Multiple Video adapters

[kelly]

I had a W2K machine in here today. Customer complaining that it wouldn't boot. When I got it, it booted several times just fine. He and I played with this thing for 3 hours.

He has on-board video, a SiS Video card, another fancy video card with its own fan. This card has both analog and DVI connectors. What we found is that we couldn't get both cards to work. If both were installed, the SiS card would show up in Dev Mgr with yellow. Properties said is failed to start (code 10).

We removed the other PCI cards (USB, network, sound). At the same time we replaced the BIOS battery because it was 6 yrs old. Big mistake doing 2 things at once.

Now when you boot with both cards, the monitor connected to the SiS card gets to Windows 2000 is starting; while the other monitor on the fancy card shows that Windows has started and running OK. Only problem is that the monitor is faint and very green. (The monitor works OK on other machines).

I think the problem is in the BIOS settings. It lost time when the battery was replaced, so I'm sure it may have lost other settings.

Anyone have experience with a set up where there's a PCI video, AGP video, and on-board video?

-td

[Karen Ollacks]

If you're still around, a week later, here's a thought - get a dual-display card. Whose idea was it to run 2 monitors off 2 different graphics adapters at the same time?? As you saw, it doesn't work that way.
Reset the correct time in BIOS. It won't help the dual-display issue, though.

[Dan18960]

Actually Karen, an AGP and PCI video setup is perfectly fine. Done it several times.

BUT I never provide systems with onboard video AND that has caused problems when NOT disabling it in the BIOS (although MOST boards today will automatically disable the on-board when an aGP card is detected).

The ONLY time I would bother with a dual video card is if I was connecting two DVI monitors. Then I would use the AGP / PCI-X 16 card with minimum 256RAM.

[mommalina]

Hi, there, Karen Ollacks .... :welcome: to our forum! .... :wave: .... You just have to be special, having been born on New Year's Day! Glad to have you aboard.

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Lina

[Karen Ollacks]

For Kelly:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/twomonitors.mspx