ATI Error Message, "Try installing Standard VGA first"

[Airforce89]

Hi im not very computer smart yet but I just installed Windows 7 on my computer twice actually.. Anyway the first time I installed it I also got my ATI Radeon graphics card installed properly too.. it had given me an option to install using windows recommendations... this time when i reinstalled windows 7 it wont give me that option because it says I need to try installing standard VGA first before installing my ATI graphics card... I open up my device manager and it shows 2 standard VGA adapters under the display adapter and only 1 of them has a caution symbol near it the other one is ok... also under Other Devices the video control has a caution symbol next to it... ive tried right clicking and updating drivers but it says it was unsuccessful everytime and I am connected to the internet so.. any help is highly appreciated right now im running off of my onboard graphics and it blows.. oh and my graphics card is old but it was the best at the time its a PCI ATI Radeon """9850""" 256 MB Graphics card... im not sure on the 9850 I dont have the box anymore but i do have the ATI driver CD... thanks,
Adam

 

[IvanAwfulitch]

You said you installed Windows 7 twice, right? I get the feeling that it kept the old drivers from when you did your first install.

I would go into the control panel and uninstall all your graphics drivers. Then do a system restart. This time, DON'T use the CD. Go onto the internet, and download the graphics drivers instead.

Also, never use Windows to update your drivers. You are FAR better off going to the manufacturer's website and downloading them from there. It's just a matter of going go the ATI website, picking out what card you have, and downloading the setup file. Then run it. It's quite easy.

The problem with using your CD is that the drivers that are on the CD are old. There are updates for drivers every week or so. That means whatever drivers you have installed are very out of date.

Try getting the new drivers and see where that takes you.

 

[Airforce89]

Ok well I tried again.. I removed the drivers and restarted my computer.. the problem is Windows 7 Automatically searches for the Standard VGA drivers and there's no way to stop it and it always pops up an error message saying the driver update was unsuccessful.. it says my standard VGA isnt compatible with windows7 because its not compatible with directx 9 but thats because its onboard graphics and it wont let me install my graphics card!!!

This is becoming very annoying any input would be awesome

**Also I tried going to the ATI website but it says the same error message when i try to install as when I use the CD.

 

[IvanAwfulitch]

I think what this means is you need to disable or completely uninstall the onboard graphics card so windows 7 doesn't needlessly search for it over and over.

Go into the device manager, find your onboard graphics chip, right click and select disable or uninstall, then try to install your drivers again.

 

[Airforce89]

"Try to setup your display adapter with a Standard VGA driver before attempting to install." Is the message I get everytime I try to install my graphics card.

I just tried again with disabling/uninstalling the drivers that are already there and not rebooting so windows doesnt automatically download after boot, and the same message still pops up and wont let me install... but i cant setup Standard VGA drivers because Windows cant seem to do it and idk how to get the "Standard VGA Drivers" manually.

 

[mailpup]

A standard VGA driver comes with Windows, any version. That's what runs your graphics until you install the appropriate ATI driver, otherwise your screen would be blank when Windows started. If you are running onboard graphics and it is interfering with your separate card, disable it in the BIOS.

Windows will still detect new hardware and try to install or look for a graphics driver. Cancel it and install the one you want.

 

[Airforce89]

Well I can only choose between PCI and onboard graphics in BIOS.. I choose PCI then start computer and it searches for drivers and theres no way to stop it or cancel it. It doesnt give me that option.

 

[mailpup]

Okay. Once Windows does its thing with the graphics driver, try installing Catalyst driver version 9.3 and see what happens. That was the last driver that really supported the 9800 series cards.

 

[Airforce89]

Oh yeah and I forgot to mention i found out that my graphics card is the ATI Radeon 9250 PCI not the 9850.

 

[mailpup]

Then you will have to go back further to find an even older driver. Support for the 9250 ended in 2006. I think the driver version is 6.8 but it might be hard to find it. The AMD/ATI site says 6.11 but at the time I thought it ended at 6.7 or 6.8.

 

[Airforce89]

hmm well I tried installing that driver also but I get the same message.. maybe Windows 7 isnt compatible with my graphics card? I only have a PCI slot on my motherboard I think its time that I just build a new computer... well if you have any other ideas just let me know thanks for all the help though!
Adam