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Question

Dell XPS 210 upgrade help

by May 2, 2014 2:10PM PDT

Hi, somewhat of am upgrading novice here looking for some advice on how to solve a problem.

I recently upgraded a Dell XPS 210 (Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86 GHz, Intel P965 PCI Express, integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000) from the original XP to Windows 7 (32 bit). Everything installed fine, but now after I use it for a few minutes I get this error:

"Display driver Intel Graphics Media Acceleration Driver for Windows Vista R stopped responding and has successfully recovered". That happens a few times, and then the screen just goes black. The computer stays on, but then I have to force restart to get the display to work again.

I searched here for display driver updates here and didn't see any for Windows 7:

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/Product/xps-210

...however, I did find a Windows 7 (32 bit) driver for the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator here:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?lang=eng&DwnldID=18223

...and I downloaded that, installed it, and restarted... but the same problem keeps happening.

So that's where I'm at. Do I need to install a new graphics card? If so, which one should I get? I've seen some threads elsewhere that say while this computer has a PCI-E x16 expansion slot, any graphics card installed would have to be a half-height or low profile one. More importantly, whatever card I'd get would have to have drivers for Windows 7... but I've honestly never upgraded a graphics card before so I'm not sure if that's what I need to do or which one to get if I need it. I've seen people elsewhere suggest an ATI Radeon X1300 Pro, but would that work with Windows 7?

Here's a link to the owners manual for this computer with all the tech specs as well:

ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_xps_desktop/xps-210_Owner's%20Manual_en-us.pdf

Any help or advice on other graphics cards (or any other fixes) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Discussion is locked

4 Posts
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Answer
Practically any
by May 3, 2014 12:57AM PDT

low profile PCIe video card with low profile bracket included will fit and work. BUT, I don't think the problem is your hardware. During your upgrade from XP, the W7 installer program may not have correctly upgraded the video driver.

Try uninstalling the current driver and boot into plain VGA mode. When you power up again, look in device manager to see if an Intel video driver is properly installed (no yellows). If it is ok, adjust the resolution to whatever and you are good to go. If only a VGA driver is in device manager, google for and download the Intel GMA driver for "965 Express Chipset" and install it.

Lastly, if all above fails to resolve the issue, you may have to fresh install W7 after saving your data. You will have to then re-install application programs.

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Answer
Checkout...
by May 3, 2014 1:54AM PDT

You have a more video demanding OS on top on working with an older integrated video port which is Intel. This is a noted problem as you "out-strip" the basic video abilities, new drivers or not. You already found no Win 7 based drivers, but Vista based ones should work. If your Dell XPS should be capable of video card install, do so. It's a basic upgrade and may I suggest the 5450 video card and comes with working with Win 7, drivers, and general ease of install.

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Radeon-Profile-PCI-Express-ONXFX1PLS2/dp/B007B5YUMQ/ref=sr_1_5/178-3766710-3081060?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1399132200&sr=1-5&keywords=radeon+graphics+card

-OR- any other vendor and 5450 chip based card. You can upgrade better if you like, but a decent video card overall is a better fix, as Intel video on mtrbd. aren't always agreeable. You can check the Intel support website and get the drivers from them as that is more liekly the better source for your P965 based mtrbds..

tada ------Willy Happy

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RE: Checkout...
by pikeman327 May 4, 2014 3:13AM PDT

Ok, thanks for the advice. I think I'll go this route. One thing I saw in the comments for that particular card concerns me though:

"However, the low profile HDMI/DVI bracket that it comes is not quite right. The bracket is fixed to the card with three screws - two near the DVI output and one near the HDMI output. The screw hole near the HDMI output in the low profile bracket does not align with the hole in the card. So, the bracket is fixed to the card with only two screws instead of the three as it should be. The full profile bracket with the VGA output does not have this problem and is the one attached to the card out of the box."

The monitor that's being used with this PC is VGA only, so I assume since only a low-profile bracket will fit, that I'd have to use a DVI-to-VGA adapter, since from what that comment says the low-profile bracket is HDMI/DVI only. Not a big deal, just making sure that won't affect anything else.

Also, since I've never installed a new graphics card I just want to make sure... will Windows 7 automatically recognize the device when I plug it in and install drivers on its own, or do I have to put drivers on before I install the card?

Thanks again for your help.

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Its likely
by Willy May 5, 2014 4:08AM PDT

When you buy a new video card, it should work with the "native Win 7" drivers. However, to get the utmost from the video card, it should have the drivers and also the install guide. Generally, even with Win 7, you will want to use the provided drivers and probable video manager setup that helps manage the video even more.

FYI- I suggested the 5450, but it comes in many flavors so you'll have a wide choice to pick from. Alas, get the one that suits you needs and costs. The side benefit is that the gpu chipset is that power hungry, great fore most PCs.

tada -----Willy Happy

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