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Pci-to-Pci Bridge (Error: Code 10) - PCI Video Card
Before I state my issues I will list what I'm running and what I'm trying to accomplish.
I'm running Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit edition, not the Beta or RC. I have 3 video cards in my possession (listed below).
- (PCIe) Evga GTX260
- (PCI) Evga 9400GT
- (PCI) Evga Fx5500
Out of those 3 cards I only use the GTX260 and the 9400GT. I had to 'retire' the Fx5500 because the latest WHQL (certified) drivers only provide support as far down as the "6 series" Nvidia cards. Unfortunately the Fx5500 is a "5 series" and falls below that line. I have already tried to use the GTX260 and Fx5500 in previous versions of Windows (XP and Vista), but there is no way to download and install two separate drivers for two of the same make of video card - you'll get nothing but errors. There is the option of going to a place like guru3d.com and downloading a custom supported driver that covers both the GTX260 and Fx5500, but the drivers are not certified and lack support. Therefore, I purchased and now use the 9400GT which is covered under the drivers for the GTX260 and eliminates the need for messing around with custom drivers. Also, the 9400GT has a better graphics processor and more memory than the Fx5500, so it was time to upgrade anyway.
Now that you have some background info here is my issue… Whenever I install the 9400GT I get a second 'pci-to-pci bridge' entry (the other entry has no errors) that shows up under 'System Devices' in the Device Manager. The second pci-to-pci bridge entry has a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark on it that refers to a problem. When you check the properties of this device it more or less says that Windows has detected a problem (Error Code 10). The GTX260 still works and even shows up under the 'Display Adapters' as a GTX260, but no entry for the 9400GT exists. I have tried the 9400GT in both PCI slots and each time it does the same thing. If I pull out the GTX260 and ONLY run the 9400GT, I still get the pci-to-pci bridge issue, BUT I do get a picture and can boot into Windows 7 without a hitch. When I do this there is still nothing listed under the 'Display Adapters' as a 9400GT or even a VGA compatible device.
After messing around with this for 10 hours (yes, I said 10 hours) I decided to dig out my retired PCI video card (the Fx5500). When I installed this card I had no 2nd pci-to-pci bridge entry appear under 'System Devices', and the one that was listed had no yellow triangle or error codes. I then checked under 'Display Adapters' and Windows 7 had recognized it as a VGA compatible device and was asking for drivers.
I have now concluded that there is definitely no issue with the motherboard or any of my hardware (including video cards). At first EVGA Support and I had suspected that the motherboard may be bad because of all of the pre-diagnostic steps I had taken during my 10 hour ordeal. I'm not going to list everything I did because it would literally take 3 hours to type it all in. Just believe me when I say that I have tried most things including but not limited to the latest bios updates (flashed 4 times and completely reset to ensure accuracy), custom IRQ management, entire OS re-installation X2, multiple/latest chipset drivers installed, multiple/latest video drivers installed, memtest testing, complete hardware teardown and re-build (adding one device at a time), and MUCH more. The only thing I did not try was installing a different OS other than Windows 7 64-bit to see if I could replicate the issue. This is a waste of time though because let’s say that I install Windows XP Pro and the 9400GT doesn't have this issue... Well, that's great, but who gives a damn about XP Pro when I have been using it for the last 9 years and when I have a full version of Windows 7 that I want to use? I'm certainly not going to run XP Pro over Windows 7 just to use this PCI video card. Second, if I install XP Pro and it still gives me the same pci-to-pci bridge error then again, I've only wasted more time because if it’s not going to work in either OS then I’m sure as hell not going to leave XP Pro installed when I can use Windows 7.
It's not like I think I have this all figured out 100% either which is why I have posted this thread, but in my opinion it seems as if I only have three outcomes here. Correct me if I am wrong or if you have any additional input because anything would be greatly appreciated, but here is what I’m thinking (see below)...
Option#1 - Buy a third PCI video card (like a 9600GT - or some other series that falls under the driver support for my GTX260) and see if I get the same pci-to-pci bridge error.
Option#2 - Maybe the issue is that EVGA's chipset/motherboard drivers have a problem loading the pci-to-pci bridge driver that this particular 9400GT card needs. If so, then it could be a long time before the issue is recognized and new motherboard drivers are released.
Option#3 - Maybe the issue is that Windows 7 has an issue seeing the pci bus for this card, thus causing the issue. If so, then I would have to wait for Windows 7 updates to come along to address the issue - which could be a VERY long time.
Since I know the card works (tested it in a XP Pro machine and Vista for verification) I can only think that the above three options is all I have left to go on. The fourth option is to only run two monitors on my GTX260 and just forfeit using three monitors all together - this would really suck. I really don't want to spend any more money on "trying" another PCI video card either when I just spent $800 upgrading all of my hardware to run Windows 7. Again, any input is appreciated. I apologize for this long post, but if I did not add details then we would be playing thread tag until Christmas!
Thanks,
Jeepy
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). I've gotten the internal card to work fine with an updated driver, but no matter what I've tried I can't get the Radeon adapter to be recognized as anything other than "Standard VGA adapter", and no monitor device appears. I've tried to "force" a Radeon driver with Have Disk, but this has resulted in the Error 10.