Member Avatar for wildman12

i have a dell dimension 2300. i am using windows xp pro. my sound card and video card (on the motherboard) don't work. so i put other cards in to replace them. how do i turn off the ones that don't work so the pc doesn't recognize them when i turn on the pc? i do have sound from the new sound card. i can see my moniter but only at the highest resolution or the lowest resolution nothing in between.

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Short summary: replaced the onboard audio and video with add‑in cards, which usually requires two things—making the BIOS/boot prefer the new cards and ensuring Windows is using the correct drivers. Both (Device Manager) and (BIOS) were on the right track; the reliable sequence is to install and verify the new cards in Windows first, then remove or disable the old onboard drivers so there are no conflicts.

Sound checklist and cautions:

  • If sound disappeared after changing BIOS settings, restore BIOS defaults and boot. Create a System Restore point before further driver work.
  • With the new sound card physically installed, install the manufacturer driver package while the onboard audio is still enabled so Windows sees a working device to fall back to.
  • In Device Manager enable "Show hidden devices" and remove any old/ghost audio entries tied to the onboard hardware, then reboot. Only disable the onboard audio in BIOS after the new card is working and set as the default playback device in Windows and in the card’s control panel.
  • Check speaker/jack wiring and the front-panel audio cable on the motherboard; a misplugged front-panel cable can make a perfectly good card silent.

Video/display tips:

  • If Windows only offers extreme resolutions, it’s usually using the generic VGA driver. Uninstall the Microsoft/standard display adapter in Device Manager and install the correct GPU driver from the card vendor or Dell support.
  • Make sure the monitor is detected as a Plug‑and‑Play monitor (not “Generic”), and use the card’s digital/analog output that matches the monitor (DVI/HDMI vs VGA), as adapters can restrict available modes.
  • If the BIOS has a “Primary Display” or “Init Display First” option, set it to the slot type for your add‑in card (PCI/AGP/PCIe). On some older Dells that option may be buried or absent; driver installation still lets Windows hand the display to the new card.

Final note: follow ’s Device Manager cleanup and ’s BIOS advice together—install drivers for the replacement cards first, confirm they function, remove the old drivers (or disable onboard after), then tidy up Device Manager. This order avoids losing audio/video while troubleshooting.

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Member Avatar for ainkut

go to control panel>system>hardware>device manager. look for the old drivers and things, right click, uninstall. if that doesn't work, not sure

Member Avatar for sittas87

go into BIOS intergrated peripherals in there youll be able to disable your sound and onboard display

Member Avatar for wildman12

hi i tried that now i have no sound at all, and i couldn't find where to do the video? after i did that and it didn't work i went back in and changed what i did and i still don't have sound. may i ask now what do i do?


go into BIOS intergrated peripherals in there youll be able to disable your sound and onboard display

Member Avatar for sittas87

if youre running from youre desired sound card and just wanted to disable your old sound (intergrated i assume) then that would not have been the case. what you can do is to set your BIOS to its defaults and go check in device management for a sound settng's properties to enable (sound icon).should work fine again.
that is if the drivers is installed

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