Changinnng to default BIOS settings has created problems.

[Eberhard Roloff]

Hi Steven,

let's do it step by step and see...

stevenvollom at sbcglobal.net wrote:

> I removed the video card.  I set the internal GPU to Auto.  Then I 
> booted the computer.  When the computer attempted to open, it quickly 
> moved to a point where it made a long signal then stopped.  I left it 
> set for a few minutes in case it was working in the background.  When I 
> was satisfied it was stopped, I shut down the computer and booted 
> again.  This time I opened the boot menu and attempted to open the 
> computer using the second choice.  It is not repair, perhaps restore, 
> but I can't remember the word, but it is not the regular opening it is 
> the one you would use it attempt repair.  In any event, if you are able 
> to put the proper name on it, it continued to open until it came to a 
> command prompt calling for user and password. 

This is ok. It means:
Your video is working, otherwise you would not see anything on the screen.

However, your X is screwed up, otherwise you would see your graphical 
logon screen.

So when you are in "recovery, safe values or whatever it is called", 
then when there is a prompt, enter your userid and then your password.
Then you will need to change /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Just to see something on the screen which resembles X, I would search 
the string <Driver "nvidia"> and change this to <river "nv">, which is 
the opensource nvidia driver. This should give you enough GUI to 
continue with your troubleshooting.

The same happened to me yesterday, when I made the mistake to install 
nvida 180 from a ppa repo of the newest and greatest and anything was 
screwed and I could not get anything to display. I know it was my own 
foolishness...
However I am in Intrepid, as you know.


> While I am waiting, I inspected the video card.  The long row of teeth 
> on the bottom of the card which make contact with the motherboard, one 
> of them is about a sixteenth of an inch shorter than all the others.  It 
> looks like it is broken off at that point.  If it happened while the 
> card was installed, it may be the reason for the video card failure, if 
> that is the problem.  It is the third pin from the end.  It still looks 
> long enough to make contact with the MB, but perhaps not deep enough.  
> It does not look right though.

This is how the teeth should look, I guess:
http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:PCI-Express-graphics-board.jpg&filetimestamp=20051112120927

Should one of your card teeth be broken, you can possibly try to use it.
Imho the worst that will possibly happen, will be a nonworking video 
card. Anything else will be better. However please make sure that the 
broken part of the tooth is removed from the motherboard slot.
Fwiw I never ever managed to physically brake a card, so chances are 
your card is ok.

Just let us know how to proceed. If you happen to have a Ubuntu CD, you 
might also boot from there. It will most probably be easier for you to 
alter the X configuration from the GUI than through the commandline.

Kind regards
Eberhard