PLEASE HELP!...'bout to go insane.

W

wojtekluk

Member
Hi Everybody:
If anybody can help me with this problem I will be so grateful and it will prevent my wife from taking me to the psych. ward. :smile:
Here's the deal.
XPS 400 , 2.8 , 2gb, 3 int. sata hd
dual boot xp and vista 32 thru grub loader
nvidia 8800 gts pci-e , 2 monitors.
All the above has worked 10000% for me, for a long time....
-3 days ago I decided 2 monitors wasn't enough:lup:,
-found an old PCI vga that I pulled outta of a '98 Compaq that was retired in the attic.
-popped it in, started comp., chose Vista , loaded no problem,but...
it also turned my 8800 gts into a regular vga card, thus disabling dual monitors. Also my monitors became generic pnp's (before it listed the model).
--Seeing all this made me realize, what the hell am I doing:wtf: 2 monitors is enough, so I shut down and removed the old PCI vga card and proceeded to start the comp.
Here's where the S***t really hit the fan. PLEASE HELP>
Dual boot screen still comes up, XP loads fine.
Vista on the other hand will only go thru the green loading bars, then black screen with pointer appears and stays FOREVER till I force shutdown.
I tried everything, way too much to list, been up for 2 days goin nukin futs:??,
Apologize for the super long post, but I really need help. THANK YOU to anybody w/ suggestions a 1000 times in advance.
Wojtek
--"so many roads to ease my soul"--
Garcia
 
Hit F8 after selecting Vista but before it starts to load. See if Last Know Good Configuration helps.
 
welcome to the forum wojtekluk is your vista a real copy (i'm not exactly an expert) but i think that it would have something to do with it
 
Thanks for replies, I tried every option that follows the F8 key, I just disabled all the driver other than the one that Vista is on, and when I try to boot it says "NTLDR" is missing. :wtf: Please Help.
Thanks
Wojtek
 
NTLDR is a XP related issue. Not Vista. Vista doesnt use the NTLDR from what i know. So are you having issues booting XP or Vista.
 
Xp was the original OS, I added Vista later to a separate HD (in my case G:,when booted in XP.) XP Boots perfectly , but when I chose vista from the boot menu it'll get past the green bars and the black screen with a working pointer. I believe that when I added the old PCI vga card, and then removed it somehowe the 8800 gts vista drivers got deleted.
Thanks For Your help makavali2....
Wojtek
 
Makaveli213 said:
Well it seems to me that you are trying to use the XP boot loader. Which you can not do since Vista does not work with the XP boot loader. You have to repair the Vista boot loader with the DVD.

Repairing the Windows Vista Bootloader - NeoSmart Technologies Wiki
Click to expand...
It has always worked for me this way. Never had problems. I've added extra ram, replaced a 7100 nvidia with a 8800 gts, added HD's and all was great until I put in ; then removed an old vga card. I believe that somehow vista's 8800 gts drivers were removed during the process. Is there a way that I can install them thru using XP since it is fully operational.
Thanks again......

Addendum:

After the BiOS loads, I get a selection prompt for which OS I want to use, Xp works 100%, however Vista only gets past the green loading bars, then all I get is black screen with a working pointer. I tried using easyBCD to restore/repair the boot sector in Vista, while in XP but it won't do anything 'cause it says that the files are already there(which they are, ) so I tried deleting the Vista boot folder so that easyBCD would recreate it, but it will not let me. However I still think that this is a graphics driver issue, so again does anybody know if there is a way that i can re-install the Vista 8800 gts graphics drivers thru using my XP?? PLease Reply:frowning:
THanks
WOJTEK:??
 
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You can not adjust your Vista driver from within XP. You will have to boot into Safe Mode of Vista and fix that issue. Hit F8 right after you select Vista. That will bring up the menu to select Safe Mode.
 
Makaveli213 said:
You can not adjust your Vista driver from within XP. You will have to boot into Safe Mode of Vista and fix that issue. Hit F8 right after you select Vista. That will bring up the menu to select Safe Mode.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all your replies Makaveli,
Tried that too (safe mode) with the same outcome. Is there a way I can boot my vista with a USB or CD that will have a generic set of VGA drivers, then I'll be able to download and install the ones I need. I did a s**** load of research on this "black screen - working pointer" thing and still can't come up with a solution. It almost seems like Vista is loaded I just can't see a *#%damn thing? Any other ideas. ????????????
Again, much Thanks
Wojtek

Addendum:

Another thought,
Can I take the needed drivers and just copy them where they belong thru using XP. I have the driver files.
 
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The only other idea is to insert the AGP card again. That way you have a working video feed. From there delete all Video Devices. Google for Driver Cleaner Pro and run it. There is a free version available at Guru3d that will work.

Before you restart after you remove the video devices remove all drivers as well. The ones from nvidia for the 8800 and the ones for the AGP card.

Then reset. Remove the AGP card and put the 8800 back in. Boot into Vista. Since there is no video device installed at this time it should load with that card now.

Addendum:

There is nothing you can do from XP. At all. Even if you could manage to get the .inf file needed there is now way to make Vista recognize it and use it. That can only be done from within Vista.
 
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Hey, I will try that right now, (the card is just a generic vga PCI that is about 8-10 years old ), I think I already tried that but with the 1,000,000 other that I have also tried I think it's worth another shot.
--Mak, thanks for Your replies bro, how much longer will You be online?
Wojtek
 
Hey MAkaveli..
I figured out how to fix this , see what You think?
I disabled all the drives in the BIOS other than the one that VISTA is on, now when I boot up it says BOOTMGR is missing. If I put BOOTMGR on that drive (it's on SATA 2), I should be able to boot up . Also I disabled the 8800 GTS so I think that it will work thru the old card, since the last time I left Vista that card was recognized and generic VGA drivers were loaded.
THanks
Wojtek

Addendum:

BTW, how do I put BOOTMGR on that drive?
 
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It sounds as if, like me, you have your Vista and XP boot files on the XP system, hence the boot failure if you disconnect the XP drive. You should be able to boot from your Vista DVD and repair the Vista boot when you're in that state (ie replace your bootmgr). Though, because it won't see XP, it won't create a dual boot. You'll need to put the XP entry back and fix the subsequent XP boot problems after you've sorted out your drivers on Vista.
 
Just an update--
Still haven't been able to resolve the "black screen with working pointer, after green loading bars" issue in my Vista Ultimate installation, I've tried running the Recovery Disc--with no success. I am a 100% sure that this is a vga driver issue. Does anybody know if I can install them thru the MS-DOS prompt? I can access the prompt thru the recovery cd or thru my XP which runs 100%. Please Help.:shame:
Thanks a million
Wojtek
 
Computer Guru said:
You should be able to boot into safe mode, no?
Click to expand...
---After reading thru a lot of Your answers to questions on the forums, I was hoping that You would chime in on this:joy:
Yes, I tried all 3 safe modes, I think I tried everything under the sun:??, it seems that Vista loads just not getting graphics. I am trying to figure out a way to re-install/repair the graphics drivers thru either my working XP install or thru the prompt from the Vista recovery disc. I WILL NOT GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!:booyah: Please, I need more ideas/help.
Thank You Everyone
Wojtek
 
Been there done that too, it seems that all the previous restory points, have been mysteriously deleted? All i need is advice on how to re-installl the VGA drivers thru XP or thru the recovery prompt.
Thanks Again
Wojtek
 
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