windows 7 crashes my graphics card

If it is working in vista here is a windows 7 driver install solution. By exporting the Vista driver with driver Max . Hope this will help.Windows 7 driver solution

Torrent- I certainly appreciate your optimism! I'll give it another go when I get home from work. I was rereading everything you wrote yesterday to make sure I answered all your questions. Initially when the monitor kicked off (from lack of receiving a signal) I waited about two hours for it to come back on. So I wanted you to know that.
So today, I download working ATI drivers and install your patch on to Vista. Then I attempt an update from Vista to 7? If the graphics card shuts down again, I try to get into safe mode without networking and install the patch again. If I can't get to safe mode, I attempt repair install, if windows 7 tells me the install is fine (this is my guess), I wipe the drive and attempt a fresh install.(?)

I wouldn't even bother installing the video driver in Vista if you're going to upgrade Vista to 7.

Just do the upgrade. When it's complete, save a restore point manually. Then install the Catalyst driver and it should be fine. If your computers goes crazy on ya, you can choose to fix it in safe mode with system restore. Or at boot, last good settings that worked, or similar choice. Or you can use system restore if you boot to the DVD itself and choose repair my computer.

Hope it goes well for you.

Perhaps you should make a backup image of your Vista, preferably to another hard drive or external hard drive, to restore from should the upgrade go wrong.

Thanks, I appreciate your patience.

Could you please link me to a page that gives some detailed instructions on creating a restore point?

The instructions you sent me on repairing windows assumes I have a functioning OS, desktop and monitor. Did you give those instructions assuming that I'd be able to make it to safe mode somehow? Weren't the instructions given to get me to safe mode?

You're welcome. It is easy to create a restore point.

Start menu. Right click Computer. Properties. Click system protection near top left. Make sure the drive that has Windows on it is set to have protection on. It will say (System) next to it.

If not, click it once, then click configure. Choose "restore system settings and previous versions of files."

Drag the slider over until it's like 10 GB, give or take. You can get away with less, safely. Click ok. Then click create.

If you should need to actually use this restore point, you can do so by booting to the DVD. I'll explain more on that if you do come to need it.

The link I gave you on the previous page for drivers is straight from ATI and very current. Post #6. I'm actually running that myself and performance/stability is excellent. So at least you know you have proper driver ready for the card.

I'm back. I just downloaded the motherboard drivers in Vista. I downloaded the newest ATI drivers for windows 7 while running Vista. Luckily this did not crash the video card. I then made the OS backup as instructed. Now I am attempting to update from Vista to 7. I am aware this was not the course of action recommended to me, but I am stubborn, and for some reason think that if given the proper driver for the video card, windows 7 may actually run it.
Windows 7 told me during set up that the ATI program would certainly not work and that I needed to delete it before I proceded. I ignored that.
I figure I have absolutely nothing to lose in taking this course of action. Maybe a little time.
I'll keep you posted :)

That worked like a charm. Thanks for the advice everyone!