Hi there! I'm new here. I already tried posting this in the PCI/Peripheral Device Forum and recieved no answer yet.

My problem:
I have a Compaq Deskpro-EN PIII-550 10GB-HD 192MB-RAM WinXP Pro
When I install a PCI Firewire host adapter card (3x 6pin external/1x 6pin internal) my computer will no longer POST. powers up, fans on, can hear HD spin up, but then that's it, no reading from HD, no video either.
I've tried to remove all the other PCI cards (except video), but still won't POST with the Firewire card installed.
Will POST and boot up with both the NIC and USB 2.0 host card installed(and with each seperately), but not at all with the Firewire.

What's strange is that the same card will work fine in my other desktop (kid's) PIII450 Dell Optiplex w/128MB RAM. This other desktop will also work with the USB2.0 card, and both the USB and the Firewire installed at the same time. This PC has onboard video and NIC.

Any suggestions on how to get the system to work with the Firewire card? MY Cpq has an AGP slot, so maybe I could get an AGP video card and remove all the other PCI cards?

Thanks,
Matt

Sounds like you are getting a resource conflict between the PCI video card and the Firewire card. Make sure your PCI video card is in PCI slot 1 (normally the closest to the processor), then try the firewire card in different slots to see if you can get the system to post with both cards installed. You could also try with an AGP video card as you stated, just make sure you get the right type of card for your system. Check your manual or the HP support website.