Help Me Please With G400...Crashing!!!

[CoolBreeze]

Hello all,

I got an OEM G400 32 MB single head. I uninstall all previous drivers from my Voodoo 3 2000 b4 i install my G400. I follow the uninstall driver instructions at Matrox.com and then i install the card, with the drivers on the cd. Then i uninstall the drivers and install the newest 5.13 powerdesk drivers. Everything runs great...the demo...my OGL games...my D3D game. Up untill the point when i power down my pc and start it back up(not "restart" but "shutdown"). Once i start it back up...ALL games including the tech temo crash and it wont run. When i mean crash i mean...the screen freezes and the sound loops. I have tried uninstalling and installing this card over and over again. Now...i am thinking to myself...maybe this is the price i pay for buying OEM. But then...i think...well shit if it works fine until i shut down my PC...then it must be a tech problem...of somesort.

My systems Specs:

Celeron 366 (not overclocked)---upgradin to a P3 500 when prices drop in Aug.

128 MB ram

8.1 gig HDD

Diamond MX300 sound card

PCI card for cable modem

40x cd rom

G400 32 OEM single Head (never tried overclocking)

Please help me ppl...i love this card when it works...i hate having to use my 16 bit V3...it sux so bad compared tothe G400

[CoolBreeze]

Oh ya i have an Intel SE440BX-2 MoBo. PPL u have got to help me here. Now i can hardly get to windows desktop without the strange color lines which include a BIG ASS freeze....the only way out is ctrl+alt+del. I have tried half and full AGP ap size...disabling the MX300...running in 16 bit,lower refresh rates...wtf is wrong with my card? Does it just not like my rig? Im thinking of doing a fresh reinstall of windows 98. EVERY game crashes...so does the tech demo that came on the CD...sometimes i cant even run apps from desktop...and this is with the CD drivers...not only the 5.13 drivers...I am lost here folks...im about to call the company i bought it from and demand a new 1. Also...this is the first video card ive used that the bios of the card doesnt flash when i boot up my PC...is this normal? And...ive seen other pics of the same card (G400 32 MB singlehead)....they all look rectangular shape...while mine has a big chunk missing where the other head (on the duel head mod) would be....so it doesnt form a rectangle like the other cards ive seen. Again...is this normal? I think i got a Matrox lemon here folks...i know the card has potential because i have got it to work up until i shut down my pc....then its all over--CRASH CITY...with ****ed up colors in ever game/app. PLEASE HELP ME PPL...

CoolBreeze

[Gurm]

I bet your MX300 is conflicting. Try booting up without the MX300 in the machine, see if that helps. If so, you need to figure out how to move it to a different IRQ. People here (myself included) can walk you through this, but only if the first step worked.

I hate to say this, but it may come down to reinstalling Windows. Let's not assume that it will, but be prepared for that eventuality.

- Gurm

[M Ragsdale]

Gurm is right, And I would try booting into safe mode and go into your device manager and delete all double references of anything you find in there, sometimes this can wreak havoc on new hardware.

Matt

[CoolBreeze]

UPDATE:

After reinstalling windows...and directX6.1...i dont get the funky color lines and the crashing...now...all i get when i try to start my games..(Kingpin, Q3 test arena 1.07) I get a WHITE Screen. I have the latest drivers installed and all the drivers are in the right places...I cant even get to the menu screens of any game. I have tried reinstalling Q3...and still nothing happens. I feel like i am getting closer...so please help me...also the demo that came with the CD doesnt work still...it just goes to a black screen after it loads. Keep the help comming...thanx a ton. PS...i have tried disabling the MX300 in the Device Manager...still no go.

[CoolBreeze]

Oh yeah....there is NO IRQ conflict...they dont share the same IRQ...(one is in IRQ 9 and the other is in 11)so i dont see how that would be a problem...keep the help coming though..thanx again

[CoolBreeze]

OK i tried taking the MX300 out of my rig...i still get the WHITE screen while trying to run any 3D game...I cannot even get to the menu of the game folks. I tried reinstalling directX6.1 eng version again...still nothing. I am very confussed here, i dont know what to do. I had it working, when i first got the card...but it would crash everytime after i would reboot, or it would crash durring desktop with these strange color lines. Now i have reinstalled Win98 and a fresh version of DX6.1, and now the card is stable in 2d Win desktop(even after i reboot)....but when i try to run a 3D ap (including the tech demo)...all i get is a white screen. What gives? Sorry to repeat myself here ppl, but im trying to get some help here folks...any ideas?

[CoolBreeze]

Ok ppl I FINALLY got my G400 to work. ALL it took was an entire C:format and a new install of win98...jesus..this card has been the biggest pain in the ass to install...but...it was worth it When are the new drivers comming out? or a overclocker MADE for the G400...not powerstrip or any other BS oc er. Can someone answer these "?"s?

[Philstat]

Coolbreeze,

My brother I feel your pain, I have a MX300 and the Retail G400 MAX and have had THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. You are right this card is outrageously sensitive, Im going to reformat my HD next week and see if that fixes my problem.

[CoolBreeze]

UPDATE:

I FINALLY got this card to work....all it took was a complete C:format and a fresh install of win98. I mean, Jesus, this card has been the biggest bitch to get working...and ive owned alot of cards. But i believe it is worth it. Can some 1 tell me the cheats in the "Expendable" demo to allow the 1st person perspective, and how do i enable them? Plus is there a patch for EBM in expendable? thanx

[antdude]

I am having similiar problems! Please help!
http://forums.murc.ws/ubb/Forum4/HTML/004089.html