[Sjeb]

I have ordered a VisionTek x1300 512MB card for my 4700 with Intel 915g Integrated Graphics.

What preparations' should I make to insure a smooth installation of this card? Such as installing new drivers for motherboard and or etc? Boot setup, Net Framework, DirectX, etcetera, etcetera.

This will be the first time installing a graphic card and hope to avoid any issues that may cause problems.

Dell 4700 Purchased Nov. 2004

• Pentium 4 530 HT (3.00 GHz 800 FSB)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 915g
• DDR2 SDRAM 4x256m
• 80 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
• 3.5 floppy
• DVD ROM Drive
• CD RW Drive
• Windows XP home
• 56K Modem PCI Card
• Sound Blaster 24 Bit PCI Card

Thank you, sjeb

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Good thinking!

After you install the vid card, you will need to enter bios by hitting the F1, F10, F12, or the delete key on your keyboard as your computer is booting. Sometimes you have to keep tapping the key so it registers. Do this as soon as you see your something displayed on the screen and before Windows boots up.

Once in bios, you will have to navigate using the arrow keys of your keyboard. Most bios' have text displayed at the bottom of the screen which explains how to naviagate.

You will then need to find a menu that enables you to change the vid card preferences. You will need to disable the onboard vid card, or at least choose which vid device the computer should use as the first boot device... onboard, pci, or agp.

Then you need to save and exit the bios. Your computer will restart/resume booting up.

Once in windows, just follow manufacture instructions for installing the new card.

You shouldn't have any problems installing the card as long as your new card is compatible. Read all the manufacture's documentation before attempting the install and you should be good to go!

Good luck and let us know how it went!

[makai]

Good thinking!

After you install the vid card, you will need to enter bios by hitting the F1, F10, F12, or the delete key on your keyboard as your computer is booting. Sometimes you have to keep tapping the key so it registers. Do this as soon as you see your something displayed on the screen and before Windows boots up.

Once in bios, you will have to navigate using the arrow keys of your keyboard. Most bios' have text displayed at the bottom of the screen which explains how to naviagate.

You will then need to find a menu that enables you to change the vid card preferences. You will need to disable the onboard vid card, or at least choose which vid device the computer should use as the first boot device... onboard, pci, or agp.

Then you need to save and exit the bios. Your computer will restart/resume booting up.

Once in windows, just follow manufacture instructions for installing the new card.

You shouldn't have any problems installing the card as long as your new card is compatible. Read all the manufacture's documentation before attempting the install and you should be good to go!

Good luck and let us know how it went!

[Sjeb]

Thank you for the information. I looked at the set up screen F2 on the Dell 4700 and found the set up for the Video controller. There are two fields, Primary Video and Video Memory Size. Under Primary Video there are two options, Auto and Onboard. The factory setting is Auto even though I only have Integrated as of now. The description is as follows.

"This field determines which video controller will become the primary video controller when 2 controllers are available in the system. This selection matters only if there are 2 video controllers present."

Looks like I do not need to do anything there and it should by default recognize the new card as long as it is set to auto and that I should not have to uninstall any drivers for the onboard graphics. Do you agree that this is corret?

what about other driver updates, directX, Net Frameworks and any other preparations. Also what is your thought about going into safemode at first start up to install the new driver and Catalyst for this card.

It is a PCIe card. Do you need any more information.

Thanks Sjeb

[makai]

Hello,

Looks like I do not need to do anything there and it should by default recognize the new card as long as it is set to auto and that I should not have to uninstall any drivers for the onboard graphics. Do you agree that this is corret?

If this is how your bios is set up, then I have to assume it should be ok. I cannot answer with certainty because many machine manufactures have their bios' set up differently. If the only choices you have is Auto or Onboard, then Auto is what should be used.

what about other driver updates, directX, Net Frameworks and any other preparations. Also what is your thought about going into safemode at first start up to install the new driver and Catalyst for this card.

The first thing you need to do is install the vid driver for the card, and no you shouldn't have to do this in Safe mode... I have never used Safe mode for installing hardware. The other stuff, directx, net framework, etc, comes later.

[Sjeb]

Thank you for the information. The new card arrived yesterday and I should be able to install the card soon and will post back when accomplished.

Do you know or have heard of Dan Goodell
http://www.goodells.net/dan/index.htm

He is also from Hawaii and now lives in California. It was from his website that I was able to fix my Dell PC restore partition.

Once again thanks, Sjeb