problem with ATI Radeon 9800 Pro - please help

[Adam]

GMAN wrote:

Adam wrote:
Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition


The problem started creeping up last night ...
- bad pixels appear randomly on the screen
- the system freezes when I move the mouse
- something was mildly burning / overheating


I powered off the system overnight. Turned it back on this
morning. It worked briefly. Then, the problem started up again.
On one reboot, I got the following message ...

"You have not connected the power extension cable to
your Radeon 9800 video card
Please refer to the "Getting Started Guide" for
proper hardware installation !!!"

After removing the video card, cleaning and reinserting,
the message (above) went away. But, I noticed that
the fan on the video card was not spinning. So,
my guess is that the video card is overheating.
Hopefully, this can be fixed somehow. Any ideas?

Also, I now get the following "warning" message ...

"The ATI Control Panel failed to initialize because
no ATI driver is installed, or ATI driver is not working
properly. The ATI Control Panel will now exit."

And, the only display setting that works is 640 x 480
It will not take any other resolution.
Look at :
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_instal
l.html

Thanks for the link. Just what I need to
clarify my understanding about these VGA coolers.

After removing the fan and heatsink, what's the best way to
remove the residual thermal compound from the GPU?
Is there a good website with pictures and instructions?
That stuff is all over the GPU (as expected) and beyond.

In the following link ...

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_install2.

h
tml#storytop
what are those dots around the GPU
Rubbing alcohol seems to work fine.
Just the raised portion of the GPU is what you need to clean.
Don't scrape over those 'white dots' or you will be minus a video
card. They are electronic components such as resistors,etc.
When you apply the new paste, just a little dab will do it. It
basically just fills in the tiny voids that can trap air.
The more polished the mating surfaces are, the less heatsink paste is
required.
If they were perfectly polished, no paste would be required. Air is
an insulator.
If it is too thick, it will act as an insulator and slow down the
heat transfer.
Google the proper way to apply it.

Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 comes with
a thermal pad pre-attached to the heatsink.
All I have to do is clean the GPU surface and
attach the VGA cooler, right? No need to mess with
other thermal paste, right?

See Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 here ...
http://www.burnoutpc.com/modules/smartsection/print.php?itemid=264
The pad will work just fine. Although paste, such as Artic Silver might work
a 'little' better, I think you should just use the supplied pad and see how
it works. If more cooling is required, then you can go ahead and remove the
pad and its residue later and apply the fairly expensive Artic Silver. Heat
sink paste tests usually list Artic Silver among the best, but the
difference in performance between the cheap Radio Shack paste and the
expensive Artic Silver paste isn't much. Artic Silver may last longer,
though.


You call $5 for a tube of arctic silver expensive?
The best is just fine, isn't it!

And with Arctic Silver you are on the safe side!

The following link ...
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/p_vga2.php?idx=125&data=3
says ...

"Thermal Compound
We ship our coolers with the ARCTIC MX-1 thermal compound.
This compound hardens during the first 200h while
the performance improves steadily. With heating up
the paste / heatsink the process can be shortened.
The performance is even from the beginning good enough to
cool your CPU reliable."

ARCTIC COOLING MX-1 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100401

Do I still need to get Arctic Silver?

Not necessarily.

Great! Thanks for making sure I'm on the right track.

 

[Roy Coorne]

GMAN wrote:
Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition


The problem started creeping up last night ...
- bad pixels appear randomly on the screen
- the system freezes when I move the mouse
- something was mildly burning / overheating


I powered off the system overnight. Turned it back on this
morning. It worked briefly. Then, the problem started up again.
On one reboot, I got the following message ...

"You have not connected the power extension cable to
your Radeon 9800 video card
Please refer to the "Getting Started Guide" for
proper hardware installation !!!"

After removing the video card, cleaning and reinserting,
the message (above) went away. But, I noticed that
the fan on the video card was not spinning. So,
my guess is that the video card is overheating.
Hopefully, this can be fixed somehow. Any ideas?

Also, I now get the following "warning" message ...

"The ATI Control Panel failed to initialize because
no ATI driver is installed, or ATI driver is not working
properly. The ATI Control Panel will now exit."

And, the only display setting that works is 640 x 480
It will not take any other resolution.
Look at :

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_instal
l.html

Thanks for the link. Just what I need to
clarify my understanding about these VGA coolers.

After removing the fan and heatsink, what's the best way to
remove the residual thermal compound from the GPU?
Is there a good website with pictures and instructions?
That stuff is all over the GPU (as expected) and beyond.

In the following link ...
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_install2.
h
tml#storytop
what are those dots around the GPU
Rubbing alcohol seems to work fine.
Just the raised portion of the GPU is what you need to clean.
Don't scrape over those 'white dots' or you will be minus a video
card. They are electronic components such as resistors,etc.
When you apply the new paste, just a little dab will do it. It
basically just fills in the tiny voids that can trap air.
The more polished the mating surfaces are, the less heatsink paste is
required.
If they were perfectly polished, no paste would be required. Air is
an insulator.
If it is too thick, it will act as an insulator and slow down the
heat transfer.
Google the proper way to apply it.

Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 comes with
a thermal pad pre-attached to the heatsink.
All I have to do is clean the GPU surface and
attach the VGA cooler, right? No need to mess with
other thermal paste, right?

See Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 here ...
http://www.burnoutpc.com/modules/smartsection/print.php?itemid=264
The pad will work just fine. Although paste, such as Artic Silver might
work
a 'little' better, I think you should just use the supplied pad and see how
it works. If more cooling is required, then you can go ahead and remove the
pad and its residue later and apply the fairly expensive Artic Silver. Heat
sink paste tests usually list Artic Silver among the best, but the
difference in performance between the cheap Radio Shack paste and the
expensive Artic Silver paste isn't much. Artic Silver may last longer,
though.


You call $5 for a tube of arctic silver expensive?
The best is just fine, isn't it!

And with Arctic Silver you are on the safe side!
The following link ...
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/p_vga2.php?idx=125&data=3
says ...

"Thermal Compound
We ship our coolers with the ARCTIC MX-1 thermal compound.
This compound hardens during the first 200h while
the performance improves steadily. With heating up
the paste / heatsink the process can be shortened.
The performance is even from the beginning good enough to
cool your CPU reliable."

ARCTIC COOLING MX-1 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100401

Do I still need to get Arctic Silver?

Not necessarily.

Great! Thanks for making sure I'm on the right track.

You definitely are... and already close to Eve

rOy

 

[Adam]

Adam wrote:
GMAN wrote:
Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition


The problem started creeping up last night ...
- bad pixels appear randomly on the screen
- the system freezes when I move the mouse
- something was mildly burning / overheating


I powered off the system overnight. Turned it back on this
morning. It worked briefly. Then, the problem started up again.
On one reboot, I got the following message ...

"You have not connected the power extension cable to
your Radeon 9800 video card
Please refer to the "Getting Started Guide" for
proper hardware installation !!!"

After removing the video card, cleaning and reinserting,
the message (above) went away. But, I noticed that
the fan on the video card was not spinning. So,
my guess is that the video card is overheating.
Hopefully, this can be fixed somehow. Any ideas?

Also, I now get the following "warning" message ...

"The ATI Control Panel failed to initialize because
no ATI driver is installed, or ATI driver is not working
properly. The ATI Control Panel will now exit."

And, the only display setting that works is 640 x 480
It will not take any other resolution.
Look at :

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_instal
l.html

Thanks for the link. Just what I need to
clarify my understanding about these VGA coolers.

After removing the fan and heatsink, what's the best way to
remove the residual thermal compound from the GPU?
Is there a good website with pictures and instructions?
That stuff is all over the GPU (as expected) and beyond.

In the following link ...

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_install2.

h
tml#storytop
what are those dots around the GPU
Rubbing alcohol seems to work fine.
Just the raised portion of the GPU is what you need to clean.
Don't scrape over those 'white dots' or you will be minus a video
card. They are electronic components such as resistors,etc.
When you apply the new paste, just a little dab will do it. It
basically just fills in the tiny voids that can trap air.
The more polished the mating surfaces are, the less heatsink paste is
required.
If they were perfectly polished, no paste would be required. Air is
an insulator.
If it is too thick, it will act as an insulator and slow down the
heat transfer.
Google the proper way to apply it.

Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 comes with
a thermal pad pre-attached to the heatsink.
All I have to do is clean the GPU surface and
attach the VGA cooler, right? No need to mess with
other thermal paste, right?

See Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 here ...
http://www.burnoutpc.com/modules/smartsection/print.php?itemid=264
The pad will work just fine. Although paste, such as Artic Silver might
work
a 'little' better, I think you should just use the supplied pad and see how
it works. If more cooling is required, then you can go ahead and remove the
pad and its residue later and apply the fairly expensive Artic Silver. Heat
sink paste tests usually list Artic Silver among the best, but the
difference in performance between the cheap Radio Shack paste and the
expensive Artic Silver paste isn't much. Artic Silver may last longer,
though.


You call $5 for a tube of arctic silver expensive?
The best is just fine, isn't it!

And with Arctic Silver you are on the safe side!
The following link ...
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/p_vga2.php?idx=125&data=3
says ...

"Thermal Compound
We ship our coolers with the ARCTIC MX-1 thermal compound.
This compound hardens during the first 200h while
the performance improves steadily. With heating up
the paste / heatsink the process can be shortened.
The performance is even from the beginning good enough to
cool your CPU reliable."

ARCTIC COOLING MX-1 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100401

Do I still need to get Arctic Silver?

Not necessarily.

Great! Thanks for making sure I'm on the right track.

You definitely are... and already close to Eve

rOy

Shhhhhh ... my SO (not Eve) might not like the thought of that.

 

[Adam]

Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition

I use 3 X 9800 Pro and 1 x 9800XT video cards with no problems. All
computers are running XP Pro.
I have had no problems with the stock coolers on these cards although I have
read where it might be better to fit bigger aftermarket coolers. As I type
this my 9800XT is running at 35 degrees C. (Everest) so I have left the
stock cooler alone untill such times as I need to replace a fan.
I did have trouble once with the molex connector on one of the cards. I
guess I must not have pressed the PSU connector in hard enough and that
caused a bad connection to the card blackening one of the pins. I cleaned
the pin and socket and all is well again. the problems I was having at that
time sounded like the problems you are having.
You could also try getting a friend to run your card in his computer just to
see how it goes.

Good info. Thanks!

I'll have to double check the power (molex?) connector on
the card again. Might be hard to find another system with
an AGP slot since AGP has pretty much been replaced.
But, I'll keep it in mind.

One of the pins of the molex connector is black-ish.
What's the best way to clean this up?

 

[Buffalo]

Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition


I use 3 X 9800 Pro and 1 x 9800XT video cards with no problems. All
computers are running XP Pro.
I have had no problems with the stock coolers on these cards
although I have read where it might be better to fit bigger
aftermarket coolers. As I type this my 9800XT is running at 35
degrees C. (Everest) so I have left the stock cooler alone untill
such times as I need to replace a fan.
I did have trouble once with the molex connector on one of the
cards. I guess I must not have pressed the PSU connector in hard
enough and that caused a bad connection to the card blackening one
of the pins. I cleaned the pin and socket and all is well again.
the problems I was having at that time sounded like the problems
you are having.
You could also try getting a friend to run your card in his
computer just to see how it goes.

Good info. Thanks!

I'll have to double check the power (molex?) connector on
the card again. Might be hard to find another system with
an AGP slot since AGP has pretty much been replaced.
But, I'll keep it in mind.

One of the pins of the molex connector is black-ish.
What's the best way to clean this up?

http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/workbench/07_rwf_work_dec_21.shtml
From the URL above: Remove all the Molex plugs and treat the pins to a
spritz of contact cleaner, or better yet, Caig Labs DeoxIT. Gently swab the
pins to apply a thin film of this cleaner/preservative. Work the Molex plug
back and forth over the pins to clean the contacts inside the plastic plug.

I would think alcohol might also work, as would a flammable solvent light
lighter fluid (be careful).
External pins might be cleaned by fine emery or sandpaper.
Contact cleaner is probably the best.
Even a solvent like carb cleaner 'might' work, but I don't know if it would
harm the connector or not.

 

[Paul]

Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition

I use 3 X 9800 Pro and 1 x 9800XT video cards with no problems. All
computers are running XP Pro.
I have had no problems with the stock coolers on these cards although I have
read where it might be better to fit bigger aftermarket coolers. As I type
this my 9800XT is running at 35 degrees C. (Everest) so I have left the
stock cooler alone untill such times as I need to replace a fan.
I did have trouble once with the molex connector on one of the cards. I
guess I must not have pressed the PSU connector in hard enough and that
caused a bad connection to the card blackening one of the pins. I cleaned
the pin and socket and all is well again. the problems I was having at that
time sounded like the problems you are having.
You could also try getting a friend to run your card in his computer just to
see how it goes.

Good info. Thanks!

I'll have to double check the power (molex?) connector on
the card again. Might be hard to find another system with
an AGP slot since AGP has pretty much been replaced.
But, I'll keep it in mind.

One of the pins of the molex connector is black-ish.
What's the best way to clean this up?

An alternative solution, would be to buy a "Y cable", one of those
cables that makes two Molex out of one Molex cable. The cable is
a good source of male and female connectors, complete with wire.

Cut up the Y cable. Strip the four ends of the resulting wires.
Leave about 1/4" wire exposed. Unsolder the old connector. Solder
a cable in place, having the same polarity and placing the same
wire colors as the pins had before. (In other words, make sure
when the power cables meet, that the voltages end up on the same
pins as they used to.) Now your video card has its own permanent
"piggy tail".

+----------------------+
| X------ M M ------ From
| X------ o o ------ PSU
} Video card X------ l l ------
| X------ e e ------
| | x x
+----------------------+

The reason for using the Y cable, is it would be difficult to
find a right angle soldertail Molex PCB mount connector at your
corner store. On the other hand, virtually every computer store
carries the Y cable. RadioShack used to have them, but I haven't
checked there lately.

What I cannot tell you, is whether the holes in the PCB are big
enough for the wire gauge used on the Y cable. Some hole patterns
for Moles, have generous holes.

If you need someone to do the soldering, try a Radio/TV repair
shop, if there are any of those left. Some Radio/TV sales stores
have a repair in the back, that may be able to handle it. Since
you are providing the parts, it should just be a soldering job.

I personally would not trust a blackened or oxidized pin for too
long. I had a piece of lab equipment, where I was constantly cleaning
and fixing an internal connector between two assemblies. Even when
cleaned, the burned pins would eventually make bad connections again.
Eventually I soldered a solution in place and that fixed it. If replacement
connectors are available, they are a better solution than applying
bandaids. The lab equipment used an obscure connector I could not find
a replacement for. Soldering it together was an act of desperation.

The 9800pro uses a lot of +5V current, and that will be the pin
that burned. The connector is rated for more current than the
9800pro draws, so by design at least, it is a safe design. If
for any reason, the connector fits loose, that can be a reason
for the thing to overheat and blacken.

Paul

 

[Adam]

Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition

I use 3 X 9800 Pro and 1 x 9800XT video cards with no problems. All
computers are running XP Pro.
I have had no problems with the stock coolers on these cards although I have
read where it might be better to fit bigger aftermarket coolers. As I type
this my 9800XT is running at 35 degrees C. (Everest) so I have left the
stock cooler alone untill such times as I need to replace a fan.
I did have trouble once with the molex connector on one of the cards. I
guess I must not have pressed the PSU connector in hard enough and that
caused a bad connection to the card blackening one of the pins. I cleaned
the pin and socket and all is well again. the problems I was having at that
time sounded like the problems you are having.
You could also try getting a friend to run your card in his computer just to
see how it goes.

Good info. Thanks!

I'll have to double check the power (molex?) connector on
the card again. Might be hard to find another system with
an AGP slot since AGP has pretty much been replaced.
But, I'll keep it in mind.

One of the pins of the molex connector is black-ish.
What's the best way to clean this up?

An alternative solution, would be to buy a "Y cable", one of those
cables that makes two Molex out of one Molex cable. The cable is
a good source of male and female connectors, complete with wire.

Cut up the Y cable. Strip the four ends of the resulting wires.
Leave about 1/4" wire exposed. Unsolder the old connector. Solder
a cable in place, having the same polarity and placing the same
wire colors as the pins had before. (In other words, make sure
when the power cables meet, that the voltages end up on the same
pins as they used to.) Now your video card has its own permanent
"piggy tail".

+----------------------+
| X------ M M ------ From
| X------ o o ------ PSU
} Video card X------ l l ------
| X------ e e ------
| | x x
+----------------------+

The reason for using the Y cable, is it would be difficult to
find a right angle soldertail Molex PCB mount connector at your
corner store. On the other hand, virtually every computer store
carries the Y cable. RadioShack used to have them, but I haven't
checked there lately.

What I cannot tell you, is whether the holes in the PCB are big
enough for the wire gauge used on the Y cable. Some hole patterns
for Moles, have generous holes.

If you need someone to do the soldering, try a Radio/TV repair
shop, if there are any of those left. Some Radio/TV sales stores
have a repair in the back, that may be able to handle it. Since
you are providing the parts, it should just be a soldering job.

I personally would not trust a blackened or oxidized pin for too
long. I had a piece of lab equipment, where I was constantly cleaning
and fixing an internal connector between two assemblies. Even when
cleaned, the burned pins would eventually make bad connections again.
Eventually I soldered a solution in place and that fixed it. If replacement
connectors are available, they are a better solution than applying
bandaids. The lab equipment used an obscure connector I could not find
a replacement for. Soldering it together was an act of desperation.

The 9800pro uses a lot of +5V current, and that will be the pin
that burned. The connector is rated for more current than the
9800pro draws, so by design at least, it is a safe design. If
for any reason, the connector fits loose, that can be a reason
for the thing to overheat and blacken.

Paul

I wish I had bought a molex extension long ago to
avoid having to yank at the one connected to the video card.
There was an awful lot of connecting/disconnecting because
I had so much trouble installing this video card.
There must have been a bad connection or two,
which caused the problem.

 

[Buffalo]

I wish I had bought a molex extension long ago to
avoid having to yank at the one connected to the video card.
There was an awful lot of connecting/disconnecting because
I had so much trouble installing this video card.
There must have been a bad connection or two,
which caused the problem.

Sounds like you're getting to the point where the card will work fine again.
It sure sounds like it could have been a poor power connection. Well, with
your new heatsink, it should run cooler and very quiet.
Post back with the results.

 

[Adam]

Sounds like you're getting to the point where the card will work fine again.
It sure sounds like it could have been a poor power connection. Well, with
your new heatsink, it should run cooler and very quiet.
Post back with the results.

Yes, very close now ... the VGA cooler is
attached to the video card and ready to be
connected to the AGP slot. I had to
move my backup PCI video card out of
PCI Slot 1 and into another PCI slot (just in case).
All I have to do now is buy DeoxIT,
clean that molex connector, attach a Y-cable,
plug the AGP video card in and, hopefully,
it will work cooler/better than ever. ;o)

 

[Buffalo]

Yes, very close now ... the VGA cooler is
attached to the video card and ready to be
connected to the AGP slot. I had to
move my backup PCI video card out of
PCI Slot 1 and into another PCI slot (just in case).
All I have to do now is buy DeoxIT,
clean that molex connector, attach a Y-cable,
plug the AGP video card in and, hopefully,
it will work cooler/better than ever. ;o)

I think you're going overboard with buying DeoxIT, but what the heck. Have
you tried rubbing alcohol or other solvents?
They sell electrical contact cleaner at Radio Shack, and many other places.
You probably don't need that backup PCI vid card in there. If the AGP one
still doesn't work, install the PCI card then.
You may have to go into the BIOS to select which vid card has the priority
if you leave both installed.
You may have to uninstall the PCI vid card drivers before installing the AGP
drivers.

 

[Adam]

I think you're going overboard with buying DeoxIT, but what the heck. Have
you tried rubbing alcohol or other solvents?
They sell electrical contact cleaner at Radio Shack, and many other places.
You probably don't need that backup PCI vid card in there. If the AGP one
still doesn't work, install the PCI card then.
You may have to go into the BIOS to select which vid card has the priority
if you leave both installed.
You may have to uninstall the PCI vid card drivers before installing the AGP
drivers.

Too late ... I already bought a bottle of DeoxIT D5 (not DN5).
Expensive stuff. Hope it's the right one. Hope it doesn't run onto
the video card and destroy it. Scary thought.

I don't leave both video cards in the system for too long.
Yes, there's a BIOS setting for video card selection.

 

[Buffalo]

Too late ... I already bought a bottle of DeoxIT D5 (not DN5).
Expensive stuff. Hope it's the right one. Hope it doesn't run onto
the video card and destroy it. Scary thought.

I don't leave both video cards in the system for too long.
Yes, there's a BIOS setting for video card selection.

Waitng to hear the results. Hopefully it will be very good

 

[Adam]

Waitng to hear the results. Hopefully it will be very good

I won't be able to get around to it until
late tonight or tomorrow. Ah, suspense ...

BTW, how long do I need to wait for DeoxIT to dry?

 

[Buffalo]

I won't be able to get around to it until
late tonight or tomorrow. Ah, suspense ...

BTW, how long do I need to wait for DeoxIT to dry?

From their website:
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.I/id.52/.f?sc=17&category=-117

"
1. Connector Maintenance (RCA, XLR, BNC, DVI, COAX, etc.)

NOTE: If the part is used or in service, assume it.s oxidized.

Metal surfaces:

1. Apply DeoxIT® contact cleaner to metal contact/connector surface. When
connectors contain surface

particles (dust, dirt, etc.) along with oxidation, use DeoxIT® spray with
flushing solvent (#D5MS-

15). When the surface is free from most surface particles, use DeoxIT®
without a flushing solvent

(#DN5MS-15).

2. Operate device to help displace contaminants from contact surface.

3. Repeat Step 1.

4. If surface is heavily oxidized, leaving DeoxIT® contact cleaner on
overnight, is recommended.

5. The next day remove the contaminants lifted by DeoxIT® with lint free
swab, cloth on accessible

surfaces or repeat Step 1 to displace contaminants from contact surface.
Process may need to be

repeated if surface is heavily oxidized. When surface is clean, no residue
on the cloth, finish with a

couple short bursts of DeoxIT®.

6. For extended protection: After surface is clean, apply DeoxIT® GOLD
(ProGold) for indoor

applications or DeoxIT® SHIELD (PreservIT) for outdoor applications."

 

[Buffalo]

I won't be able to get around to it until
late tonight or tomorrow. Ah, suspense ...

BTW, how long do I need to wait for DeoxIT to dry?

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.188/.f

From Which Product, Which Spray

It really sounds like the solvent evaporates in a few minutes, but it leaves
a protective coating.


Also from their website for the D5 spray:


"Which DeoxIT® Spray do I Use?

A) Standard Spray: Provides flushing action

Products:

DeoxIT® D5 Spray (D5S-6) & DeoxIT® D5 Mini-Spray (D5MS-15)

DeoxIT® GOLD G5 Spray (G5S-6) & DeoxIT® GOLD G5 Mini-Spray (G5MS-15)

DeoxIT® SHIELD S5 Spray (S5S-6) & DeoxIT® SHIELD S5 Mini-Spray (S5MS-15)

Formulation: 5% DeoxIT® (active ingredient), 75% odorless mineral spirits
(carrier solvent), 20% propellant

Formulation contains petroleum naphtha (odorless mineral spirits) solvent,
and is briefly flammable (until

solvent evaporates within 2-3 minutes). It’s slower to evaporate, providing
flushing action to remove surfaces

dirt, grease and other contaminants. Is ideal for connectors and components
removed from equipment

or those that are easily accessible. It is safe on plastics. When in doubt,
always test for compatibility, especially

vintage equipment with aging ABS plastic(s)."



Also for the DN-5

"B) Non drip - Quick Dry Spray: Nonflammable, fast evaporating carrier
solvent formula

Products:

DeoxIT® DN5 Spray (DN5S-6) & DeoxIT® DN5 Mini-Spray (DN5MS-15)

DeoxIT® GOLD GN5 Spray (GN5S-6N) & DeoxIT® GOLD GN5 Mini-Spray (GN5MS-15)

DeoxIT® GOLD GX5 Spray (GX5S-6N)

DeoxIT® SHIELD SN5 Spray (SN5S-6N) & DeoxIT® SHIELD SN5 Mini-Spray
(SN5MS-15)

Formulation: 5% DeoxIT® (active ingredient), 75%
1,1,1,3,3-PENTAFLUOROPROPANE (carrier solvent), 1-5%

isopropyl alcohol, 20% propellant

May be used where fast evaporation and/or non-flammability is required, and
no dripping is preferred.

It is also safe on plastics."

 

[shaq]

From their website:http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.I/id.52/.f?sc=17&category=-117

"
1. Connector Maintenance (RCA, XLR, BNC, DVI, COAX, etc.)

NOTE: If the part is used or in service, assume it.s oxidized.

Metal surfaces:

1. Apply DeoxIT®contact cleanerto metal contact/connector surface. When
connectors contain surface

particles (dust, dirt, etc.) along with oxidation, use DeoxIT® spray with
flushing solvent (#D5MS-

15). When the surface is free from most surface particles, use DeoxIT®
without a flushing solvent

(#DN5MS-15).

2. Operate device to help displace contaminants from contact surface.

3. Repeat Step 1.

4. If surface is heavily oxidized, leaving DeoxIT®contact cleaneron
overnight, is recommended.

5. The next day remove the contaminants lifted by DeoxIT® with lint free
swab, cloth on accessible

surfaces or repeat Step 1 to displace contaminants from contact surface.
Process may need to be

repeated if surface is heavily oxidized. When surface is clean, no residue
on the cloth, finish with a

couple short bursts of DeoxIT®.

6. For extended protection: After surface is clean, apply DeoxIT® GOLD
(ProGold) for indoor

applications or DeoxIT® SHIELD (PreservIT) for outdoor applications."- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Ideally you should use the DeoxIT GOLD. DeoxIT D5 should work also.
If using a spray, I would spray it onto a lint-free swab or cloth and
then wipe the edge connectors. For pins, sockets and other parts, I
would spray onto swab and dabb the surface. The spray shouldn't harm
anything on the boards, but over cautious is OK.
DeoxIT works for me everytime - as long as it is a connection
problem.. No other contact cleaner works like DeoxIT.
Mike

 

[Adam]

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.188/.f

From Which Product, Which Spray

It really sounds like the solvent evaporates in a few minutes, but it leaves
a protective coating.


Also from their website for the D5 spray:


"Which DeoxIT® Spray do I Use?

A) Standard Spray: Provides flushing action

Products:

DeoxIT® D5 Spray (D5S-6) & DeoxIT® D5 Mini-Spray (D5MS-15)

DeoxIT® GOLD G5 Spray (G5S-6) & DeoxIT® GOLD G5 Mini-Spray (G5MS-15)

DeoxIT® SHIELD S5 Spray (S5S-6) & DeoxIT® SHIELD S5 Mini-Spray (S5MS-15)

Formulation: 5% DeoxIT® (active ingredient), 75% odorless mineral spirits
(carrier solvent), 20% propellant

Formulation contains petroleum naphtha (odorless mineral spirits) solvent,
and is briefly flammable (until

solvent evaporates within 2-3 minutes). It’s slower to evaporate, providing
flushing action to remove surfaces

dirt, grease and other contaminants. Is ideal for connectors and components
removed from equipment

or those that are easily accessible. It is safe on plastics. When in doubt,
always test for compatibility, especially

vintage equipment with aging ABS plastic(s)."



Also for the DN-5

"B) Non drip - Quick Dry Spray: Nonflammable, fast evaporating carrier
solvent formula

Products:

DeoxIT® DN5 Spray (DN5S-6) & DeoxIT® DN5 Mini-Spray (DN5MS-15)

DeoxIT® GOLD GN5 Spray (GN5S-6N) & DeoxIT® GOLD GN5 Mini-Spray (GN5MS-15)

DeoxIT® GOLD GX5 Spray (GX5S-6N)

DeoxIT® SHIELD SN5 Spray (SN5S-6N) & DeoxIT® SHIELD SN5 Mini-Spray
(SN5MS-15)

Formulation: 5% DeoxIT® (active ingredient), 75%
1,1,1,3,3-PENTAFLUOROPROPANE (carrier solvent), 1-5%

isopropyl alcohol, 20% propellant

May be used where fast evaporation and/or non-flammability is required, and
no dripping is preferred.

It is also safe on plastics."

Great! Thanks!

From talking with people at CAIG,
D5 is most commonly used. I wasn't able to
find the mini-spray (D5MS-15) in stores so
I bought the larger can that most stores stock, D5S-6.
I guess I'll be looking for ways to use this stuff up before
its shelf life expires in September 2009.

 

[Adam]

Great! Thanks!

From talking with people at CAIG,
D5 is most commonly used. I wasn't able to
find the mini-spray (D5MS-15) in stores so
I bought the larger can that most stores stock, D5S-6.
I guess I'll be looking for ways to use this stuff up before
its shelf life expires in September 2009.

Well, it's installed and working for now. I'll have to
let it run overnight to see how it goes.

The thing that isn't perfect is the VGA cooler is so high that
it sticks out of the case and is not compatible with
the case cover (if I ever need to put it on).

Also, not sure why but, on bootup, the Windows logo bitmap has
a bunch of bad pixels at random places. After that, all looks fine.
Any ideas?

 

[GMAN]

Adam wrote:
Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition


The problem started creeping up last night ...
- bad pixels appear randomly on the screen
- the system freezes when I move the mouse
- something was mildly burning / overheating


I powered off the system overnight. Turned it back on this
morning. It worked briefly. Then, the problem started up again.
On one reboot, I got the following message ...

"You have not connected the power extension cable to
your Radeon 9800 video card
Please refer to the "Getting Started Guide" for
proper hardware installation !!!"

After removing the video card, cleaning and reinserting,
the message (above) went away. But, I noticed that
the fan on the video card was not spinning. So,
my guess is that the video card is overheating.
Hopefully, this can be fixed somehow. Any ideas?

Also, I now get the following "warning" message ...

"The ATI Control Panel failed to initialize because
no ATI driver is installed, or ATI driver is not working
properly. The ATI Control Panel will now exit."

And, the only display setting that works is 640 x 480
It will not take any other resolution.
Look at :

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_instal
l.html

Thanks for the link. Just what I need to
clarify my understanding about these VGA coolers.

After removing the fan and heatsink, what's the best way to
remove the residual thermal compound from the GPU?
Is there a good website with pictures and instructions?
That stuff is all over the GPU (as expected) and beyond.

In the following link ...

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/VGA_silencer_install/VGA_silencer_install2
.

h
tml#storytop
what are those dots around the GPU
Rubbing alcohol seems to work fine.
Just the raised portion of the GPU is what you need to clean.
Don't scrape over those 'white dots' or you will be minus a video
card. They are electronic components such as resistors,etc.
When you apply the new paste, just a little dab will do it. It
basically just fills in the tiny voids that can trap air.
The more polished the mating surfaces are, the less heatsink paste is
required.
If they were perfectly polished, no paste would be required. Air is
an insulator.
If it is too thick, it will act as an insulator and slow down the
heat transfer.
Google the proper way to apply it.

Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 comes with
a thermal pad pre-attached to the heatsink.
All I have to do is clean the GPU surface and
attach the VGA cooler, right? No need to mess with
other thermal paste, right?

See Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 here ...
http://www.burnoutpc.com/modules/smartsection/print.php?itemid=264
The pad will work just fine. Although paste, such as Artic Silver might work
a 'little' better, I think you should just use the supplied pad and see how
it works. If more cooling is required, then you can go ahead and remove the
pad and its residue later and apply the fairly expensive Artic Silver. Heat
sink paste tests usually list Artic Silver among the best, but the
difference in performance between the cheap Radio Shack paste and the
expensive Artic Silver paste isn't much. Artic Silver may last longer,
though.

You call $5 for a tube of arctic silver expensive?

The best is just fine, isn't it!

And with Arctic Silver you are on the safe side!

I agree, why do people complain about spending $5 on arctic silver when they
spent hundreds on CPU's and video cards?

Skip you effing lattee for one day from Starbucks!!!!

 

[Adam]

Adam wrote:
My current setup is as follows ...

Asus A7V133 [rev 1.05. (with dot)] with VIA 4in1 driver v4.43
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
AGP Slot: Video - 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
PCI Slot 1: -----
PCI Slot 2: NIC - 3Com 3C905C-TX-M
PCI Slot 3: Sound - Creative Labs SB Live! 5.1
PCI Slot 4: USB Card
PCI Slot 5: -----
Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition


The problem started creeping up last night ...
- bad pixels appear randomly on the screen
- the system freezes when I move the mouse
- something was mildly burning / overheating


I powered off the system overnight. Turned it back on this morning.
It worked briefly. Then, the problem started up again.
On one reboot, I got the following message ...

"You have not connected the power extension cable to
your Radeon 9800 video card
Please refer to the "Getting Started Guide" for
proper hardware installation !!!"

After removing the video card, cleaning and reinserting,
the message (above) went away. But, I noticed that
the fan on the video card was not spinning. So,
my guess is that the video card is overheating.
Hopefully, this can be fixed somehow. Any ideas?

Also, I now get the following "warning" message ...

"The ATI Control Panel failed to initialize because
no ATI driver is installed, or ATI driver is not working properly.
The ATI Control Panel will now exit."

And, the only display setting that works is 640 x 480
It will not take any other resolution.

Sounds like the card went bad. However, it can't hurt to uninstall,
then install the latest drivers for the card (if it lets you get that
far).

Good idea ... I'll uninstall and reinstall.

I still don't have a good feeling about that
fan not spinning though. What's the best way to cool that Radeon
chip?
Add a card (in Slot 1) with a fan blowing at the AGP video card?
Is there such a card? Or, am I getting imaginative? ;o)

As Ron mentioned, yes there is a fan mounted on a PCI slot so you blow
cool air on the card. For now, leave the side off the computer and get
a small (or large) fan blowing cool air into the computer. That will
help determine if it's heat related alone, and not a card failure also.

I now have a small external fan blowing into the uncovered system.
CPU temp dropped by about 10 degrees. I have no way of
measuring GPU temp but my guess is that it dropped by
a similar amount. With the external fan, I might as well unplug that
internal case fan while the case is uncovered.