Graphics Card & Windows

[Managarm]

Sorry for the non-Amiga question but I really need help with something. I've installed Windows 2000 on a P4 desktop. It's all set up fine except for the fact that it's not recognising my graphics card. I have no idea what the card would be so I can't download the driver for it. Is there a way to find out in Windows what the name of the card is?

[blobrana]

Hum,
The card may be newer than the OS ...So it may fail to find the suitable driver...
Have you tried any default drivers?
Worth a try...

Look on the card for any numbers and such like....(look up on google)

If you got a photo to post here, that may help...

tomshardware.com/graphicCards Link

[Managarm]

Thanks for the reply. Windows tells me that it's using a default VGA driver which gives me 16 colours and a 640 X 480 resolution. Unfortunately I've no pictures of it, I guess I'll have to open the box up and have a look. Forgive the dumb question but I assume the graphics card will be directly behind where the monitor cable plugs in?

[x56h34]

If you are connected to the internet, it may be worth a shot to go to the Windows Update site and see if it offers an updated driver for your graphics card, as there is a possibility that Windows Update will detect and recognize the card's brand/type.

[Managarm]

Unfortunately my internet doesn't arrive until Monday. The really annoying thing is that the older PC I own tells you the name of the graphics card when it's powering up. Is there any sort of program I could download at work now that would recognise an unknown card?

[Louis Dias]

type dxdiag from the [START] [RUN] menu and hit ENTER

that may detect the hardware at a lower level...

[Managarm]

Nice one! I tried it on the computer here at work and it brings up far more detailed stuff then messing around with Hardware Wizard and the like. I really hope this recognises my card.

[krize]

Download Aida32 , this program can show you what the hardware is ! I use this all the time at work..

Link:
http://downloads.theregister.co.uk/Windows/Utilities/Benchmarks/aida32pe.html

[Managarm]

Hi, thanks for that it looks really good. We've no CD burners at work so I'll do it at college tomorrow. Thinking back I should have just asked the guy in the shop when I bought it.

[BadBigBen]

Aida32 is OLD, and may not recognize the newer GFX-Cards at all...

The successor of Aida32 is called Everest Home (Freeware), Corporate and Ultimate (Cost)...

can be found here: http://www.lavalys.com/

[Managarm]

I shall try both of them. I've got until Monday to sort this out. (That's when BT deliver the modem for broadband.)

[blobrana]

Hum,

 >>I'll have to open the box up and have a look

Yeah, best to double check (use a mirror to see - but if you are over 11 years old then just undo the screw holding the card in, and look for any retaining slider at the base at the opposite end holding it onto the Motherboard and ease it out of the socket. It should just be as easy to slip it back in again - don't use any force.)

The main modern-day cards (there are just two, nvidia and Ati) usually have the make printed all over the graphics card...

[Managarm]

Thanks. I think I'll try the software options first and if they don't yield any results then I'll have a look at the card.

[Managarm]

Thankyou everyone for your replies to this. I ran both of those Sysinfotype programs and it seems that I have 'Intel Extreme Graphics'. I've downloaded several versions of the driver (just to be safe) from different sites and so it should be fine.

[blobrana]

Hum,
sounds like you have the graphics card built into the Motherboard...

Does the Sysinfotype program say that it is `Onboard/built in` ?

If so, then the drivers will be on a System CDROM that came with the machine...

if you don't have that, then a quick look at the MoBo make and model will get you the driver (downloaded) from the manufacturer.