troubles...need expert advice

Sorry for the long post...please bear with me--I've got a problem no one else has been able to help me with. So I'm turning to the experts...

I have a win98SE system that runs beautifully. It's on an AMD1ghz processor on an Asus A7V mobo with 512 mb ram. I have an Asus 7700 (GeForce 2GTS) graphics card on an AGP pro slot.

For Christmas I got an FX5700. It was a Leadtek. When I put it in everything seemed to be fine as I booted into windows (I've put in lots of video cards over the years). My desktop icons were in disarray so I started moving them back into position. Not long after the screen went blank and the system froze. Through about twenty reboots, uninstalling and reinstalling drivers and the card, the problem never went away and in fact by the end I could just barely get into windows before the system froze.

I sent the card back as defective and got an MSI in exchange. The same problem.

That's when I started calling people--Nvidia, Asus, MSI....

I have flashed my bios. Upgraded my chipset drivers (VIA 4-in-1). Installed the very latest nvidia drivers, re-installed DirectX 9.0b...and done all this in different sequences. Nothing helps. The longest I have gotten the MSI to run was about 20 minutes...just staring at it.

MSI suggested I reinstall windows...over the top of the old install. (Remember this is a very clean system with no real problems) But I cannot complete the install. At the very end after I've entered my registration code and and directed Windows to restart I get an error message saying that my display, or display adapter (I can't remember the exact message) is not configured properly. At which point the hardware configuration utility will start. But nothing I can do will get me through re-configuring the display. In the end, I get locked up and a re-start ends up reloading my previous registry.

MSI also suggested (when I relayed the above) that I delete the HKEY_LOCAL_Machine/ENUM directory and restart my computer. Did that. What a mess! But I worked my way through it until I had almost everything back in place and then tried to reinstall the MSI card. No joy. And it was hell to get back to my previous configuration.

The HKEY_LOCAL_Machine/ENUM/MONITOR directory has three subfolders: DEFAULT MONITOR (with two PCI_VEN_10DE&DEV subfolders), NEC4382 (one PCI_VEN_10DE&DEV subfoler), and NEC4C04 (five PCI_VEN_10DE&DEV subfolders). My actual monitor is a NECFP950

So...my question is should my registry contain three monitor entries?

Can I delete the whole MONITOR directory and, in the restart, properly configure my monitor?

And what should be there under the MONITOR directory?

Just as importantly, does anyone have any other ideas? I'd really love to be able to play Call of Duty!

DW

 

Just a thought,
Do you have a card in the slot next to your agp card, if you do you might have to remove it to another slot, also I'm not sure about the A7V motherboard being compatable to a AGP 8X video card. I would look to see if they are. Other wise it look's as if you have covered everything else quite well. Some how the slot compatability question rings a bell somewhere in my dark memory bank. Hope this helps, keep us posted.

Houston

By the way what size power supply are you running?

 

Houston,

Thanks for the reply. Dern! I wish there was an answer there...

I don't have anything next to my video card. The fan on the Leadtek was too fat and I had to move my sound card first thing.

Asus said that the board should be compatible and that the AGP pro slot was compatible. I even checked on the voltages...the AGP pro slot on the Asus A7V mobo will supply either 3.3 or 1.5 volts.

Also the PS is 350w...again I check with both Nvidia and MSI...it should be more than sufficient.

Hey, thanks....good thoughts...all of them.

DW

 

PeteC has a good point, have you retried your old video card? If not I would just to verify your system integrity, if everything is good one would have to assume (hate that word) that the problem is in the video card and or the environment that you are trying to put it in, ie, system not compatible with video card.
There have been some problems with that particular card that were corrected with the FX5900 card, only the manufacturer would know, and I'm pretty sure you would have a hard time getting them to verify that particular problem. There are several ATI cards that are compatible in price but outperform the FX5700 that you might want to look into, other then that don't know what to tell you, but will research to see if there is a more definitive answer.
Good luck, sorry couldn't be of more help.

Houston

BtW: Last I saw of a A7V (early board) the BIOS did NOT accept a 8X video, my friends won't. 4X is the highest it will handle. That is with the current BIOS update.

 

Pete C.

Device manager shows the correct monitor (NEC FP950) and "properties" reports it as working properly.

Houston,

The FX5700 is supposed to be backward compatable with 4XAGP. Nvidia says it is, MSI says it is and Asus says the A7V supports 4x...very well too, according to them.

I have put the old video card back in every time I've gotten frustrated rebooting the MSI (or the Leadtek). It is stable and drives my monitor beautifully. I play games such as MOHAA and do some graphics work--photo manipulations, etc.--and never have a problem. I need a good, fast, 100% DirectX ( compatible card to play Call of Duty.

I would have gone for the ATI...what is it, the 9600?--same price range as the FX5700 but a little faster--but I was under the impression that they are not compatible with Win98...only WinXP. Is that correct? Will the ATI cards you mention work, in Win98?

Hey...thanks guys, for brainstorming on this. I appreciate the time and energy.

DW