Trouble shooting getting 2 video cards working

W

WhiteOut56

I had this computer working w/ 4 monitors before. One of the video cards blew out and I have been running w/ only 2 monitors for a while until I just recently purchased one.

When I put both video cards in, and connected 4 monitors the 2 monitors on the bottom weren't recognized. I went to the device manager and the computer wasn't recognizing the video card on the bottom.

So I took out all video cards, and I put the video card that was on the bottom on the top, and it worked. So my problem is that the computer is not recognizing the video card on the bottom.

Was wondering if someone know anything I can do to solve this?


Thank you in advance
 
Don't know what you meant by "on the top" or "on the bottom".

1. Are the 2 video cards of the same make? If they are from different manufacturers, there may be compatibility issues. What makes and models do you have?

2. What OS are you running? (Presumed Windows)... but is it XP, Vista or Win7?

3. Some manufacturers provide a video-card management type of software (usually on their CD). And you need to run their software to enable the cards first before Windows' device manager can see them. Did you try that?

If the 2 video cards are from the same make, same model, I would suggest to insert them one at a time, boot up Windows, make sure everything is okay, shut down, before inserting the second one, and reboot.
 
You don't mention if the first card that blew out was in the bottom slot originally. Take a card that you know works, and install it as a single in the bottom slot. If all is well, then you have a software/driver issue that must be resolved.

If it does not work at all, chances are you have a bad bus and the original card you thought went bad, may in fact have been good.
 
Quote from WhiteOut56:

One of the video cards blew out and I have been running w/ only 2 monitors for a while until I just recently purchased one.
More...
Did you see any physical signs that the old video card "blew" out?

I had video cards failed on me before and:

Case 1: Many of the capacitors blew up like popcorns. Really, literally exploded. Overheating inside the box.

Case 2: The mechanical fan on the video card got stuck from dusts. There were burnt marks. Again... overheating. Discovered too late.

If not sign of overheating damages, it may still be good and the problem was with something else like Big AAPL suggested. Do some swap and test.
 
Quote from WhiteOut56:

I had this computer working w/ 4 monitors before. One of the video cards blew out and I have been running w/ only 2 monitors for a while until I just recently purchased one.

When I put both video cards in, and connected 4 monitors the 2 monitors on the bottom weren't recognized. I went to the device manager and the computer wasn't recognizing the video card on the bottom.

So I took out all video cards, and I put the video card that was on the bottom on the top, and it worked. So my problem is that the computer is not recognizing the video card on the bottom.

Was wondering if someone know anything I can do to solve this?


Thank you in advance
More...

We need make and model of each video card in order to help you.

The probelm you're having is common when video cards are of different brands and often even among different models of the same brand.

While you're giving us more info, go ahead and tell us the make/ model of the pc and let us know what OS you are using.
 
Yeah, best to go with two cards that use the exact same chipset. That way one driver-installation can control them both. Trying to use two different cards and getting two different drivers to co-exist is an exercise in headaches and futility.
 
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