Resolved Display out of range in safe mode

Some time ago I installed a Geforce FX5200 from an old dead computer into my current XP box to enable correct wide-screen display on my LCD monitor. It works fine but I just discovered that I cannot get any display in safe mode, regardless of what I set the resolution to. Also no display on an older square LCD monitor. Everything says out of range. I researched this but the only advice is to lower the resolution but even at the lowest (800 x 600) I still get out of range in safe mode. Is there a solution for this?

 

Why are you even in Safe Mode?

 

Why are you even in Safe Mode? - I was trying to install a program that was giving me trouble. Eventually I got it working but now that I know I can't use Safe Mode, I want to try to fix that in case I do ever need it. As far as the refresh rate goes, I did look at that but it is set to 60 hz, which is correct for the monitor.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I already did all that. When I installed the card I downloaded the correct driver (the same one you link to). I also left the sides off the case so everything has abundant airflow and the card heat sink is cool to the touch (just checked it).

 

Yes, the mobo has integrated graphics but I'm not sure how to get back to that. The Nvidia card is the only thing that shows on Control Panel so maybe the new drivers replaced the old ones. Anyway I just get a blank screen if I plug into the on-board connector. I'm a little hesitant to pull out the card because I don't want to mess up what I've got now, which works perfectly except for Safe Mode.

The reason I didn't enter system details is because I didn't know what to say. I have multiple OS installations on several computers and I use them all interchangeably. Windows keeps 'improving' things that don't need it so programs that work perfectly well with one system become useless with another (read Windows 7). I have certain software that I am used to and I like and I don't want to have to keep upgrading to new stuff I don't like. So at this moment (it changes all the time) I have four desktops plus a laptop running 98SE (for compatibility), XP Pro, Vista SP2, Win7 and Ubuntu. What I use at any given moment depends on what I want to use it for.

If I could get the on-board graphics to work again alongside the Nvidia card, I think that might solve my problem. Moving the monitor plug to get into Safe Mode would be an acceptable solution and it might be the easiest answer. From things I have read, Nvidia seems to have a reputation for quirkiness so the problem may well be due to the card.

 

I did look at the BIOS early on but I could find nothing relating to the display. I just checked again but there seem to be no relevant settings. I have actually played with this in other machines so I do have an idea what to look for but I can find nothing here. Maybe it is helpful to provide more specific details of this particular computer. I just ran a diagnostic and the BIOS is Phoenix 6.00, 2005. The motherboard is Foxconn 661FX, SIS chipset. It also says the graphic interface is AGP version 3.0.

I want to thank you again for all the trouble you have taken to think with me on this. I do appreciate it.

 

Yes, that looks right. I searched through all the sections but didn't see anything that looked right. What would they call it here?

 

And that's where it goes wrong. I don't have anything like the screen you are showing. I will try to capture an image of my version later but I can't do it right now because I am using this machine and there are other things I have to get to. Also, not sure how to do a screen grab when in the BIOS. I will let you know as soon as I work it out.

 

I just tried to attach an image of the corresponding section in my BIOS. Not sure if the attachment worked. The image uploaded but after that I couldn't close the page. At any rate, I can find nothing relating to initial display setting or anything like it under advanced features or anywhere else in the BIOS. My BIOS version is 6.00 PG, dated 11/29/2005.

 

If you take your VGA connector (from Monitor) out of the AGP Card and plug it into the VGA connector in the Rear Panel and boot the comp - what happens? Neil.

 

All I get is a blank screen. I tried this with different (LCD) monitors.

 

This attachment shows all other relevant BIOS pages, including Advanced Chipset Features and Integrated Peripherals. I see nothing anywhere that appears to change the initial display.

Edit: I was just looking at my uploaded image and suddenly I noticed, plain as day, Init Display First. I swear I have studied the BIOS intently dozens of times and for some reason I never saw this. I feel like a complete fool. I am going to reboot the computer now and see if this does the trick.

 

Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.