# screen goes blank with video card and vista



## jblewis (Sep 28, 2006)

hardware
amd x2 3800
2 gig ocz ddr400
1900 gt readon
80 gig hard drive with xp
40 gig for music
200 gig for vista
PSU ocz 700 watt

when i try to boot in vista the green loading bar comes up for a few seconds then goes black and vista boots up but the screen is blank. I am using a conversion from my video card because my monitor uses the old hook up i cant remember what each is called.

I have the latest vista driver for my video card but i can not get it to install.
I have tried to do it in vga (low resolution mode) but same problem happens
I can boot in safe mode but it wont install the video card driver in safe mode
if i take out video card it works fine but it wont let me install the driver for a card that is not there.
under hardware in safe mode it does find the video card.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi jblewis


How did you get Windows Vista to install with the X1900 if it won't display anything using the Standard VGA driver (which is what Vista Setup uses)? Did you install Vista using only the onboard graphics built into your PC's motherboard?

I'll assume you are talking about using a DVI-to-VGA adapter for your monitor. So - are you saying that the adapter works fine in Windows XP? Or does the X1900 blank out in both XP and Vista?

Try this ---
1) Disconnect any secondary screens (TVs, HD panels)
2) Enter the Bios Setup for your PC
3) Disable the onboard video
4) Try to boot into Vista's Safe Mode.
5) If the display is OK in Safe Mode, uninstall any onboard graphics drivers loaded into Vista (check that they are gone from "Programs & Features" in the Vista Control Panel)
6) Try the 7.7 version ATI Catalyst drivers (among the issues listed as "fixed" are 'no-display' issues with some monitors) --- http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/vista32/common-vista32.html ---

Any viable video card should be able to produce a VGA screen, so long as the PC's bios is configured properly, the board is receiving enough power, and the correct display is selected as the primary display --- Here is ATi's troubleshooter for your card when it doesn't display (included are suggested Bios Settings and power ratings by rail) --- http://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894

One last note: your card is known to be a notorious over-heater in poorly ventilated cases. Several threads around the net mention how much better the card does with a replacement heatsink/fan (Zalman, Thermaltake, etc.) -- or with an extra case fan pointed at it.

Best of luck
. . . Gary


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## jblewis (Sep 28, 2006)

to do the final installation of vista i took out my video card and used the on board video yes it is dvi to vga it works fine with windows xp.

I will try some of your suggestions and let you know thanks for the reply


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## jblewis (Sep 28, 2006)

The bios has been on a setting that when a video card is plugged in it uses it and the only other option is to always use the onboard one.

I cant really find a driver for the on board card it is not under hardware and there is nothing under program and features. 

I have been trying to install driver 7.7 but it does not work it says failed to load detection driver

the video card it fine everything works good in xp


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again


You mentioned that you were able to boot into Vista's Safe Mode with the x1900 in the slot -- try that again. This time, while in Safe Mode, look in the Control Panel's "Programs and Features" for whatever ATi drivers are installed -- if any are listed, remove them. This should force Vista to use the Standard VGA driver (the same one Safe Mode is using) the next time you boot normally into Vista. You can then try the 7.7 drivers from normal mode. Something may have gone wrong during your original try to install the x1900 drivers. 

Make sure you are logged in with Administrator privileges when you try the ATi driver installation again.

I'm a little surprised there's not a default ATi driver right there on the Vista DVD, if you are using the 32-bit version (of Vista). If you are using the 64-bit version - that's a whole different story = it's very easy to run into tangled driver situations, since many vendors haven't worked out decent 64-bit drivers just yet.
. . . Gary


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## jblewis (Sep 28, 2006)

there is nothing under programs and features.
under hardware manager i uninstalled the 1900x driver that was there. then i booted in low resolution mode and it worked.
and i was able to install the 7.7 driver but when i restarted it was blank again.

i am using 64 bit think it would be better to get 32


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again

It sounds like you might have found a bug in the 7.7 driver. You probably might want to report your experience to ATi/Amd by email.

Try removing & booting into low resolution again -- then rather than use the 7.7 drivers, choose to "select from a list" = (I looked, and there is an x1900 driver included on the Vista DVD, if you see an x1900 on the list & you've installed the 64bit Vista, then it should be 64bit certified = try using that driver - at least until Ati works out the bugs in the 7.7 version).

"Cutting-edge" technology can be a bit painful at times - but it's fun to test things out.

See how it goes
. . . Gary


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## D1m3b4g (Dec 24, 2007)

HI

I've just bought a barebones system from a company called novatech and installed Vista x64 on it. I'm having EXACTLY the same issue as this thread describes.

I installed Vista with the onboard VGA card that came with the system, absolutely no issues at all. Plug in the X1900 card, no issues again at all. Install the latest ATI drivers for it, 7-11 i believe it is up to now and the machine will not init a display at all when it boots past the splash screen.

Pull the card out and the onboard works perfectly.
I cant even get into safe mode as the damn BIOS seems to completely ignore the USB keyboard after its gone through initial post so it just sits there frozen until the timer runs out.

Rather angry at this to be honest, its christmas eve and I didnt really want to be sat there playing tech support for my mums new pc. I'll fiddle a bit more but im not holding out much hope, gonna strip the ATI drivers off anyway as soon as I can.

Paul


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## D1m3b4g (Dec 24, 2007)

Sigh, more problems.
Tried to go into safe mode on the card by putting a ps2 keyboard in it, worked fine.
Couldnt remove the ATI drivers in safemode apparently. Not allowed. Useful.
Rebooted after pulling the card out yet again, removed ATI stuff from control panel.
Wasnt satisfied the driver had been removed (it hadnt) got driver cleaner pro. Installed that, it hung halfway through and did nothing. Saw that it had deleted *some* ati related files though. Shut machine down.

Put x1900 back in, restarted machine. Same black screen post splash screen on boot.
Whoever's fault this is for causing me to sit here like an idiot trying to get something painfully simple to work deserves a stab in the face to be honest. This is starting to enrange me. If its not vista pissing me about with network drivers its ati not being able to code decent vista drivers and microsoft for making the mother of all awkward operating systems where I have to go through about 100 menus to find anything useful.

I can't "give up" either because this *needs* to work for christmas day tomorrow.
I'm severely annoyed.


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