Problems with G400MAX, maybe BIOS?

[Wilhelm]

I am building a new system and having problems with my G400 MAX graphics card.
The core of my system is a 500Mhz AMD Athlon processor in a Asus K7M motherboard, with 64 MB of PC100 SDRAM and a Matrox Millennium G400 MAX graphics card. All assembly procedures were done while correctly grounded, and none of the components have been mechanically damaged or subjected to excessive force.

When I first installed the card and tried to boot, it gave no signal to the monitor, which remained in "sleep" mode. I tried to reseat the card several times into the AGP slot, as I had heard that it might be somewhat finicky to get the card seated properly. Still, I got nothing on the screen. After this, the card was taken to the dealer it was bought from, and they tried it on their system. They didn't let me see the testing procedure, but they reported that it worked fine on their system (I have no idea of their system specs or any other details). They said that it could be a problem with the card not fitting correctly into the motherboard in some types of cases. They suggested trying to loosen the metal bracket of the card to get the card properly seated. I did this and pushed the card into the AGP slot without the metal bracket, connecting the monitor cable carefully. Now I got an image on the screen after powering up, giving me the bios checkup and boot sequence, and prompting for a startup diskette. After this I powered off, took the card out and inserted it with the metal bracket not screwed on but in its place and tried again. Still OK. After this I powered off and screwed on the screws fastening the metal bracket to the monitor connector #1 and fastened the bracket to the case. Still everything worked fine. After this I again powered off and fastened the screws of port #2. After this, powering up gave no image in the monitor. I removed the last two screws, thinking that they must be forcing the card into a bad position in the AGP slot. I took out the card and reinstalled it again with the bracket first loose, and fastened the two first screws. It seemed solid enough, so I decided to leave it there, as it was working.
I checked the bios settings and made sure that they were as they should be.

I again turned off the computer, in order to read the instructions on how to install Windows 98 on a blank system. After I had the boot diskette and everything else ready, I powered on the computer. It gave me no signal. All I had done after the last time it worked was to turn the power off. The machine had not been moved or bumped, just turned off and back on after some 10 minutes. I tried to remove the card and install it just I had succesfully done earlier, but no image again. I repeated this procedure a few times, even without the bracket to make sure the card was seated as properly as it could be. No help.

Now I read in here that the BIOS of my video card could be damaged. The symptoms sounded very much the same, although as I haven't installed Windows yet, I cannot confirm that it works. I don't know whether the card worked in DOS when they tested it at the dealer's because they said they installed it on an NT machine and it worked fine.

Does anyone here have any experience of similar problems, or can anyone offer some good suggestions on what to do. I'm getting really frustrated here; first it doesn't work, then I get it to work, and then I turn off the power and it works no more. What gives?

[gbm]

Looks like purely mechanical problem. Why don't you try to assemble the system outside of your case to verify that the case is or isn't the source of your problems.

[Wilhelm]

I thought of that before I realized that the metal bracket on the card comes off the card by unscrewing the thingies you screw the cable to. After I took the bracket off, the case was no longer in the way, so I could put the card in properly without the case being in the way. I thought that would do the same thing as assembling it outside the case, by eliminating the need to insert the card where the case wants it to be instead of where the mobo and its AGP slot wants it to be. I thought it was a mechanical problem too, expecially after I thought I had fixed it by doing the abovementioned trick. But when it stopped working even without the bracket and while perfectly seated in the slot (I tried and I retried and I retried and...), I got really desperate, as there really shouldn't be a problem, at least a mechanical one, but still no good. I really don't see how the card could be more perfectly seated in the slot... Maybe I should take it to someone who puts these things together for a living and pay him to try if he can get it together.

Just in case, does anyone know whether it could be possible that the problem is in the motherboard? I know that it's always possible, but does it sound probable? The rest of the board seems to be in working order, but the AGP slot is the target of my suspicion. Now I would just need another AGP card to try in the slot and see whether it works or not...

[Allan2]

I had the "exact" same problem with my G400. I fixed my problem by using proper mounting studs to attach my motherboard to it's case instead of those dinky little plastic pieces that some motherboards sit on.

After I did that everything worked fine. I'm still not sure why it worked as everything look to be installed perfectly in the case when I used the plastic case screws.

Good luck getting it working.

[mlody]

Hi

That's strange, but I can suggest to replace power supply. It most cases it can solve all problems with K7 systems. I don't realy remember but probably on AMD's web side there have a list of all suppoerted power supplies. I know that this problem concers earliest K7 mobos but it can still exist and you have to make sure that this power supplay which I got there is %100 compatybile with that mobo. Maybe it helps, or you can demaned replaceing video card.

[MaTriX]

Check for the sound the mobo gives!!! if you hear a long beep, that means that your G400 hasn't be seated properly!!! if you hear 1 beep and still no screen on the monitor, i would strongly suggest you go to the pro! Sides, what version of K7M you are using?? there are 2 version, the latest one has 2 heat sinks, 1 green and a long one. Thats the new one. Perhaps the older one is buggy!!! if you hold the old version with 2 USB port only, then go and exchange it to the new version or try MSI 6167???

Cheers,
MaTriX

[Brued_2]

I had pretty much the same problem as you when i frist put my K7M/G400Max together. it wouldn't post half the time or sometimes not at all. i was about to smash the danm thing when i finish'd banging my head of the desk i look'd up to see it posting after about 2min of no signal. Once it was up and running i install'd Windows updated all the drivers still had the same problem wouldn'd post half the time. TILL i updated the BIOS to the newest ver. 1007 or somthing like that. It turn'd out to be the Keyboard that was the problem not the G400. try an old AT keyborad or flash the bios.

[Wilhelm]

Dang! I thought that I managed to fix the problem but I guess not. I had read a post here implying that the card could actually be seated too deeply in the slot, thus giving a bad connection due to the loosening of the slot. I remembered, that when the card was pushed as deeply in the slot as it could be, it felt kinda "loose" in a way, like not properly clamped by the metal springs in the slot. As the contacts are on the sides of the tab, not on the bottom, I inserted the card all the way into the slot, and then pulled it gently up like 0,5 mm, just enough to make it feel more solid. I carefully plugged the monitor cable in: lo and behold, I had an image!

I turned the thing back off and fastened the bard to the case, placing a small metal spacer in between the metal bracket and the case under the screw. Again it worked, now for the first time with all screws attached. I was overjoyed, thinking that I had finally beaten the problem. This feeling was confirmed when I managed to turn it off and back on for a few

times with no problem. I managed to install Windows 98, but had no time to install any drivers yet. I turned it off to await for the morning.

This morning I again turned it on to get out the Win 98 CD I had left inside. To my horror, no signal. I had to leave for work so I couldn't investigate it further. Now I'll have to spend yet another day in contemplaing all the things that could be wrong...

I'll have to try to re-do the solution I used yesterday, maybe pulling it out slightly more (like another 0,2 mm), in case it has just slipped back to the bottom, as I did move the case after the card worked. I'll also look into the power thing, in case that is causing the instability. I also read in a post on this forum that you should use I/O voltage of 3.31 instead of 3.4 with the K7M mobo and G400, has anyone anything to say about this?
I just wish I could finally get it working reliably. I'm sick of all this "now it works, now it doesn't" thing.

[This message has been edited by Wilhelm (edited 14 December 1999).]