(Paul) wrote in message ...
In article ,
(Paul) wrote:

If it was my card, I would use an ohmmeter, to check whether TYPEDET
is connected to GND on the video card via a direct short. A little
piece of wire soldered to the right two points would help ensure the
card is sending a good level to the motherboard. This is not an
end-user procedure, and if your video card has a warranty, you
might try returning it, in the hope that a later version of the
card fixes the issue.

Word of warning, for you lurkers out there. My suggestion to do
this is NOT an invitation to fool around with every video card you
can lay your hands on!

To start with, refer to Figure 2 on this page:
http://mirror.ati.com/support/faq/agpchart.html

There are three kinds of keyings, on AGP video cards.

1) Card is 3.3V keyed only. TYPEDET# will be open. Card will not
fit in a 1.5V motherboard, so there is no reason to even try
modding that card. The card will only fit in older motherboards
anyway.
2) Card is 1.5V keyed only. This would be a very modern AGP card,
suitable for AGP 3.0 4X or 8X only operation. TYPEDET# is
already grounded. If you plug this into a modern motherboard
and you cannot get the motherboard to power up, then check the
video card, to see if TYPEDET# is grounded.
3) Card is universal (1.5V or 3.3V operation possible). My
assumption in my previous post, is that the OPs card is a
universal card, with the two slots cut in it. Further, it is
not one of the cards known to be miskeyed. So, for example,
some of the "bad" cards in the vanshardware list may have
accidently had the 1.5V slot cut in the edge card, when they
are not really 1.5V cards. TYPEDET# would be open on a card
like that, and if you wire TYPEDET# on what is really a
3.3V only card to ground, you will be preventing the Asus
burnout circuit from doing its job - your motherboard would
get destroyed!

http://www.vanshardware.com/articles...9_i845_AGP.htm

Consequently, check Google for cards known to burn out
modern motherboards, due to the fact that the card was
mis-keyed. (Roland probably has a better list of the cards
that are mis-keyed, and has corrected me in the past.)
The Ti4600 is modern enough, that I know it is not mis-keyed.
Cards which burned out early P4B motherboards would be
examples of the "bad" ones.
4) Card is universal (1.5V or 3.3V operation possible) and
really does support both 1.5V and 3.3V operation. AFAIK, at
least Geforce3 or later cards would qualify. If one of these
cards has left TYPEDET# open, and your modern Asus motherboard
won't start, because it thinks it has detected a 3.3V only
video card, this would be a candidate for the mod. As I
said previously, when the motherboard won't start, it could
be a fault with the motherboard or with the video card. If
multiple modern Asus motherboards won't start with that video
card, that increases the chances the problem is with the
video card. At that point, I would take an ohmmeter, and verify
that TYPEDET# is connected directly to GND, and mod if
necessary.

Case (4) is the one I am applying to the original question.
So don't go out and ground every video card you own, without
checking out why the mod is needed first. Applying the mod to
an SIS305 for example (case (3) above), would mean instant death
to your modern Asus motherboard. Here is some clarification of
the situation with the SIS305:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e....supernews.com

Paul



hello again,
and all I can say is WOW, UNBELIEVABLE, and thank you so much. I
would never
be able to find all this information, and to make my case strong
enough to msi.
I wrote them an email explaining all that I've learned. Hopefully
they'll find a resolution to it and if they don't then I'll have no
choice but to manualy adjust my card.
I read thoroughly the posts of others, so far it doesn't all fit in my
head especially that the big companies would do such things. anyway,
I'll wait for an answer from msi and post it right back once that's
out of the way.
I've done things with my amigas, soldering on the motherboard as well
so I'm not afraid of the procedures you're explaining.
Again, I appreciate all your help and thank you.
Talk to you soon.
Jack