How to set up multiple video cards in Windows XP

Question

All I am trying to do is run a three monitor setup, two widescreens on the good card at high res and a third smaller monitor at 1024x768 that I watch continuously updating info in.

I have a Dell Vostro 200 with an HIS Radeon HD 4670 video card in the PCI-e slot. I need an additional video card that will work in an available PCI slot. I Had a Nvidia GeForce 5200 that was installed but due to what I'm assuming was a compatible driver issue (because it was Nvidia not ATI) it wouldn't run at more than 640x480 4bit color when installed simultaneously with the HIS card. Previously I used the Nvidia with the onboard Intel video to run a third monitor, but now that the HSI uses PCI-e the onboard has to be disabled. I tried a Radeon 9200 PCI card that I found (microsoft made I think) with it and only that or the HIS card could be enabled at the same time. When both were in the HIS card said "The device cannot start".

SO, based on the fact that I got the Nvidia to work (although very poorly) with the new HIS Radeon HD 4670 PCI-e I know it's possible, just don't know what type of card I need to use. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Here are some ATI / PCI flavors: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001126+1573838207&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&Subcategory=-1&description=PCI+video&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

Either way you are going to have fun with this one, best for multiple mointors would be to have a motherboard with dual pci-x (or triple in some cases)

Answer 2

This should do the trick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187041

Are you sure though that the onboard graphics have to be disabled and that there's not a BIOS setting that would allow you to use both the onboard graphics and a PCI-e card?