PCI-Express port not detected

Solved
rama1 Posted messages 959 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -  
rama1 Posted messages 959 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -
Hello,
I brought my PC for a diagnostic at a repair shop (15 euros). The verdict is that the graphics card is dead. So I bought another PCI Express one (PowerColor ATI Radeon HD 3450 512 MB DDR2). The screen remains black. I then connect to the VGA port on the motherboard's integrated graphics card, and the screen starts up; everything is okay.
I then use Everest to check the PCI Express port, but it’s not present. I go into Device Manager, and still no PCI Express port detected.
I went into the BIOS and correctly selected "PCI-Express" under the "Primary Graphics Device" section of the BIOS.
Normally, at startup, Windows XP SP2 should have detected my new graphics card, right?
So I went back to using the VGA connection while leaving the new graphics card installed in the PCI Express port.
Still no detection by Windows and still nothing from Everest!
Do you think there's a parameter related to the PCI to PCI-Express bridge that I missed in the AMI BIOS, or is the PCI Express port fried? But then why didn't the repairman point that out?
Should I install the driver for my graphics card before the hardware installation of the card or reinstall the motherboard drivers that control the PCI ports?
PowerColor ATI Radeon HD 3450 512 MB DDR2 DVI output

Thank you for your help
Configuration: Windows XP Firefox 3.0.3

1 answer

rama1 Posted messages 959 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   149
 
I brought it back to the technician, the PCI Express port is dead. So I'm going to change the motherboard.
What do you recommend considering I have an AthlonX2 with an AM2 socket (compatible with AM2+), a SATA hard drive, and DDR II RAM at 533 MHz? I will also install Windows XP Home OEM for €118.

Will I have problems accessing my hard drive that contains Windows XP Home pre-installed? Do I need to plan for a C drive formatting to start from scratch?
Thank you for your help.
0