Help, Chaintech GF2 TI blank screen over 640x480 in Windows

[CyberSpaceCowboy]

I bought a Chaintech (aso now known as VideoExcel) A-G220, a Geforce 2 TI with video out, to upgrade my old system. System specs are as follows:

mobo: FIC KA-6100, AT form factor Celeron/Pentium II Slot 1, VIA Apollo Pro, AGP 2x, 66MHz FSB

Slot 1 Celeron 400

300w AT power supply

128 Mb low density SDRAM


I can see Windows in Safe Mode or the 640x480 16 color default display imediately after installing the card. As soon as I try to increase color depth or resolution, I get a blank screen in Windows, except for an flashing orange DOS character sized rectangle in the upper left corner (with the Chaintech driver, with the latest Detonator drivers it's a small cluster of flashing white pixels).

Is the card DOA if works at lower resolutions? If not, similar postings I've found could suggest other problems. I did Enable "Assign IRQ to VGA" in the CMOS.

Possible?? causes
1. At higher resolutions, the card exceeds my monitor's refresh rate. I have a 17" CTX 1765GM, I don't think it goes higher than 75hz in any mode.
2. My CPU is too slow to use a GeForce2 card. I read one post where is was suggested that a MX400 was too fast for a P2 200.
3. Insufficient AGP voltage
4. Despite specs to the contrary, the video card cannot detect or can not scale back to AGP 2x. Another post mentions seting the card to 2x in software, disabling fast writes, and installing the driver in standard (vs. turbo) mode. Is there a Control Panel icon for all this, because I didn't find it in Display Properties. I swapped my Voodoo 3 back in before I went online.

The retailer has a 7 day limit on DOA returns, so I am working against a deadline. I think I'll be able to test the card against a friend's less obsolete system before I have to return it.

[CyberSpaceCowboy]

WalliJohn,- It doesn't seem to make much difference if I install the correct monitor driver or leave it at Default Monitor.


OK, the card checks out. I stuck it in a friends AGP 4x PIII 866 this weekend and it comes up fine in high res in Windows (didn't try any games). I hooked up my monitor and it worked OK at higher resolutions as well.

Another thought, could my problem be software, either reminants of an old video driver (I've had several configurations without wiping out Windows) or some third party program running? Each time I install the Geforce driver, either Chaintechs or Detonator, it seems to install but the computer freezes on the "Wait for Windows to Shutdown" screen. The Chaintech driver installed cleanly on my friend's system and added tabs to "Display Properties" I've never seen on mine. One was "Device Properties" (I didn't think to write them down). Is this particular to Chaintech or is this default for nVidia drivers?

[CyberSpaceCowboy]

P.S. we set my friend's AGP slot to 2x in CMOS to see if the card was compatible and it still worked.

[Kruzin]

Try booting into Windows "safe mode", and checking your device manager there. If there are old driver mucking about, you will see them in safe mode, where they will often hide from you in normal mode.
If you see multiple/old/errant display devices while in safe mode, remove all adapters there, reboot, set to standard VGA, reboot, then install the correct drivers for your card...