Video Card Problem [Archive]

moparacer

11-23-2001, 08:29 PM

I have a Voodoo 4500 PCI 3DXF card in my old IBM Aptiva 2140 L61. I originally had a 8 MB Monster card in it for a couple of years with no problems. This card however resets my monitor color to 16 colors when I boot the machine.And tells me the adapter is incorrect. I have to set it to 16 bit, reboot and then the screen goes blank after the Win 98 screen.I hit the kill switch and restart it and its ok then. I have tried different refresh rates and the onboard video is disabled. Anyone know what the problem might be? It is a IBM 2116 MM55 monitor.
I want to try to fix this so I can sell the PC to build my "hi po" one....

dead_eye

11-23-2001, 10:32 PM

Maybe driver problems. Unfortunately, if you already have the latest drivers, there isn't much you can do since 3dfx is out of business.

azscary

11-23-2001, 11:49 PM

That definately sounds like the wrong driver is loaded. try visiting http://www.driverguide.com/ It is a free site and has links to both manufacturers and private parties that have uploaded hard to find drivers. There is also a place where you can ID the hardware by entering the FCC ID number.

Good Luck!

azscary

11-24-2001, 01:57 AM

By the way, the user name is DRIVERS and the password is ALL both in lower case of course.

justbarron

11-24-2001, 09:38 AM

If memory serves, that monitor will not support the higher resolutions, if you have another monitor, try it out first.

justbarron

moparacer

11-24-2001, 11:44 AM

Yep, I am pretty sure its a compatibility problem with the MM55. 1024X768 is max on it. I have tried all sorts of drivers and nothing seems to work. The thing I dont understand though is that if I power off the PC after a blank screen, go back in in normal mode and reset to High Color 16 bit and restart its fine then. Until the next restart......

BFD Deadeye

11-24-2001, 12:16 PM

I'd be willing to bet that it is the monitor. I have ran into that problem many times. Usually, you can boot into safe mode, and install new video card drivers from the manufacturers website. That seems to work about 90% of the time, anyway.

mike breck

11-24-2001, 04:20 PM

If you didn't uninstall the Monster drivers before installing the Voodoo, then you have two sets of drivers kicking around which may be confusing Windows.
Usually it's better to completely uninstall existing video drivers before updating drivers or installing a new video card.

I would try uninstalling both sets of drivers. Instructions for the Voodoo are here

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=124242&t=6109#post124242

If you know the names of the Monster drivers, you could follow the same procedure to get rid of them.

However, if you're just trying to get the system running so you can sell it, then the easiest thing to do may be to reformat, install Windows, and try installing the Voodoo on a clean slate.