Completely OT: trolling for free tech help
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 7:48 PM PST
31 comments
Ok. My freaking graphics card has freaking died and I need to freaking replace it. I've already two-day'ed a replacement card which is on its way.
Now, what exactly do I need to do to swap cards? (I'm running Vista, Home Premium 32-bit, by the way.) The current freaking card was factory installed, an nVidia GeForce 8400 GS. I can boot up and maybe get five minutes or so of activity before everything freezes. Do I uninstall the nVidia drivers before I physically remove the card?
And how do I freaking physically remove the card? I've removed all the relevant screws, but one end of the card won't come out of the PCI slot. If there's a latch I'm supposed to release, it's a mystery to me how to operate it.
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Can you get a picture of your card and the area in which it is stuck?
by Natto on Mar 1, 2009 7:55 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I’ll see what I can do. It’s kind of a mess inside. It’s only a mid-tower and so there are cables everywhere.
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 8:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
here goes
Amazingly, I can’t do any better. There are three cards installed here: on top is the sound card, in the middle the TV tuner, and the one on the bottom with the big silver thingamajigg is the graphics card. The right side of the card (from the perspective of this image) comes out easily enough. It’s the left side that won’t budge. You see that thing that looks like a black lever on the interior left side of the card? I was hoping it was a release lever of some sort but it doesn’t seem to be, or else I’m a complete moron and am not apprehending its usage correctly.
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 8:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
comprehending its usage , lol
You’re in a better place than me , I don’t even recognize your graphics card.
TV tuner???
Holy shirt , the machines are mating.
OK if I adopt Randy Johnson?
"What kind of a stupid question is that?"
by victor frankenstein on Mar 1, 2009 8:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I had an ATI all in Wonder with a TV tuner on my old desktop machine and MAN was that awesome. The first programming it ever broadcasted on my machine was the 16-5 Giants win in the shortened World series in 2002.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Mar 1, 2009 9:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I only recently started actually using the TV function on my computer. I don’t have cable, and with the rabbit ears the only channel I get with any degree of acceptability is CBS. So I watch Morpheus-era C.S.I.
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 9:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Computers have TV functions?
no way dude where’s the friggin’ contrast knob then
OK if I adopt Randy Johnson?
"What kind of a stupid question is that?"
by victor frankenstein on Mar 1, 2009 9:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
We get the UHF channels too.
"While conservatives tell you 'leave things alone and no one will lose,' and liberals tell you 'interfere a lot and no one will lose,' baseball says 'someone will lose.' Not only says it - but insists upon it! ... Democracy is lovely, but baseball's more mature." BVCE supports SF Dugout and Manny Burriss.
by BaronVonCurrentEvents on Mar 1, 2009 10:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
CONAN THE LIBRARIAN.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Mar 2, 2009 7:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
YOU DON'T KNOW THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM?!!??!?
"Forget it Donny, you're out of your element"-Walter Sobchak
by icanplaythird on Mar 2, 2009 11:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Xanthan: fapfapfapfapfap you can see everything! fapfapfapfap
by Grant on Mar 1, 2009 11:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Look xanthan…there’s an open hole for a few days!
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Mar 2, 2009 7:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Freaking A that sucks
Giant Dirtbags: Brian Anderson, Todd Jennings, Steve Hammond, John Bowker
Don't F with the Affeldt
by Giant among Angels on Mar 1, 2009 8:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
What I always hope for is that I say goodbye to hardware on my own terms. But half the time (or more) I have to abandon a piece of hardware because of some technical catastrophe. I had to abandon a Mac in college because its hard disk crashed. The same thing happened with my first laptop. My second laptop had an involuntary cup of coffee, which was my fault, but still. Now my graphics card gets hosed. The rest of my desktop is still okay, but all my music and videos are on it — my laptop (a ThinkPad X61, not designed for entertainment) is strictly business, documents only — and being deprived of these things for even a short while is annoying.
by non sequitur on Mar 2, 2009 1:20 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Drivers
No need to uninstall them first.
Which end of the card is stuck?
No, really, I have updated my blog this year: http://skaldheim.livejournal.com/tag/baseball
by Skaldheim on Mar 1, 2009 8:26 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
The left side of the card (or at any rate the side furthest from the ports). See above.
Thanks in advance (to all) for any advice.
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 8:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Make sure you unscrew all the screws, i know this sounds redundant, but you need to make sure you get all of them. Sometimes, computer components can be really stuck, even if you are able to pull them out though. I honestly feel like i am going to break my 24- pin power connector when ever i pull mine out.
Pull it out with the force spreading evenly, and with enough of it, it should give way
There is sometimes a little clip or lock on the very end of the cards to, make sure you unlock it. That can take a bit of force too.
"...and Bocock is in the whole"
by sleeknerve on Mar 1, 2009 8:54 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
got it
You were right. It wasn’t quite a missed screw, but it was a tab on the port end that I missed that was hooking the graphics card to the TV tuner adjacent to it and preventing me from taking it out. Once I disentangled things, the card came right out.
HAPPY DAY. Now all I have to do is wait for the freaking replacement and hope it freaking works and that I can freaking install it without frying the motherboard.
Thanks to all.
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 9:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t forget to find one of the blank covers for empty ports and screw it in to keep dust out.
Fred Lewis can stand under my umbrella.
31 May 2007, 21:38 EST - the last time Matteh's career W-L wasn't below.500
We are at war with Los Angeles. We have always been at war with Los Angeles.
by S.F. Giangst on Mar 1, 2009 9:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, dust is a real issue in my apartment. There are ventilation holes on the side panels where dust creeps into the case. Things were pretty dusty when I opened it up. Doubtless the interior components don’t appreciate this.
by non sequitur on Mar 1, 2009 9:25 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Hopefully, this goes without saying...
You are correct. Dust can cause serious problems. Make sure that you blow out the inside thoroughly before you button it back up.
by Jakespaar on Mar 2, 2009 2:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
A can of compressed air is your friend.
Fred Lewis can stand under my umbrella.
31 May 2007, 21:38 EST - the last time Matteh's career W-L wasn't below.500
We are at war with Los Angeles. We have always been at war with Los Angeles.
by S.F. Giangst on Mar 2, 2009 6:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
/turns can upside down
/shoots death ice at you
by xanthan on Mar 2, 2009 7:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
/removes death ice.exe from your system
Now you play nice.
The Basil Fawlty Moderating Strategy:
"We could run a nice blog here if we didn't have all these members getting in the way."
by WalrusMan on Mar 2, 2009 7:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
If you don’t have a blank cover, you can fake it with duct tape or electrical tape, or whatever.
No, really, I have updated my blog this year: http://skaldheim.livejournal.com/tag/baseball
by Skaldheim on Mar 3, 2009 1:35 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Notice the hook on the non-port end of the card? Has than engaged something on the motherboard? If so you may need to free the port end, pull the card slightly on a diagonal towards the port end as far as you can, and see if the non-port end disengages.
Fred Lewis can stand under my umbrella.
31 May 2007, 21:38 EST - the last time Matteh's career W-L wasn't below.500
We are at war with Los Angeles. We have always been at war with Los Angeles.
by S.F. Giangst on Mar 1, 2009 8:58 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
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