Hello all,

I have a Compaq Deskpro EN, 384mb RAM, 1GHz Pentium III with an on board video device. Windows XP Service Pack 2.

I want a second monitor, so I bought an ATI 32mb video ram graphics card, PCI slot - NOT express PCI.

First, when I would boot up the machine, it would beep three long times, then the Caps Lock light would flash - no image on either monitor. So I updated the BIOS to the newest version, changed PCI slots and tried it again.

Now it boots into Windows using the built-in video device, but doesn't even recognize the new ATI card. I've tried reseating it, different slots, running hardware wizard, running from the CD, etc. It is just not being recognized. And the CD wouldn't even work in the computer, I had to put it into another drive on another computer and run it over the network.

What do I need to do? Thank you for your help.

Hello, I read your post about your problem. Sorry to hear it. First of all, 3 long beeps usually indicate a keyboard malfunction, possibly wasn't fully seated. But from the sounds of it you may have fixed it without knowing when you went back into the computer a second time.

As far as your computer not recognizing your new video card, I believe it has something to do with the onboard video. You usually can't run two separate video cards on the same system. Have you tried to disable the onboard video in your BIOS to see what happens?

I'm not sure if I've helped but let me know if you find out anything.

Thanks,

Chris

Thank you for your help. I've managed to run a video card along with the onboard in the past - that's how I run multiple monitors. I haven't had a chance to list an update since...

But I've tried installing it on a Gateway machine as well, and at least that machine recognizes it, but it won't output or allow me to switch to it. The software that come with the card malfunctions and I could barely find a CD drive that could actually read the disc. I bought it cheap off eBay - it was probably somebody reselling customer returns.

However, they did give me an RMA number, so hopefully I'll get my money back. Eh, that's what I get for trying to find a $25 video card.

Hey. I thought I'd do some research about your problem and discovered half the people are saying no, you can't run 2 video cards on 2 different monitors. The other half is saying yes, you can BUT be careful not to overheat your CPU. Also make sure there is no conflicts between the two drivers of the cards, is what I'm reading. And definitely make sure they are not sharing the same IRQ. You can find that out in System Information under Accessories, System Tools.

You very well may have a bad video card, like you're suspecting. The 32Mb Video card may not support dual monitor display.

Well good luck!

I know that you can definitely run a second video card with the onboard video. I Have about 20 machines here that we run exactly like that. Never had a problem with the CPU overheating, not quite sure on the theory behind that one.

Chances are good the video card is bad, and I hope that they replace it with a good one.