Re-directing video to PCI card before Windows loads

[TheManuel]

I read the excellent guide on hiding Windows in the Wiki.

I am considering a much simplified approach and would like to know whether it should work in theory.
I plan to try the PCI card trick described here:
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Hiding_Windows
in combination with the Windows hibernation feature.

Since I don't have a PCI card to test it out at the moment, if I go into hibernation while MALA is running and then turn on the computer, should the video resume right back at the MALA screen?

I want to do this for two reasons:
1. To hide Windows
2. Because I'm using component video output from an ATI card on a TV and during boot-up, the image on the TV looks garbled and all out of sync and makes me fear I might overdrive the TV and damage it

I suppose I'll still have to figure out how to hide the screen that shows up while the system is going into hibernation...

[NOP]

I think it depends on the motherboard whether you will see the BIOS stuff when you turn on the PC coming out of hibernate.  If your board goes through a regular (or simplified) POST, then you will see that stuff all garbled on your monitor and then it'll start the unhibernate process, and your screen should then pop right back into mala where you left off.

The whole idea with the PCI card is to temporarily re-direct that POST stuff out to PCI.  For you without one, you'll see it on your TV instead.

I'd think you could certainly do this a few times before wrecking your monitor for testing.

[TheManuel]

Well that is the plan.
I would get a PCI card but if I do, I wonder if AGP will go from blank straight to Mala which is my goal.

[NOP]

I'd think this may also depend on you using onboard AGP.  Typically those bios options to force the video to PCI are only there so that you can plug in a PCI card and essentially override the onboard stuff.

If your mobo doesn't have onboard AGP, you might not even have that PCI/AGP bios setting to change. then you're kinda screwed.

But anyway, yeah, I would expect that if you can get the BIOS to switch to PCI for early bootup, your AGP based video would be totally blank until windows enables it, at which point it should be right there in mala. 

Your mileage will vary.

Pay no more than about $5 for a crappy PCI video card.  Get one off craigslist or some other used store for this experiment.

This is a super cool little trick.  I'm going to look into it myself.  Thanks for bringing this up and making me think about it.

[TheManuel]

You only have yourself to thank since you were trying to help me.
So thanks.

I do have onboard AGP and the BIOS setting so I may be in luck.

[Ummon]

What do you mean 'onboard' AGP?  If you mean 'integrated', aren't all (at least somewhat older but not real old) systems AGP?

[TheManuel]

Yes, I think your're right.
We were using the terms interchangeably.
But for this method to work, you need an actual AGP add-on card and a separate dummy PCI card.

[NickG]

and then what about the resume from hibernation screen?

[TheManuel]

Since that screen loads before Windows starts, I expect that one to be sent to the PCI card as well but I have not tried since I don't have once such card yet.

[TheManuel]

Well, bad news for me.
I received a PCI card yesterday which I bought from eBay for less than $4.
When I set the BIOS to use PCI as main video device, the boot-up video is still sent to my AGP card.
Furthermore, I removed my AGP card and then all video including boot-up, was sent to the onbard video chip.

So my problem is one of two alternatives:
1. the feature does not work
2. the crappy PCI card does not work or is too old for the MB to even recognize it as a video card.

I will put it in my other computer to see if it works there but I'm bummed that this is not working.  I really wanted to do this.

[Ummon]

It should've displayed video. It may not be functioning.

[NOP]

or it's a bios bug-make sure you've got the latest-n-greatest for your board.  It's possible they forgot to hook up the code behind the setup option that disables the video output on the AGP devices.

A good bios would try the PCI device, since that's what you specified, and if it wasn't able to find one, it should have beeped at you, then switched to AGP.

Bummer.  In my situation, I don't even have the option, so I'm stuck with seeing the POST when I start up my cab.

Perhaps a wiki section is in order for "cab friendly motherboards" with model #s and whatnot that have support for either this feature, or the ability to upload your own logo into the POST screen. 

[northerngames]

http://www.wincustomize.com/

has all the sounds login screens welcome screens etc.

as for the bios screen you need a pci card and set it to your primamry in the bios settings and your main graphics card as secondary.

then in the windows device manager you disable the pci card completely

so next time you start the pc the bios screen will boot the primamry pci card that has no monitor connected and shows no picture of coarse and then soon as the windows screens start windows disables the pci card and use's your main grahics card to display instead.

I have my cab's screen and sounds all tricked out from peice's from that site.

[Ummon]

then in the windows device manager you disable the pci card completely

I didn't have to do this on mine, but it's worth looking into if one had problems.

[northerngames]

I had to do it on mine and it is also required when using soft15K or your regular bios would show becuase that is what is set to do in both windows and bios

not sure why your pci woud be set to primary in the bios but have the vga take over in windows becuase it was not told to so.

[TheManuel]

I just returned from out of town.
I'll try the video card in my other computer to see if it works but it's already not looking promising.
If it does not work, I might chance spending another $4 on eBay for another one.

[Ummon]

I just returned from out of town.
I'll try the video card in my other computer to see if it works but it's already not looking promising.
If it does not work, I might chance spending another $4 on eBay for another one.

Or check out CL and Freecycle. Before I knew of this and thinking I didn't have any need for such old junk, I gave a few away.