ArcadeVGA 5000 + Windows 7 32bit Issues

[TigerSaw]

I just got an ultimarc ArcadeVGA 5000 video card, put it in my pc, and I cant get it to show up in the device manager.

I used the drivers from http://www.ultimarc.com/avgadrivers.html and it works better than the cd I got ... because they installed, but still I see nothing.

Are there any tricks to getting this to work? ...

[lilshawn]

make sure your motherboards BIOS is set to initialize the PCIEx graphics card FIRST then (if given the option) internal (or other graphics cards) you have installed.

it will be in the PnP or PCI options in the BIOS.

[TigerSaw]

make sure your motherboards BIOS is set to initialize the PCIEx graphics card FIRST then (if given the option) internal (or other graphics cards) you have installed.

it will be in the PnP or PCI options in the BIOS.

I have change it to PCI ex, PCI, and On Board, nothing gets it to see the card. I've also installed Windows 7 64 bit, it doesnt see it either. I am at a loss for what needs to be done .... any other ideas?

[lilshawn]

does your motherboard have several PCIe slots? you may have to check your manual as to which one needs to be populated first.

Also try removing and reinserting the card to see if it picks up then.

are you getting video at all out of the card? - like, can you hook a monitor up the the video out on the card and get a picture?

maybe something is wrong with the card, did you purchase it from ultimark or did you buy it used? maybe contact Andy @ ultimarc and see if there is something he can do.

[TigerSaw]

does your motherboard have several PCIe slots? you may have to check your manual as to which one needs to be populated first.

Also try removing and reinserting the card to see if it picks up then.

are you getting video at all out of the card? - like, can you hook a monitor up the the video out on the card and get a picture?

maybe something is wrong with the card, did you purchase it from ultimark or did you buy it used? maybe contact Andy @ ultimarc and see if there is something he can do.

I have been going at this for a few days now, and have learned a few things.

1. I popped the card out of the pc i want to use for my mame cab, and popped it into the pc im using to respond to this forum .... works no problem. So it's not the card.
2. I popped my video card from my pc into my arcade cab pc, and it too, doesnt work.

So what I have learned is, it's a problem with the Shuttle SG33G5 Im using. It has a bridge system to supply power to either the PCI OR the PCIEx/HDMI ports .... so I switch that around ..... no video at all out of either.

So I am at a loss .... do ATI video cards just not work in Shuttle PC's? .... if that's the case, Im going to just switch pc's around .... but what a monumental pain in the ass.

So ya, if you can find out what I need to do from here ... that'd be great, but at this point it seems like PC specific problem, and not a mame/arcadevga card problem.

Things can never just WORK can they .... have to fight you to the bitter end.

[TigerSaw]

Solved, below is what I did to solve the problem, in case anyone else on the net stumbles into this and needs it.

[SOLUTION]

This is a unique problem to Shuttle PC's, in my case a SG33G5. It might be the case for other smaller or compact makes of computer as well. To make them so small, they put in a smaller power supply, then add a bridge to certain video slots. You have to physically pull up what looks like little lego bricks, and put them back down in the right place to get the PCI Ex slot to work.

Second, you have to go into the BIOS and tell it to use the HMDI/PCIEx slot ... it has to use both, which WILL kill your VGA/DVI Onboard chipset and any monitors you have plugged in.

ON TOP OF THAT, you need to have the drivers already installed for the card you want to use, or else it wont see it. I was using Windows 7 64 bit .... even that refused to see it. Below are the exact steps you need to take to fix the problem.

1. Install the proper drivers for your video card, in my case the ATI Arcade VGA 5000 - http://www.ultimarc.com/avgadrivers.html
 - you will get an error in the install list for Catalyst.
2. Shut down your PC.
3. Switch the bridge from On-Board to HMDI/PCI Ex
4. Install the card in the PCI-Ex slot.
5. Plug a monitor into the DVI slot.
6. Turn your pc on.
 - It should boot but be at a REALLY weird resolution.
7. Open the drivers folder again, and re-install.
 - this time everything should go 100% perfectly, because it sees the card.
8. Reboot.

Everything should work perfectly now.

Just a side note, when you plug your pc into your CRT Monitor, the VGA port only works with 15khz so regular PC monitors dont work on that port, and if you plug a DVI AND a VGA into both slots, your PC WILL see it as a duel monitor system. Resulting in mame games playing on your DVI screen, and your CRT being just a wallpaper, and nothing else.

This is easily solved by unplugging your DVI monitor, everything will jump to the CRT, and you're set!