Best Buy's and "I just didn't like the product" or "The product wasn't what I thought it would be" or "The product didn't work in my system" is all you need to say to either get a refund, an immediate exchange for the full price you paid for the item (no restocking fees), or a store credit--your choice--and never, ever any hassle whatever. Spending over $100 on a videocard should never be done lightly--as my dear old departed dad used to say, "Son, always try to see your way out of a situation before you get into it." Just some kindly, if unneeded, advice....
Secondly, I'd like to encourage you to really research your motherboard purchase--at least a lot better than you did with the videocard. It's not just the mobo, remember, it's everything that goes with it--such as ram, power supply, case, cpu, cooling fans, and etc. In short, there are a lot of other things you have to consider aside from the motherboard itself. I have some confidence that you are aware of these things, but based on your videocard purchase for what amounts to some really
old hardware (in general industry terms your mobo is ancient), I'm wondering if you've really thought through everything you're going to need when you buy this new motherboard.
Just a friendly reminder to do more research before you commit to a purchase--maybe there are no Best Buys or similar stores near you, but even among the Internet market you'll find stores with decent return policies. But in your case I'd definitely recommend you seek out some local expertise, get some suggestions, and then maybe come back to a forum and list whatever it is you're thinking of buying so as to get some feedback before you plunk down your hard-earned cash in the future.
I
hate businesses which won't accept returns on hardware for any reasons whatever. I've even had some lengthy newsgroup debates with Internet store owners who had the audacity to defend the policy (as though there was indeed anything reasonable at all about a take-your-money-and-run policy.) So I sympathize with you--it's also possible you may not have known about the "no-return" policy until it was too late. We do have a one or two local stores in my area with a "no return" policy on hardware--they'll never see a penny of my money for exactly that reason. Funny, how they just don't seem to understand how consumers would see such a policy as not only necessary practically, but as enticing as well. A lot of stuff I've bought at Best Buy's over the years I've bought simply because I knew I could return it if I didn't like it with no hassle. I've made my share of returns over the years, but I'd say on balance I return less than 10% of everything I buy, and I make a point of giving my business to businesses which are willing to stand by not only their merchandise, but by their customers as well.
Good luck in the future--and ask a few more questions next time...
Best to you!
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