Need help finding the video card

Isn't there a way to find what video card your using without opening your case and looking. I wouldn't know where to look for a video card. I've changed out modems and installed cd burners but that's the extent of my hardware knowledge. I received a new LCD monitor and a blue streak or tinge appeared down the left side of the screen and after talking to a tech, he said because of the indications (he walked me through properties and found indicators to him) that I needed to update my video card driver.

PS: I went to my device manager and saw a yellow ? mark where it says video card controller and also found in the control panel under sounds and audio devices that it said I had a legacy video card maybe. In device manager, it said it was vga compatible?

 

Go to http://www.lavalys.com/products.php?lang=en and download the free home edition. That should tell you what video card you have in your computer.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi,

If you are interested.
Your "graphics adapter" will be either an add-in card or as chips buillt into your motherboard (onboard). If it is onboard graphics you will be able to get the drivers from the motherboard manufacturers website (or from the motherboard/chipset drivers disk that came with the computer). If it is an add-in card (where you plug the monitor cable is into a card in an add-in slot), you could identify it by removing it from the slot and looking at the model number printed on the card. When you take out the card be careful not to touch the electronics. If it is an AGP card it may have a lug/pin that you need to hold open (see the motherboard manual).
When you replace the card, push evenly to reseat it. It should line up easily to replace the holding bolt.

This is in case the Everest program does not seem to accurately identify the graphics/video.

You should be able to find the drivers by putting the model number into a Google search.

Matt

 

I ran the program and it told me that the video device was an Via\S3 unichrome. I've went to Via Techknologies and downloaded two drivers and neither will finish installing. It says to check my windows directory for progress.

 

Looks like you have onboard graphics based on a VIA chipset.

There are many models of the Unichrome graphics. Rather than "hit and hope ", it would be better to find out the model of your motherboard, then find the specifications for it, that will give you the information you need about the system now and in the future and quick access to the drivers you need. I think that you are going to need the motherboard/chipset drivers (Hyperion or 4in1) as well.

I suppose that you do not have the motherboard manual or drivers CD that came with the computer. Although you don't wish to open the case, that may eventually be your only option. If you open the case and ID the mobo now, you will probably save a lot of back-tracking futher down the line. It should just be a matter of taking off the cover and looking at the board (maybe carefully pushing aside some of the cables and wiring). The model number is usually printed between the PCI slots or next to the CPU (on some older models it was on the edge or in the corner). In case it happens to be a branded computer, like a Packard-Bell, you would need to get the information from the manufacturer's website about identifying it.

Armed with the motherboard model number, you can find the specifications and identify the chipset model and graphics model. Download and install the chipset drivers first, then install the graphics drivers. With the proper drivers installed the system should go a LOT better

PS If you are using Win XP make a restore point before you start so you can roll-back if you need to.

Matt

 

Thanks Matt, I'll look into that. The program mentioned earlier uncovered the motherboard I believe.