Might have killed my GTX 470...

DitsHavoc · 21 Mar 2011 at 21:10

Hey all,

Just purchased and installed a Zalman VF3000-F for my GTX470, installation went well and everything seemed to be working fine until I booted into Windows.

Now my PC thinks my GPU is a Standard VGA Device and wont let me install the Nvidia drivers. Have tried Uninstalling/Re-installing them and no luck (Drivers wont let me install them now as device not found)

Forcing driver install with "Have Disc" does not work either.

Any ideas? Maybe an .inf file could work?

The after-market cooler couldn't have wiped its brain could it?

TIA

~REALiTY · 21 Mar 2011 at 21:15

Id try reseating the card first if you havent already?

Cleeecooo · 21 Mar 2011 at 21:16

DitsHavoc said:
Hey all,

Just purchased and installed a Zalman VF3000-F for my GTX470, installation went well and everything seemed to be working fine until I booted into Windows.

Now my PC thinks my GPU is a Standard VGA Device and wont let me install the Nvidia drivers. Have tried Uninstalling/Re-installing them and no luck (Drivers wont let me install them now as device not found)

Forcing driver install with "Have Disc" does not work either.

Any ideas? Maybe an .inf file could work?

The after-market cooler couldn't have wiped its brain could it?

TIA

So he asks for help and you insult him!

OLDPHART · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:05

Try clearing the Cmos, see your mobo manual on how to do this.

arc@css · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:11

Manners, Cleeecooo! A bit rich coming from you fella.

kitch9 · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:24

DitsHavoc said:
Hey all,

Just purchased and installed a Zalman VF3000-F for my GTX470, installation went well and everything seemed to be working fine until I booted into Windows.

Now my PC thinks my GPU is a Standard VGA Device and wont let me install the Nvidia drivers. Have tried Uninstalling/Re-installing them and no luck (Drivers wont let me install them now as device not found)

Forcing driver install with "Have Disc" does not work either.

Any ideas? Maybe an .inf file could work?

The after-market cooler couldn't have wiped its brain could it?

TIA

Can you create an extra partition on your HDD and install a test windows on it? If that works it should be easy to migrate over to the new windows install and delete the old one.

You can use Disk Manager in Windows 7 to create a new partition. Type dskmgmt.msc in start menu search to open it.

There is always the possibility that static electricity could have blown something on the PCB if you weren't properly grounded as you can generate 20,000 volt just scratching your armpit which chips designed to operate on 12 volt or less quite obviously do not like.

Amos91 · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:44

What happens if you right click the standard vga adapter in device manager and select uninsall? Try doing that, restarting and then try the nvidia drivers again. Also can you try the card in another pc?

Last resort if nothing works could be to reflash the card.

spirits247 · 22 Mar 2011 at 09:59

Make sure the card is fully seated in the PCI-E slot, or try another slot if your motherboard has one.

I know it sounds obvious, and you probably have already tried, but the last time this exact same thing happened to me the card wasn't seated perfectly.

kitch9 · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:14

Yeah check for dust in the PCI-E slot too, as that can do strange things...

DitsHavoc · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:41

Thanks for the helpful responses, have tried pretty much everything and still a no go. Tried the gf’s machine as well and it just recognised as a Standard VGA Adapter.

Guess that’s what I get for messing with it, just before bloody Crysis 2 launches as well!

scubes · 22 Mar 2011 at 10:55

can you not try the original cooler back on to see if that helps? might be worth a try mate.

kitch9 · 22 Mar 2011 at 11:02

Hmmm, sounds like ESD damage then.....

Get an anti-static wrist strap from the place that sounds a bit like Butlins for £6.00 and clip it to your case in future when doing this type of stuff. (Plug PC into wall but turn off PSU at its switch.)

Put your card on a anti-static bag too on your desk when working on the bare pcb as all bets are off if you put a pcb straight on a non-grounded surface even if you are grounded yourself.

DitsHavoc · 22 Mar 2011 at 11:05

Think shes has gone to Silicon Heaven, the dissasembly was probably the killer, 3 of the screws threaded and I had to file a new groove into them to remove (stupid I know) but when panic sets in my brain seems to turn off.

Credit card has taken another whack and a GTX 570 is on its way, least I can live in my cave for a while with my new precious, who needs food eh?

Thanks again everyone

rolypolyman · 22 Mar 2011 at 11:35

You sure this card is goosed? Thought the trick when installing a new card was not to let windows install the standard vga driver and then run the Nvidia installer. :confused:

vertica · 22 Mar 2011 at 12:03

DitsHavoc said:
3 of the screws threaded and I had to file a new groove into them to remove

Lesson 1: Use the correct screwdriver!
Have you given it a good clean and checked for filings on the pcb?

It is possible you have over tightened the screws and the flex in the pcb is causing problems (has been known to happen).

Have you checked you haven't got TIM on components by accident?

OLDPHART · 22 Mar 2011 at 16:18

Try this > Device Manager > click Display Adapters > right click on Standard VGA Adapers > click on Update Driver Software > click Search Automatically for updated driver software > it may take a couple of minute's it should update drivers to NVidea 470 Drivers.

mountaincow · 22 Mar 2011 at 17:15

kitch9 said:
Put your card on a anti-static bag too on your desk when working on the bare pcb as all bets are off if you put a pcb straight on a non-grounded surface even if you are grounded yourself.

I'm pretty sure it is designed to keep electrical charges on the outside of bag, so this would probably be one of the worst places to put something vulnerable to static?

Correct me if I am wrong.

Surveyor · 22 Mar 2011 at 18:47

Jazzerman said:
I'm pretty sure it is designed to keep electrical charges on the outside of bag, so this would probably be one of the worst places to put something vulnerable to static?

Correct me if I am wrong.

You're correct.

These was a thread a while back where someone posted that their motherboard was dead and showed pictures of components being installed on the anti static bag.

OCUK wouldn't accept a return.

Purgatory · 22 Mar 2011 at 18:56

Im guessing ESD damage or thermal paste/ something conductive has landed on some components and shorting them. I would take the cooler off and test it with the original cooler, just to rule out the new cooler maybe touching something and shorting a component and make sure to clean the board of anything that has settled on it.

If it still fails when you stick the original cooler on, try flashing the BIOS on the card and see if that helps, you may have zapped the BIOS chip with static and caused bad data inside it. Worth a try.. IF all fails put it all back together and RMA it mate .. Not much else you can do. It happens sorry to say when you try replacing coolers on GPUS, sometimes they are just a bad fit and can cause electrical shorts to the card.

DitsHavoc · 22 Mar 2011 at 19:32

Oh it just gets better and better, though to myself oh well lets give the PC a spring clean...

Took off the CPU cooler and it wrenched out the CPU along with 2 pins!! Seriously how much bad luck can a person have

Feel free to laugh now