7300GT not being recognized on Dell Optiplex GX260

Here is the situation:

I recently uncovered a [relatively] old Dell Optiplex GX280. It used to have an AGP 7300GT that I used a while ago (confirmed to be working), so I found that and put it in the computer. Things worked just fine, until I was updating drivers. It would not update because apparently my card was operating in "reduced performance mode," on account of my not plugging in the extra power adapter.

So, I turned everything off and put the cable in, and turned it back on, only to find that my card was not being recognized at all. Under Device Manager (Windows XP, btw), the 7300GT was listed as "This device cannot start (Code 10)." Even when I unplug the extra power and turn it back on, it is still not recognized.

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

I checked an Optiplex GX270, the power supply has a maximum output of 210Watts. Check your's and the information about the 7300GT. I expect it will suggest a power supply of over 350W. If there is not enough power, it could damage the system.

Assuming there is enough power, I would highlight it in Device Manager select Uninstall (you can also right-click on it). When you reboot the New Hardware wizard will run, direct it to the drivers CD.

Look in Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs for anything relating to the onboard graphics and uninstall it (actually this should be done before shutting down to install the add-in card, so you might need to try and uninstall everything related to graphics and start again).

Matt

 

There is enough power, I am sure.

I uninstalled the drivers and then reinstalled the old drivers that came on the CD, and it worked perfectly. Of course, these drivers are well over 2 years old, so I decided to update to the most recent iteration. After rebooting, I was stuck again, so it seems the problem may have something to do with this particular driver.

 

I am just changing the graphics on my own computer. I am upgrading the power supply to a recommended type (not that I wanted to, but I would rather be on the safe side).

If you seem to have a problem with drivers, try booting into Safe Mode and doing those uninstalls I mentioned.

I suppose you have Service Pack 3. That may require updated drivers. I don't expect Dell will have recent drivers for the chipset, so seek them out at Intel (you won't need the type that include the onboard graphics drivers).

Something I might suggest is happening...
The extra power will supply "extra" features on the graphics card. When you rebooted the extra features were activated, but there was not enough power to run them.

I have just been looking at information at nVidia myself
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/..._new_search=1&p_search_type=answers.search_nl

Matt

 

It seems highly unlikely to me that this is a power issue, as I have been operating this card for about one and a half years at low temps and no stability issues. And, considering that my power supply is about 300W, and this source suggests my card needs very little power, I am beginning to think it is a driver issue.

In the meantime, I have found my original CD with the drivers from a long while ago and installed those: they seem to operate fine, but since they are 2 years old, I'd like to update to the newer ones.

 

some cards will not function at they're best with the latest drivers.