[vox-tech] Phoenix BIOS Blind Video Switch

[Peter Jay Salzman]

On Wed 29 Dec 04,  4:35 PM, Jeff Newmiller <jdnewmil at dcn.davis.ca.us> said:
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> Friend of mine gave up on this P4 2.6Ghz computer, seems a waste though.  
> His wife got frustrated one day trying to move the computer and broke the
> onboard video connector (yes, those are screws on the side of that
> connector)... it is pretty smashed. I took out their hard disk and put it
> into another of their computers, and they gave me the rest of the cpu box.  
> I may end up buying a $60 mobo, but wouldn't mind running it headless if I
> could throw a $10 video card into it to set up the machine with.  The
> problem, of course, is that the mobo doesn't have an internal video
> override jumper... you have to use the Pheonix BIOS to switch to "Primary
> video = PCI".  I've tried to do this blind with an old PCI video card
> plugged in, but it isn't working and of course I can't figure out why.  
> The keyboard lights blink at the appropriate times, so I am changing
> something.
> 
> Anyone have any ideas, or is this mobo just really hosed?

Googled for awhile to no avail.  Did find something really funny:

   http://forums.devhardware.com/archive/t-31570

The guy asks:

   Can anyone tell me how to find out if my games are using the onboard
   graphics instead of the video card?

What a question!

Anyhow, the onboard video I've seen have tiny conductors that go from the
physical port to the motherboard.  It should be possible to jury rig
something to latch on to them, at least for as long as to set one bios
parameter.

If not, this would be a great application for a BIOS savior if you can find
someone with the same motherboard.  I even recall reading about places that
will sell you a BIOS savior with a preloaded BIOS on it.  Always wanted to
play around with one myself.

Also, just in case the computer comes with PCI video as a default, did you
try resetting BIOS?  Prolly doesn't, but you never know.

Here, someone asks the same question:

   http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Q_21195287.html

Unfortunately, you have to "sign up" to see the solution, and from what I've
seen, experts-exchange is mostly populated by schmucks.

Also, I thought someone had asked this exact question on vox-tech a couple
of years ago.   Was it Henry House?  Could be wrong.

On the bright side, non-performance mobos are insanely cheap.  I bet you can
pick up one up for half of what you quoted: $30.  Maybe $40.

None of this stuff will probably help.  Just thinking out loud.

Pete


-- 
The mathematics of physics has become ever more abstract, rather than more
complicated.  The mind of God appears to be abstract but not complicated.
He also appears to like group theory.  --  Tony Zee's "Fearful Symmetry"

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