Problems with new graphics card for second monitor

Steve_L

I have two monitors on my desktop PC, one from the Nvidia GeForce 6150 GPU graphics adaptor on the mobo’ and the other from a graphics card. The card & monitor were left over from an old Dell system. Two monitors was easy to set up and has proven very useful.

The old card is an ATI Radeon X300 SE HyperMemory. It works with Excel & Word documents. However, if you tried to move a photo’ to it too quickly, it crashed the system. I suspect that it’s 128MB of memory wasn’t enough. An additional reason for replacing the old ATI card was that I'm still using Win 7 and it won’t work with Win 10. Now that security updates for Win 7 have ended, I think that it’s time to upgrade.

So, I bought a new card, a 512MB Nvidia NVS 300. This comes with a new DMS-59 socket, so I also bought a DMS to dual VGA adapter. Evidently, the card can support 2 monitors. (Three monitors: Ooo. Let's get the second one working again first!)

I’ve just fitted the card. I’ve downloaded & installed the relevant driver from the Nvidia website. I rebooted the PC, logged into Windows and the second monitor (Yes, it is switched on!) is still black.

The new card shows as working properly on device manager. If I unplug the second monitor from either VGA socket on the cable adapter, it goes into self-test mode. So, the new hardware seems (Note that I didn’t say, “is”.) OK.

On the Windows - Control Panel – Display - Screen Resolution screen, the second monitor isn’t being detected and the Multiple Monitor menu isn’t being displayed.

There are two weird things with the first (and still working) monitor. Device manager shows the “error 43” device driver error code. It didn't before. I’ve tried updating the driver and it says it’s up to date. It’s also disappeared from the Control Panel – Hardware & Sound – Devices & Printers screen.

If I plug the second monitor into the mobo’ graphics adapter, it works. It doesn’t show on the Control Panel – Hardware & Sound – Devices & Printers screen either.

I’ve tried booting the PC with the second monitor plugged into in both of the VGA sockets on the cable adapter  No go.

I’ve tried it with both monitors plugged into both VGA sockets on the cable adapter. No go.

I’ve run out of ideas. Which means that I haven’t thought of the correct one yet.

Over to you guys.

I know that the answer  will, in hindsight, be so obvious that I’ll kick myself for missing it.

Steve_L

Update.

Following some online research, I’ve rolled back the motherboard graphics adapter's driver to the previous version. I now have the “Multiple displays" menu available. The error 43 warning triangle has disappeared from the device manager. So far, so good.

This now shows 3 displays. The working “Dell E176FP” monitor (Number 3, Main display), a “Generic Non-PNP Monitor” (Number 2) and “Display Device on VGA”. (Number 1). I presume that 1 and 2 are the outputs from the NVS 300 card.

On the “Generic Non-PNP Monitor” I can “Duplicate desktop on 1 & 2”, “Extend desktop to this display” and “Disconnect this display”.

On the “Display Device on VGA”. I can “Duplicate desktop on 1 & 2”, “Extend desktop to this display”, “Disconnect this display” and “Remove this display”.

The more inviting combinations I’ve tried so far all generate an dialog box, saying” Unable to save display settings”.

I’ll now draw a grid in a piece of paper and try all the options systematically.

I’ll keep “Display device on VGA” & “Removing  this display” for last, as it sounds like it could be a bit irreversible.

Steve_L

I'm working through the combinations, but I haven't hit the right one so far.

Actually, I'm beginning to wonder if the answer lies with the device drivers. And that using both an Nvidia graphics adapter and graphics card may not have been one of my better ideas, as the drivers are "tripping over each other".

DoaM

I'd recommend connecting both monitors to the one GFX card (the NVS300 if it is more powerful than the 6150) and using that as the default card. (Set this in BIOS if possible and disable the other one).

Steve_L

DoaM said:

I'd recommend connecting both monitors to the one GFX card (the NVS300 if it is more powerful than the 6150) and using that as the default card. (Set this in BIOS if possible and disable the other one).

I've tried plugging both monitors into both of the sockets on tthe adapter cable. Both were blank.

I'm loathe to disable my only working graphics adapter or set the new one as the default in Windows until I've got the new one working. How would I see how to change things back again, if it doesn't work?

I've looked in the BIOS (Phoenix), but couldn't see any obvious settings.

unforeseen

I'm surprised that the motherboard graphics are still working. They normally get disabled automatically when an external graphics card is detected. 

DoaM

Are you sure you're connecting to the external card? The NVS300 comes with a DMS59 socket on it ... the cable that plugs into this can support 2 monitors and should have plugs on it (2) for VGA, HDMI, DVI or DisplayPort. Which cable do you have?

I know the NVS300 works OK because I've used it before on work computers. If you see nothing at all on any monitor connected to that card then it means that the card is disabled or not working for some reason.

Steve_L

DoaM said:

Are you sure you're connecting to the external card? The NVS300 comes with a DMS59 socket on it ... the cable that plugs into this can support 2 monitors and should have plugs on it (2) for VGA, HDMI, DVI or DisplayPort. Which cable do you have?

I know the NVS300 works OK because I've used it before on work computers. If you see nothing at all on any monitor connected to that card then it means that the card is disabled or not working for some reason.

Yes. The VGA socket for the mobo' mounted graphics adapter is well away from the expansion card slots. And the sockets are different.

As above, I'm using a DMS-59 to 2 x VGA adapter, then the existing VGA cable to the monitor. Of course, this means that I've got to try and remember to plug the cable to the monitor into both 'flying' VGA sockets for each "software" change. 

I've just tried disabling and enabling the NVS 300 in device manager. No luck on either of the 'flying' VGA sockets. It was worth a try.

Steve_L

Sorted!

I manually (ie. I chose which already installed driver to use: there were two, which is always a good sign that you're using the wrong one) updated the driver for the NVS 300.

I suspected that the problem was due to the drivers. I reckon that, both being Nvidia ones, they "tripped over each others' feet" during the original automatic installation.

I has been tested by rapidly moving a photo' from one monitor to the other. No Blue Screen of Death"!

For information, the second monitor works on either Y adapter VGA socket. Presumably, it would detect a third monitor.

Mmm, a third monitor. Mission control ....