Loss of Video on new card install

[KjmcSilver]

I am trying to install a new graphics card in my Dell 4550 (visiontek extasy, radeon 9550). When I boot with the new card, all is ok until after the XP startup screen. My video goes blank.

In my BIOS, I only have settings for primary video controller (auto or AGP) and AGP aperature size.

After trying to get the new card to work, I replaced the original video card (nvidia GeForce MX 420). The same behavior occurs.

I had to find a PCI card (Diamond S80, radeon 9250) in order get any video output.

Any ideas?

[Iniamyen]

Welcome to PCMech!

Did you uninstall your old video drivers in Windows before you changed the card?

What are your full system specifications?

If the video card has a power plug, is there a plug from the power supply in it?

[RazorDX]

Sounds like the AGP port may be bad. It happened to me on an older P2 based system... what power supply are you using? Mine went out because the PSU surged and fried the card, and the AGP slot hasn't worked since. It'll look alright in DOS and all, but once in Windows it would freeze completely, with no screen at all. If it's still the Dell PSU, it may have had a similar problem. The new card uses a quite a bit more power than the old, so it may have messed up there. You could always try a BIOS update, but I doubt Dell mobo's support that.

[flawedreality5]

That is strange. I had my 9600xt Radeon installed on my family's Dell 4550 for a while with no problems at all. This is a 4x AGP motherboard. Could the card be trying to run at 8x?

I believe Dell supports BIOS updates. Give it a shot