Repair install - video adapter

[Menno Hershberger]

I have a NVIDIA Geoforce MX/MX400 video adapter on this machine I just
built. If I do a clean install, Windows detects it automatically. But
I've had some problems with a Promise Controller and wound up having to
do a repair install. Just before the install was done a window popped up
saying that Windows was going to adjust my screen resolution. So I OK'ed
that and it came up in 800 X 600. I was able to change it to 1024 X 768,
but things were jerky. Even in 800 X 600 it was jerky. Mouse keeping
hanging, etc.
So I looked in Device Manager and there is NO display adapter listed.
Then I noticed in display settings there was no display adapter listed
either, although you could go into advanced settings and see the
properties (available resolutions, etc.). I have the NVIDIA driver
install program so I ran it and it required a reboot. Nothing happened.
Still no display adapter listed. So I got the bright idea that if I
disabled the device in the display properties settings, that maybe
windows would find the right adapter. Right... :-) I rebooted and I came
up to a black screen (although the green light was on my monitor. The
music was there... it had booted. So I did the keyboard routine (I have
it memorized) to reboot. This time I picked safe mode. In safe mode, it
filled the screen up with all the drivers it was loading and then just
stopped. Won't boot in safe mode. So I did ANOTHER repair install, and
I'm back to no display driver again. I can get into Safe Mode now, so I
went in there and tried doing it through add new hardware. That didn't
work either. There is no place to change it to "standard VGA driver" like
you could do in Windows 98.
So how do I get it installed without formatting and doing a clean install
again?

--
-- Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone somewhere may be happy. --

[Malke]

Menno Hershberger wrote:

> I have a NVIDIA Geoforce MX/MX400 video adapter on this machine I just
> built. If I do a clean install, Windows detects it automatically. But
> I've had some problems with a Promise Controller and wound up having
> to do a repair install. Just before the install was done a window
> popped up saying that Windows was going to adjust my screen
> resolution. So I OK'ed
> that and it came up in 800 X 600. I was able to change it to 1024 X
> 768,
> but things were jerky. Even in 800 X 600 it was jerky. Mouse keeping
> hanging, etc.
> So I looked in Device Manager and there is NO display adapter listed.
> Then I noticed in display settings there was no display adapter listed
> either, although you could go into advanced settings and see the
> properties (available resolutions, etc.). I have the NVIDIA driver
> install program so I ran it and it required a reboot. Nothing
> happened. Still no display adapter listed. So I got the bright idea
> that if I disabled the device in the display properties settings, that
> maybe
> windows would find the right adapter. Right... :-) I rebooted and I
> came
> up to a black screen (although the green light was on my monitor. The
> music was there... it had booted. So I did the keyboard routine (I
> have it memorized) to reboot. This time I picked safe mode. In safe
> mode, it filled the screen up with all the drivers it was loading and
> then just stopped. Won't boot in safe mode. So I did ANOTHER repair
> install, and I'm back to no display driver again. I can get into Safe
> Mode now, so I went in there and tried doing it through add new
> hardware. That didn't work either. There is no place to change it to
> "standard VGA driver" like you could do in Windows 98.

Yes there is. Here's how:

Since you can get into Safe Mode, go to Start>Run and type (without
quotes) " msconfig" [enter]. The System Configuration Utility appears.
Click the BOOT.INI tab. Under Boot Options, check "/BASEVIDEO" and OK.
Reboot and you should be able to go into Regular Mode and reinstall
your video drivers.

Malke
--
MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic"

[Menno Hershberger]

Malke > wrote in news:uH1TINz0EHA.1300
@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl:

> Menno Hershberger wrote:
>
>> I have a NVIDIA Geoforce MX/MX400 video adapter on this machine I just
>> built. If I do a clean install, Windows detects it automatically. But
>> I've had some problems with a Promise Controller and wound up having
>> to do a repair install. Just before the install was done a window
>> popped up saying that Windows was going to adjust my screen
>> resolution. So I OK'ed
>> that and it came up in 800 X 600. I was able to change it to 1024 X
>> 768,
>> but things were jerky. Even in 800 X 600 it was jerky. Mouse keeping
>> hanging, etc.
>> So I looked in Device Manager and there is NO display adapter listed.
>> Then I noticed in display settings there was no display adapter listed
>> either, although you could go into advanced settings and see the
>> properties (available resolutions, etc.). I have the NVIDIA driver
>> install program so I ran it and it required a reboot. Nothing
>> happened. Still no display adapter listed. So I got the bright idea
>> that if I disabled the device in the display properties settings, that
>> maybe
>> windows would find the right adapter. Right... :-) I rebooted and I
>> came
>> up to a black screen (although the green light was on my monitor. The
>> music was there... it had booted. So I did the keyboard routine (I
>> have it memorized) to reboot. This time I picked safe mode. In safe
>> mode, it filled the screen up with all the drivers it was loading and
>> then just stopped. Won't boot in safe mode. So I did ANOTHER repair
>> install, and I'm back to no display driver again. I can get into Safe
>> Mode now, so I went in there and tried doing it through add new
>> hardware. That didn't work either. There is no place to change it to
>> "standard VGA driver" like you could do in Windows 98.
>
> Yes there is. Here's how:
>
> Since you can get into Safe Mode, go to Start>Run and type (without
> quotes) " msconfig" [enter]. The System Configuration Utility appears.
> Click the BOOT.INI tab. Under Boot Options, check "/BASEVIDEO" and OK.
> Reboot and you should be able to go into Regular Mode and reinstall
> your video drivers.

I'm printing that out and putting it in my files!
I already wiped it clean and reinstalled, but the way my luck's been
running, I may have to do a repair install again. Then I'll know.
Thanks.

--
-- Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone somewhere may be happy. --

[Malke]

Menno Hershberger wrote:

>
>>
>> Yes there is. Here's how:
>>
>> Since you can get into Safe Mode, go to Start>Run and type (without
>> quotes) " msconfig" [enter]. The System Configuration Utility
>> appears. Click the BOOT.INI tab. Under Boot Options, check
>> "/BASEVIDEO" and OK. Reboot and you should be able to go into Regular
>> Mode and reinstall your video drivers.
>
> I'm printing that out and putting it in my files!
> I already wiped it clean and reinstalled, but the way my luck's been
> running, I may have to do a repair install again. Then I'll know.
> Thanks.
>
Any time. Glad to help. Let me know if you need more.

Cheers,

Malke
--
MS-MVP Windows User/Shell
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic"