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PC only booting into VGA Mode and Safe Mode

  • 19-02-2009 4:32pm
    #1
    nesf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,644 ✭✭✭✭


    Hey, I'm running XP and can only boot into Safe Mode and VGA mode as above. If I try to boot normally my monitor loses the signal and turns black after the loading screen, though after it turns black I hear the "chimes" as Windows finishes loading. If I try to increase the resolution while in VGA mode the monitor loses the signal again.

    I uninstalled the graphics driver and could boot in fine. When I reinstalled the driver the problem repeated itself. The graphics card is an ATI 4870 1Gb only 3 months old. I've also tried two different monitors with the same result on both.

    Any ideas? I'm figuring it's a problem with the graphics card and I need to replace it, but hopefully I'm wrong.


Comments

  • #2
    RobbieMc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 197 ✭✭RobbieMc


    Hi,

    Its either the graphics driver for the card or more than likely the driver is defaulting to a resolution that the monitor can't handle.
    Start in Safe mode, go to control panel and look at the display settings, change the settings to 800X600 16 colors and reboot in normal mode,If this does not work then remove the driver,reboot in normal mode and re-install the driver again, when you are asked to reboot DON'T, but enter control panel and change the display settings to 800X600, max colours.

    Let us know how you get on

    Thanks
    Robbie


  • #3
    RobbieMc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 197 ✭✭RobbieMc


    http://driver-pro.com/related/english/hardware-drivers/?gclid=CMavhqSM6ZgCFQ6vQwodZCq50g&hit=1&adurl=12036

    This app should help resolve if it's a driver issue.


  • #4
    nesf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,644 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Ok, both the driver and the graphics card are fine. Tried it again with a different monitor and it booted fine. When I rebooted my firefox homepage and other settings were gone (i.e. no-script is back to default etc) (This happened yesterday too). In Display settings I'm also getting "Multiple Monitors on ATI Radeon etc" instead of the installed monitors showing up.

    This is odd. Hard drive problems?

    Edit: Oh, the monitor that works is connected with a VGA cable and the one that doesn't uses a DVI cable, if that makes a difference (the drivers are in Device Manager, but not showing up in the display options and trying to open monitor properties in Catalyst Control Centre crashes the PC).


  • #5
    nesf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,644 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    Never mind, it seems like the monitor which I was using as the main monitor has stopped working. I got CCC to stop crashing by installing the latest .Net updates.


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