Member Avatar for drakkana

My problem is that my windows xp even though i have installed the drivers of my Sapphire ATI Radeon X1650 pro (vpu) graphics card, start with the lowest resolution.. I have tried a lot of things..like reinstalling drivers , windows xp problem resolution..
This happens to me for the first time.. I made a format.. and after the format i have this problem.. This is a new graphic card..which when i installed had no problem at all..
But after the format i have done one of this days i now have this issue..
Does anyone know why could this be happening?

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Dani AI

Generated

Brief summary and context: the thread shows a classic intermittent case — got normal resolution after reinstalling the ATI drivers and adjusting Catalyst settings, but the problem returned after a full shutdown. Earlier suggestions from (check OS/driver updates) and (full driver reinstall) were on the right track; the symptoms point to either a driver/cleanup issue or a hardware/initialization quirk rather than a simple settings mistake.

Why this happens (most common reasons)

  • Leftover drivers or mixed-vendor files (old nVidia remnants) can confuse Windows so it sometimes loads the generic VGA/standard driver on cold boot.
  • Windows or Plug-and-Play may briefly detect the card before the GPU or BIOS is fully initialized, forcing a fallback mode; some motherboards require a warm reboot to initialize certain PCIe cards.
  • Onboard-video vs. discrete-card conflicts, loose PCIe power/cabling, or an unstable PSU can produce the same intermittent low-resolution behavior.
  • Dual-head entries such as "Secondary" are often normal for cards that expose multiple outputs, but they can also indicate driver confusion if duplicate instances persist.

Practical next steps (applied in sequence)

  • In Safe Mode, run a clean-removal utility (e.g., Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove all ATI/AMD and nVidia remnants; then reboot.
  • Install the latest driver package downloaded directly from the card maker (avoid the old CD). Create a System Restore point first.
  • Temporarily prevent Windows from auto-replacing the driver during install (disconnect network or pause update services).
  • In BIOS, set primary display to PCIe/PEG and disable onboard video; confirm the monitor is plugged into the card and reseat power/PCIe connections.
  • If cold-boot only failures continue, update the motherboard BIOS and test the GPU in another machine (or a known-good GPU in this machine) to isolate hardware vs. software.
  • If hardware failure appears likely, pursue vendor support/RMA.

This advice builds on the work already posted by and and explains why a reinstall can appear to fix the symptom while the underlying initialization or leftover-driver problem remains.

Recommended Answers

All 17 Replies

Member Avatar for mechbas

Is the OS and GA updates current?

Member Avatar for drakkana

I have no idea what you're talking about..
noob..:/

Member Avatar for caperjack

I have no idea what you're talking about..
noob..:/

let me translate ===Is the OS and GA updates current?==OS= Operating System ie: winxp = is you winxp up to date with all windows updates installed .

GA updates current==GA=Graphic Card = is you video card driver the latest that the maker offers on there web site for you video card .

Member Avatar for drakkana

let me translate ===Is the OS and GA updates current?==OS= Operating System ie: winxp = is you winxp up to date with all windows updates installed .

GA updates current==GA=Graphic Card = is you video card driver the latest that the maker offers on there web site for you video card .

my windows are updated..
my graphic card i believe it is..now.. my graphic card is sapphire ati radeon x1650 pro (vpu)..
i don't believe that this has anything to do with the updates of my graphic card.. i believe that because the previous card (nvidia) was inside the motherboard that when i installed some the basic cd's after the format, maybe there is an issue between nvidia drivers and ati (my new card's) can you tell me how could i see if there is such a problem..?

Member Avatar for hughv

In Control Panel/System/Hardware/Device Manager:
See what video adapter is shown.
Right-click any and all, then select "Uninstall".
Reboot, and see if the correct card is detected and reinstalled.
You may need to have the drivers handy to complete this step.

Member Avatar for drakkana

what is a video adapter?.. :/
sorry but my windows xp are in Greek..

Member Avatar for drakkana

okeik i found it..uninstalled it..wait until i reboot.

Member Avatar for drakkana

i rebooted..the video adapter still exists in my hardware..and in fact when i re-entered my windows it showed me that a new hardware was detected..and it was my graphic card..but now when i roll down with my mouse a page it rolls down with cracks..it doesn't roll normally..it rolls like there are several pages the one underneath the other..if you get what i mean..so what should i do next?

Member Avatar for drakkana

Oh i forgot..my windows started in normal resolution after the reboot..

Member Avatar for drakkana

i installed the drivers..and no more crack screens...everything kewl..for now at least..
thanks guys...

Member Avatar for mechbas

Have you (re)installed the updated drivers?

Member Avatar for drakkana

Problem NOT solved.. i have noticed that when i restart the computer sometimes the resolution is normal..But when i shut it off completely and the next day start it the resolution is once again low...
mechbas i seem to have some trouble installing the drivers from the cd..it doesn't find them..but the odd thing is that when i do this-->Device manager-Video adapter-Radeon etc..-update-no windows connect with windows update (tick)-install from a list etc..-without search-choose driver programm from user-next-the model of the graphic card shows in the list..Radeon x1650 series(with the appearance of hardware ticked)(sorry but i try to translate from greek to english), i then choose it,i hit next and it says that the guide has completed the installation fo the software for Radeon X1650 SEries..I do the same steps for the RAdeon X1650 series secondary..then reboot..and it starts in normal resolution..but when i turned the pc off it started in low resolution again...i am completely lost..

Member Avatar for mechbas

Control Panel > System > Hardware(tab) > Device Manager
click on the + next to where it says Display Adapters and see if the "Radeon X1650 SEries" or words to that effect is listed. Yes/No? Is there a "!" mark next to it?
Even if it does right click on the name (if any) and select properties. Check for any manner of error msg. Do you see any msg. that refers to (Code 10) or some other number?

Member Avatar for drakkana

I pushed the + and the things that are shown are
Radeon X1650 Series
Radeon X1650 Series Secondary..
no "!" and no error msg...

Member Avatar for mechbas

You have more than one instance of the same hardware item. Unistall (right click) the one that indicates "Secondary". Right click the one remaining and select "Properties". Any err. msg. will be displayed there.

Member Avatar for hughv

"Secondary" refers to the driver for the second display, and seems to be legit.
Comlete re-install instructions are here, and I would suggest that's the next thing to try:

Member Avatar for drakkana

i did a re-install of the drivers..with newer ones (i think) from the ati link that hughv's gave me.. i restarted..it opened in low resolution again..i did the settings to my ati catalyst control center..and turned off the pc..when i turned it on it started in normal resolution..so i think my problem is solved.....THANK you guys..i appreciate it... :***

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