My graphics card is throwing up on me when I try to use two monitors... what to do?

Question

I am running Windows XP x32. I have a Radeon x3000 series graphics card and two monitors: one connected through vga and one through dvi. The vga monitor works, but when I enable the second one I get an error message. Actually, I get the message whenever I go into the display settings panel. It reads:

"Invalid Display Settings

The currently selected graphics display driver can not be used. It was written for a previous version of Windows, and is no longer compatible with this version of Windows.

The system has been started using the default VGA driver.

Please contact your hardware manufacturer to get an upgraded driver, or select one of the Microsoft provided drivers."

However, I have not updated my pc. One day it worked, the next thing I knew it wasnt working. I got two monitors working yesterday but then it stopped working. Today I did the EXACT same thing as yesterday yet it failed to work. This is getting frustrating.

Please help me! What should I do? Where can I get new drivers?

I tried downloading the drivers from ati's website, but they just gave me a bunch of stuff and no driver with my download.

Answer 1

A lot of times using mixed signals (e.g. mixing output DVI and VGA) can cause the graphics card to freak. It doesn't happen all that often, but it has been known to. What display resolution are you trying to use? Because normally the default drivers are so horrific that you 'have' to download the updates ones in order to get a decent resolution. If you're having troubles finding the drivers, e-mail me or IM and I will attempt to help you find them. However, it really is quite necessary to have them. There are constant flaws with original drivers and even if this doesn't fix your current issue, it does need to be taken care of.



Another little trick you might try is turning off the monitors when plugging them in. Keep on on while you set your display settings, then after you're done, turn the other one on. Sometimes the newer monitors try to force the display resolution, so that may be confusing the graphics card.



If this really doesn't do it for you and you are not finding what you want from my help, I highly recommend Afterdawn.com. They are an excellent site and getting you feedback and help that is accurate. Though, it will take some time. Feel free to personally e-mail me if you have more questions, because I know how much it sucks to go through this bull ****... I'm dealing with my 300.00 Radeon 5850 not being compliant with my mobo.

Answer 2

ATI never had an X3000 series. They had a Radeon 3000 series. Intel, however, had their integrated X3100 series, so I hope you're not confusing the two. Try updating the driver via the device manager. Also try using lower resolutions. If both displays are operating at different resolutions and one is higher than the other one can display, I could see settings muck ups causing this kind of thing. Or it could be that your video card is taking a dump and needs to be replaced.

Answer 3

Here's the link to the current ATI drivers for Win XP 32-bit: http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_xp-32.aspx



You have to install the catalyst control center to get the drivers, but it does work.



EDIT: the Radeon x300 is indeed a separate card - but a very low end one. Fine for putting up web pages, but don't try gaming on it.

Answer 4

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