Replacing PCI Video Card with AGP card

[Retreatgal]

Hi

I wondered of anyone could help me here. Maybe someone else has encountered
this problem.

I am fixing an old socket 7, 550mhz pc. It currently uses a PCI video card
and I purchased a second hand AGP card. When I booted I got the 8 beeps
video card error. I went into BIOS and the primary video adapter is set for
PCI.

The questions are:

Does putting in an AGP card whilst the BIOS is configured for PCI cause
these beeps? Rather than a dead AGP card.

And if I change the setting to AGP, reboot, and still get the beeps, will I
have any display happening if I put the PCI card back in but before I
reconfigure the BIOS for PCI? Or do I just get a black screen until I
source another AGP card???

Cheers
Retreatgal

 

[Stacey]

Hi

I wondered of anyone could help me here. Maybe someone else has
encountered this problem.

I am fixing an old socket 7, 550mhz pc. It currently uses a PCI video
card
and I purchased a second hand AGP card. When I booted I got the 8 beeps
video card error. I went into BIOS and the primary video adapter is set
for PCI.

The questions are:

Does putting in an AGP card whilst the BIOS is configured for PCI cause
these beeps? Rather than a dead AGP card.

You did remove the PCI card right? Most boards this just sets which card if
the primary video -if- you are using two card, it should still work
whatever it's set on.

And if I change the setting to AGP, reboot, and still get the beeps, will
I have any display happening if I put the PCI card back in but before I
reconfigure the BIOS for PCI? Or do I just get a black screen until I
source another AGP card???

You could try changing it and if all else fails, reset the bios to get the
default setting back which is probably PCI. Again I doubt this is the
problem, more likely a dead video card.

 

[striker]

First time I put in an AGP card I didn't seat it enough. Wasn't pushed down
all the way and got beep error code.

 

[Retreatgal]

Hi Stacey

You did remove the PCI card right?

Yes, I did remove the PCI card first.

You could try changing it and if all else fails, reset the bios to get the
default setting back which is probably PCI. Again I doubt this is the
problem, more likely a dead video card.

I don't want to change the BIOS until I know if the AGP card is alive as I
do not want to reset the BIOS. I have a friend who already has an AGP card
in their pc, so I will try the offending card in their machine. Like you, I
suspect it is a dead video card.

Retreatgal

 

[Matt Merkey]

Hi

I wondered of anyone could help me here. Maybe someone else has encountered
this problem.

I am fixing an old socket 7, 550mhz pc. It currently uses a PCI video card
and I purchased a second hand AGP card. When I booted I got the 8 beeps
video card error. I went into BIOS and the primary video adapter is set for
PCI.

The questions are:

Does putting in an AGP card whilst the BIOS is configured for PCI cause
these beeps? Rather than a dead AGP card.

And if I change the setting to AGP, reboot, and still get the beeps, will I
have any display happening if I put the PCI card back in but before I
reconfigure the BIOS for PCI? Or do I just get a black screen until I
source another AGP card???

Cheers
Retreatgal

The primary video setting in the bios just tells the bios which bus to
go to first for video. In a dual video card setup, it will be the #1
card. The bios will look to both busses for a video card during the
power on self test (POST) process. So it's quite possible the AGP card
is DOA.

 

[WebWalker]

Are you putting an 8X AGP card to a 1-2X AGP slot ?

 

[Trent©]

Hi

I wondered of anyone could help me here. Maybe someone else has encountered
this problem.

I am fixing an old socket 7, 550mhz pc. It currently uses a PCI video card
and I purchased a second hand AGP card. When I booted I got the 8 beeps
video card error. I went into BIOS and the primary video adapter is set for
PCI.

If you use the AGP, take out the PCI. And make sure the BIOS can
handle that version of AGP.

The questions are:

Does putting in an AGP card whilst the BIOS is configured for PCI cause
these beeps? Rather than a dead AGP card.

No...it shouldn't. And a dead card shouldn't necessarily give you
beeps either. Make sure there isn't a jumper on the mainboard for the
type of video card.

And if I change the setting to AGP, reboot, and still get the beeps, will I
have any display happening if I put the PCI card back in but before I
reconfigure the BIOS for PCI? Or do I just get a black screen until I
source another AGP card???

? Let us know.


Have a nice week...

Trent©

Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!

 

[kony]

Are you putting an 8X AGP card to a 1-2X AGP slot ?

Would that be possible without a hammer?

 

[kony]

Hi

I wondered of anyone could help me here. Maybe someone else has encountered
this problem.

I am fixing an old socket 7, 550mhz pc. It currently uses a PCI video card
and I purchased a second hand AGP card. When I booted I got the 8 beeps
video card error. I went into BIOS and the primary video adapter is set for
PCI.

The questions are:

Does putting in an AGP card whilst the BIOS is configured for PCI cause
these beeps? Rather than a dead AGP card.

And if I change the setting to AGP, reboot, and still get the beeps, will I
have any display happening if I put the PCI card back in but before I
reconfigure the BIOS for PCI? Or do I just get a black screen until I
source another AGP card???

Cheers
Retreatgal

Many super 7 boards were fussy about AGP video cards, moreso than other
comtemporary platforms or anything that has come after them. Often super
7 boards used Voodoo3 video because in it's agp version it lacked many agp
features and acted like a PCI card, except in the faster AGP slot. If
your card is a TNT chipset then that was a known problem, but largely
because it was a popular chipset during the super 7 era, cards coming
afterwards could have same problem but simply weren't tested in sufficient
volume.

Then there's power... different video card likely uses more power so the
question of the power suppply adequacy comes into play.


Sometimes it's not a matter of whether the bios is set to agp or PCI, but
that it does need to be reset, "clear cmos" to get the new video card to
work. 8 beeps isnt' telling, you might be best off to just reinstall the
PCI card as a 550Mhz super 7 system isn't worth the time or money to fool
with, better to just have it working with the PCI card and consider other
alternative systems if it won't perform appropriate for intended use.

 

[JT]

Would that be possible without a hammer?

Some older, cheaper motherboards are not keyed in a way that would keep an
8x AGP card from fitting. If they left the plastic "keys" out, any card
will fit. It just won't work. Have ran into this before.

JT

 

[kony]

Some older, cheaper motherboards are not keyed in a way that would keep an
8x AGP card from fitting. If they left the plastic "keys" out, any card
will fit. It just won't work. Have ran into this before.

JT

Which boards?

There were plenty of AGP universal slotted boards but those will run 8X
cards, at 4X.