Curse

Lux Aeterna · Aug 11, 2009, 09:43 PM // 21:43

- Tried to update graphics drivers
- No drivers listed in add/remove programs
- Went through the computer management, device manager, to video card driver options, used this to uninstall the drivers.
- Computer switched to 8bit 640x480 mode as it does with no graphics driver
- Video card driver properties still shower driver files including the main .dll still there.
- Used a driver cleanup utility from guru3d.com, trying to avoid install errors.
- Screen is now completely black after Windows starts

What do?

Card is Geforce 4MX, which bottlenecks the otherwise nice system, and has not had a driver update since it was bought.

moriz · Aug 11, 2009, 10:48 PM // 22:48

press F8 on startup and go into save mode with networking. install the drivers there.

gremlin · Aug 11, 2009, 10:48 PM // 22:48

Its a gforce so go to the nvidia site and either fill in the details manually for card operating system etc or use the auto detect feature.

This works fine for internet explorer

It is usually a very smooth operation but they also have a program for removing old drivers if there is a problem updating.

Lux Aeterna · Aug 13, 2009, 04:34 AM // 04:34

Screen is blank from windows onward.

Computer doesn't have a VGA.

May buy new graphics card, plug it in with CD.

More advice?

rb.widow · Aug 13, 2009, 10:20 AM // 10:20

If the computer is not posting a screen at all, id be inclined to think your GFX card needs replacing. Do you have another computer you can test the card in to check if indeed the card is dead.

gremlin · Aug 13, 2009, 06:12 PM // 18:12

You could look in direcx x to see if it says the graphics functions are working.

run dxdiag.exe and see what it reports.

If nothing shows under display assume card is bust.

You could also pull out the card and then put it back again.
Switch the computer back on and see if it detects new hardware.

edit
I should really read posts properly before replying
Black screen kinda makes my advice pointless lol

Kamatsu · Aug 13, 2009, 08:40 PM // 20:40

So when you boot into safe mode you get a blank screen as soon as windows starts booting?

Are you able to see the bios startup screen?

Because it's sounding possible that the video drivers are completely borked - because if your seeing the bios startup.. but things go blank when Windows start's.. that sounds like a Windows issue..

You might need to re-install windows.. by booting from the windows install cd and re-installing from there.

Lux Aeterna · Aug 14, 2009, 02:54 AM // 02:54

For those who fail at reading: I uninstalled the video drivers via graphics card options, then cleaned the files (which seemed to be the entire driver, still installed after my attempt to uninstall it) with a third party driver cleaner, following this I get a blank screen after Windows starts.

Motherboard does not have a VGA.

Pressing F8 during startup gives me a boot menu, but not a safe mode option, following booting off the most likely hard drive I get a blank screen.

Will either just buy a new card, or post on the graphics site where I got a driver cleanup app.

Reformatting is an option, but it's not even my computer and I'd really rather not.

moriz · Aug 14, 2009, 03:17 AM // 03:17

then press F-something until you get the menu to boot into safe mode. i don't remember which key it is for XP. it might be F12, or F1, or F4(?)

Tarun · Aug 14, 2009, 03:52 AM // 03:52

F8, but it depends on the hardware to my knowledge.

rick1027 · Aug 14, 2009, 09:30 AM // 09:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Aeterna

For those who fail at reading: I uninstalled the video drivers via graphics card options, then cleaned the files (which seemed to be the entire driver, still installed after my attempt to uninstall it) with a third party driver cleaner, following this I get a blank screen after Windows starts.

Motherboard does not have a VGA.

Pressing F8 during startup gives me a boot menu, but not a safe mode option, following booting off the most likely hard drive I get a blank screen.

Will either just buy a new card, or post on the graphics site where I got a driver cleanup app.

Reformatting is an option, but it's not even my computer and I'd really rather not.

m,y computer will do the same thing go to a boot menu if you hit the f8 too quick you want to do it right as the windows logo comes up to get the safe mode menu right after it does the first certain checks i wish some motherboard creators wouldnt use the same f8 that you use to be able to boot into safe mode. its a matter of timing on this. in your case if you do it too quick you go to the boot menu if you wait too long you cant get into the safe mode menu keep trying but give it a second before you start hitting f8

Faer · Aug 14, 2009, 11:04 AM // 11:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarun

F8, but it depends on the hardware to my knowledge.

Yeah.

If F8 is taking you to the BIOS menu, try F10.

Fril Estelin · Aug 14, 2009, 11:33 AM // 11:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarun

F8, but it depends on the hardware to my knowledge.

It used to be Alt-F8 or Shift-F8 on some older comps. Try that.

Try to start with the Windows installation CD/DVD and make a recovery.

Quaker · Aug 14, 2009, 03:02 PM // 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Aeterna

Reformatting is an option, but it's not even my computer and I'd really rather not.

I'll assume you have Windows XP or Vista and assume that you can boot the computer from the CD. (If you can't boot from the CD, get into the BIOS and set the boot order to go to CD first.)

Boot off of the windows CD. Follow the normal prompts that you would if you were installing Windows. Eventually, you will get to a point where the install program searches for previous installations of Windows. It should find the previous install at "C:\Windows" and present you with some options. One of the options will be to "Repair" the current installation by pressing "R". Choose that. It will act just as though it's installing Windows, but when it's finished, everything should be fixed and back where you started. You might, of course, need to install new video drivers during this process.

Note: This "Repair" feature is not the "Repair using recovery console" option that comes up earlier in the process. It's after the install finds the current installation.

DarkRazzie · Aug 15, 2009, 01:23 AM // 01:23

Lux -
First off, F8 is the only key that gets you to "safe mode" and when the computer is starting, you want to start tapping it just before you see those gray lines running across the bottom of the screen (indicating Windows is starting).

Try this before you do anything crazy Lux - Pull the card out of the computer. Turn it on and leave it alone for a good 10 minutes or so. You won't be able to see Windows starting, but it will. You want to give it plenty of time because it will start up and run without a video card, and clear out whatever driver was there before. After a little while, hit the power button and see if it shuts down (try to avoid just unplugging it if you can help it, we want it to do a proper shutdown if at all possible). Most computers are setup so that Windows will do a proper shutdown when the power button is pressed. Once it is off, unplug the machine and put your card back in, and start it up again (let Windows boot normally). See if that, at least, gets you to where you can see your screen again.

Try it and post back... let me know what happens.

rb.widow · Aug 15, 2009, 01:58 AM // 01:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkRazzie

Lux -
First off, F8 is the only key that gets you to "safe mode" and when the computer is starting, you want to start tapping it just before you see those gray lines running across the bottom of the screen (indicating Windows is starting).

Try this before you do anything crazy Lux - Pull the card out of the computer. Turn it on and leave it alone for a good 10 minutes or so. You won't be able to see Windows starting, but it will. You want to give it plenty of time because it will start up and run without a video card, and clear out whatever driver was there before. After a little while, hit the power button and see if it shuts down (try to avoid just unplugging it if you can help it, we want it to do a proper shutdown if at all possible). Most computers are setup so that Windows will do a proper shutdown when the power button is pressed. Once it is off, unplug the machine and put your card back in, and start it up again (let Windows boot normally). See if that, at least, gets you to where you can see your screen again.

Try it and post back... let me know what happens.

Ummm what motherboard are you running to do this with, if i take out my GFX card and try start the comp, the BIOS will auto stop the boot mode and turn off, the computer without a GFX card in will also give 1 continuous beep as a warning, ( also does this with newer cards that have no power to them ) and will not allow the computer to continue.

DarkRazzie · Aug 15, 2009, 02:02 AM // 02:02

Some motherboards will do it... thats why I said "try" it.

Raku Clayman · Aug 15, 2009, 12:40 PM // 12:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux Aeterna

- Tried to update graphics drivers

Computer switched to 8bit 640x480 mode as it does with no graphics driver

Card is Geforce 4MX, which bottlenecks the otherwise nice system, and has not had a driver update since it was bought.

It is possible that all you needed to do was to go into the display properties and reset the resolution. Now it's a different story.

The card is a G-Force 4 MX, which is an antique. The card is 6-7 years old and probably came with the computer. This means that the OS is Windows XP or older and I might assume that since the graphics drivers were never upgraded, Windows XP was never upgraded to SP 3. This is just a guess. If this is true, then running the repair option from the Windows CD may be your best option. I would try DarkRazzle's suggestion first. Assuming that doesn't help, once you repair using the Win CD, upgrade Windows to it's current SP level and try downloading and installing the latest drivers.

If you purchase a new graphics card, you still will need a 4X/8X AGP card. I would suggest a low end cheap $30 card from Amazon or Newegg. You probably will have problems with a better card because your Power Supply Unit is underpowered for the more powerful graphics cards. That $30 low end card will still be infinitely faster than the G-Force 4 MX.

One thing I left out, After you boot with the Windows CD, back up your data onto a CD, or whatever you have, because your only option may be to reformat and reinstall Windows. This is not as drastic as it sounds. This is something I do to my own system every few years. Well, actually I am usually upgrading to a bigger Hard Drive and I do a clean install, which is basically the same thing. If you did that, you would then update Win XP to it's current version and it would be easier to update all your drivers. Of course, then you would reinstall all your programs and games. Make sure you back up your (1)GW folder and all your (2)GW data in your My Documents folder, or wherever it may be.