How would I switch drivers for a new graphics card (Windows Vista)?

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Yerfdog

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So, say I were to buy a new graphics card. How would I switch the drivers from the ones for the old graphics... thing I have currently(nVidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430) to a new one (let's say... the ATi Radeon HD 5450)? This would be in Windows Vista. Would it change the drivers automatically (someone told me this, I'm not sure if it's true though, so I'm double checking here), or would I have to do something else?
 
Since you would be moving from an onboard chip to a card, you will not only have to uninstall the drivers for the onboard but may also have to turn off the onboard chip in the BIOS (you will have to look around to find the option as it is different for about every board).

I would uninstall the Nvidia graphics drivers (and the graphics drivers only) via the Uninstall a program option in Vista's Control panel. i would then boot into Safe Mode and use Driver Sweeper to search out and remove any remnants of the Nvidia graphics drivers, but would leave the chipset and other Nvidia drivers alone. Once that is finished, I would shut down and install the new card, boot into the BIOS, disable the onboard (usually this is changing the amount of memory it can use to zero), and then boot on into Windows so I could install the proper drivers for the 5450.
 
Wait, so what would it do between deleting the NVIDIA graphics drivers and installing the drivers for the ATi Radeon HD 5450?
 
I dont understand your question? What would what do?

If you uninstall the drivers for your nVidia card using Driver Sweeper, shut down your machine, removed the nVidia card, installed the ATi card, rebooted, logged onto Windows there wouldnt be anything done between the cards. It would prompt you to install new drivers and after you did you would have to restart for them to take effect.
 
I mean, isn't there still a GUI in Safe Mode? Wouldn't that need something to process the "graphics"?
 
Yes a GUI does run in Safe Mode, but it doesnt load the Video Drivers. It loads a generic video profile and uses a low resolution and imaeg quality. Either way the steps i listed above by removing the drivers first and then removing the card followed by installing the new one will not leave you without a video device.
 
Oh, it uses something that would work with all video devices...

That is what I was wondering about. Okay, my questions are answered now, I know what to do.
 
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