PCI-E broken or disabled?

I've been using an e-GeForce 7600 GS in my Gateway desktop for several
months with no problem. It was easy to install -- no need to disable
integrated video or anything.

Last night I replaced my CPU fan. When I got the computer running
again, there was no video display. To make the computer usable I have
had to remove the graphics card so that the machine defaults to
integrated motherboard video.

I tried another, identical graphics card -- again, no luck. I have
begun to think that I damaged the PCI-E slot when I changed the fan,
but what is strange is that 1) the fan built into the graphics card
spins when the card is plugged in and 2) my computer recognizes that
the card that I have put in the PCI-E slot is a graphics card, because
it turns off integrated motherboard video.

Is it possible that I've managed to do something to disable video
output without actually breaking the slot? I'd love to think so.
Give me you theories. Thanks.


A. G. Kozak

> Why did you change your fan? Something go wrong, or just for fun? If
> something went wrong, it might have spread to other parts of your PC,
> like the vid card.

The fan had begun to make an intermittent squeaky noise that was
annoying. Everything worked perfectly; I just thought I should
change the fan before it became noisier and then eventually less
functional.

> 2) my computer recognizes that
>
> > the card that I have put in the PCI-E slot is a graphics card, because
> > it turns off integrated motherboard video.
>
> How do you know if you can't see anything?

Because video stops coming out of the integrated motherboard system
when I plug the card in and comes back when I take it out. If the
card weren't overriding the onboard system, I would still be able to
get video from the original source.

I'm wondering if this is a plausible explanation: the nVidia box says
that the card requires 400 W. My power supply only provides 300 W.
Do you think it possible that my card was just barely getting by for
those four months, and that the new fan eats up more electricity?


A. G. Kozak