BleepingComputer.com: Dell Dimensions 8400 Video Card Driver not installing Properly!

I have a Dell Dimensions 8400 Desktop PC running Windows XP. I recently reinstalled the O/S again. Upon doing this I have had a really tough time with the Video Card driver. My Video Card is ATI Radeon X300. I have tried installing the driver for this from the Dell website and from ATI direct with no luck. Once I install the driver it seems like it installs correctly, but it really does not. It asks me to reboot and I do, but after I see windows load the screen just stays black. Then I boot into safe mode and I see in Device Manager that the X300 Driver is in correctly. I then have to uninstall the Driver just to get windows to boot up again. During the Install of the driver it does give me the warning that Windows XP does not recognize this driver (Or a very similar message). I have tried updating the driver through Microsoft Updates, but this has not worked. I have also received quite a few Blue Screen's, which I assume is the result on an incompatible driver. Could the actual Video Card be faulty. Thanks for any suggestions.

Try this driver at this link. http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/wind...mp;lang=English

This is version 10.2 for Windows XP 32 Bit.

Make sure you uninstall the original driver FIRST!

If this driver does not work, try going through the install process again without installing the Catalyst software, just install the DRIVER and see if it works.

In other words...there is OPTION 1 and OPTION 2 on this page, OPTION 1 has the catalyst and OPTION 2 has just the WDM intergrated graphics driver. (You have to scroll down the page to see the download links for each option)

Bruce.

This post has been edited by MrBruce1959: 03 October 2010 - 11:31 PM

I have tried option 1 and 2 already prior to the posting and they just don't work. Option 1 went through okay and asked me to restart and when I did the screen goes black after seeing the windows symbol. To delete the driver I have to then boot into safe mode, then reboot into normal mode and computer works just without the driver. Option 2 does Install the driver. It does boot into windows and then does not show the Video driver being installed in device manager.


I am getting this warning message while installing! During the installation of The Software you are installing for this hardware ATI Radeon X300 has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify it's compatibility with windows XP. What does this mean and is it leading to our problem.

What is my next move. Thanks

cap2587, on Oct 4 2010, 09:17 PM, said:

This means the driver has not been approved by Microsoft's driver testing team to be compatible with Windows XP.
Usually the team assigns an approval logo to a driver software package.

Why this driver has NOT been approved I am not sure, but the drivers for this card go up to Windows 7.

Are you sure you have the correct model number for this video card.

It seems strange a video card has a driver for Windows 7 but is NOT compatible for Windows XP.

Bruce.

The only information on the video card is as follows:

S/N 280437000482

P/N 102A3340600 000002

It has a DVI and VGA connection. Is this the Radeon X300 V.Card?

cap2587, on Oct 4 2010, 10:21 PM, said:

I have a web site to which I can quarry those numbers you listed above, I am going to do a check and see if we are working with the wrong driver package here.

I may end up offering you an older driver for this card if it is the X300 series card.

Hey seriously I had a driver from nVidia right off the web site that was buggy, why it was I have no clue, perhaps static on the lines during the download? Anyways that driver crashed my Windows 7 computer while I was simply viewing a web page IRQL_LESS_OR EQUAL blah.. blah.. blah, I had a driver same version number saved in a folder in my documents I had forgotten about, that driver is the one I am using now, same version number and all, not one crash since, its been 2 months no crash, before my computer crashed every time I had two web pages open at the same time, went right to blue screen and restarted the computer saying windows is shutting down to prevent damage...blah..blah.

So you tell me, that one had me stumpted....sadly I deleted the driver and the downloaded file, but I should have bug tested the driver called nvlddmkm.sys because this driver was the culprit that caused the crashes.

That driver is what makes my GeForce 6200 AGP video card work and strange as it is...thats the driver that crashed my system back then and its the driver I am using now.

Some how the the package I downloaded from nVidia must have been either corrupted during the download, of they have since put a buggy driver up on their web site.

So it does happen.

I am curious if you have tried downloading another copy of the driver packages in case your originals were corrupted from Internet or line static from your Internet provider to your computer?

Bruce.

I can't come up with anything on those numbers you posted above.

There is a way I can do this the correct way.

The web site relies more on the information provided by device manager.

Here is what you do.

Go to your Control Panel.

Device Manager.

Look for Display Adapters.

Right click the ATI icon.

Then click Properties.

look for a tab called Details

Look for a tab called Device description.

Click it until a menu drops down.

Look for DEVICE ID and choose it.

Look for PCI\VEN and a long string of letters numbers and punctuation.

This is the hardware ID number supplied by ATI

Take that information (The WHOLE string) and type it into the fields of this web site at the top of the browser where it says SEARCH DEVICES.

If the WHOLE string fails to produce a result, shorten it until it does, because you may only need the few words of text just after the PCI\VEN


Here is the web site, to which is a very helpful web site for identifying hardware and their vendors.

http://www.pcidatabase.com/vendors.php?sort=id

Bruce.

This post has been edited by MrBruce1959: 04 October 2010 - 10:16 PM

I am hoping that I can still get some help on this topic as I have found out a few more things. I went ahead and bought a new GeForce Nvidia 210 GPU. I installed it and put in the drivers. When I restarted the computer it won't load into windows and gives me a black screen. This was the same issue with the previous GPU Card. Whenever the drivers for the GPU are installed the system will not boot. After I go into safe mode and uninstall them the system loads. What is causing this problem.

I received your PM asking me to offer further assistance, so here I am.

First here is a link to the Dell web site for your computer.

http://support.dell.com/support/DPP/Index.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=anavml&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_8400

Here is a page to the Manuals for this computer.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8400/en/index.htm

Please allow me time to research the power supply restrictions on this Dell computer to see if this is why you are experiencing video card issues.

Bruce.

Just adding a link to your Owners manual to this thread.

Adobe reader is needed to view this document.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8400/en/om/U70350LRs.pdf

Bruce.

Thanks for following up on my post. It has to be some kind of problem with the computer and not a driver or video card issue. The same problem has occurred with two different cards. After the driver has been installed I go into Safe mode and the driver is in there under display adapter. However, as soon as we try to enter windows it gives me a black screen. is your theory saying that the video card is too powerful or advanced for the PSU? How can we find out if this is the exact issue. Should I try and install either an older video card in it or put in a more powerful PSU? What do you think?

Okay lets try to offer a solution here.

Refer to the owners manual here. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8400/en/om/U70350LRs.pdf

Look for page 49 section 3 for the diagnostic lights codes.

The diagnostic lights are located on the back panel of your computer.

Check to see is there are any codes that refer to a possible error.

If not. The next thing we need to look at is the BIOS setup utility.

This can be accessed on Dell computers by pressing F2 on the keyboard during the POST screen.

Check the menus for Graphics card.

I believe your motherboard has an integrated video chip (on-board) see if there isn't an option to set the nVidia 210 video card to the primary video card, or if it is an available option, turn off the on-board video card entirely.

I do not know the exact output of your PSU, your service tag number would allow you access to this information on the Dell support web site, or you can open the computer case and view the label on the PSU for its output specifications and post those back in your next reply.

Bruce.

I am now adding support for your nVidia GeForce 210 Graphics card.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_210_us.html

Minimum Recommended System Power = 300 Watts

Correct driver for Windows XP 32 Bit.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp-260.99-whql-driver.html

Bruce.

Now depending on your PSU's output and what you may also have connected to the computer that draws off of the PSU, this subtracts from the output of the PSU, as each device takes up a piece of the pie.

If we use a pie as a reference and we take a slice of it for each device connected to the computer, we are left with a result. The result is what is left over after each piece of hardware has taken the required piece to operate correctly.

You also have to consider the number of cooling fans into the mix as well. As each one draws power from the PSU.

If your stock PSU is like 350 Watts or even 400 Watts, your graphics card may not be getting the required power it needs.

Bruce.

Thanks for the good information. There is no onboard graphics card with this motherboard. I tried a brand new Cool Master 460W PSU with the dell system and it still did not work. For some reason whenever the driver gets installed it just doesn't want to load into windows. I am really getting frustrated and think this is baffling to me. Any other suggestions.