Ati Theatre HD650 Pro PCIe (VisionTek)

[allthunbs]

When I bought this the salesman gave me adequate warning of horror stories around AMD/Ati/VisionTek tech support and service but the card matches my requirements exactly. You see I've been using the Ati All-in-Wonder 128 for about 10 years. There is nothing worse than staring at the ceiling when you're waiting for a program to compile. Given that my programming style is less than exemplary, I spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling. Enter the multi-headed TV-in-a-window and my brain (and eyes) thanked me profusely.

Now, I'm updating my wonderfully out-dated working system and I'm back into the same frustration that I had 10 years ago when I attempted to install the "Wonder 128."

Here's what I've got:
- ASUS P5RD1-VM
- Intel LGS775 Pentium 4 CPU (Celeron @2.8 Ghz, 1GB RAM, "X" HDD (number to be calculated later))
- Ati Radeon Xpress 200 Northbridge herein called the "200"
- Serial ATA RAID x4 ports
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS2???
- Ati/Sapphire Radeon HD3450, PCIe x 16, with 256MB DDR2 Memory -- WOW! herein called "3450"
- Ati/VisionTek TV Wonder HD650 PCIe x1 - what a pedigree - herein called the "650"
- Acer AL1916 and Acer X223Wbd
- Windows XP Pro SP2

I've also got issues with the DVD player as well. It seems I need some sort of driver/interface to get it working other than as a CD-ROM reader.

I'm going back and duplicating everything I've done so far and the results. Here it goes...

Here's what I've done so far.
I've downloaded the latest drivers for everything I can find.
I installed both heads. First time out I got an overclocking error from the BIOS. Couldn't boot at all.
- Plug and Play OS '[Yes'] and '[no'] - '[no'] allowed me to boot to 3450 in 640x380???
- Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA - '[NO'] - this is interesting - it booted to 3450 but in 1600x1080
- Boot Graphics Adapter Priority '[PEG/IGD'] or '[PCI/IGD'] or '[IGD']: it started at '[PEG/IGD'] and I changed it to '[IGD'] - "internal graphics device"

This is interesting: it boot on the 200 in high resolutions (1280x1024) which is fine, I had set it to that in a previous attempt. But, the 3450 monitor kicks in, also in high resolution. Except the 200 is primary, the 3450 is secondary but the taskbar (the bar at the bottom of the screen that usually sits on the primary monitor) is sitting on the secondary monitor. I bring up the display properties from the secondary and it comes in on the primary monitor.

Now, in display properties, it shows _four_ monitors, the primary is correct, as is the secondary but then there is a third and fourth - the third is a "shadow" of the primary with the same specifications but not active and the fourth is a "shadow" of the secondary, again, with the same specifications as the secondary and not active.

- Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA - '[YES'] - boot the same as before, both cards high resolution. I went into display properties and all four monitors were there.
I noticed that the Ati icon (uninstalled and not re-installed) had returned to the toolbar so I clicked on each display in turn. Numbers 3 and 4 both said "extended desktop." I clicked on "extended desktop" just to see what was happening and the screens went black. After about 20 seconds or so, up pops the ubiquitous blue screen signaling the end of the world "The problem seems to be caused by the following file: ati2dvag"... "Technical information:
***STOP: 0x000000EA (0x821D3448,0x81c1df60,0xf8979cb4,0x00000001" and ended with the words "Beginning dump of physical memory." I guess we're not supposed to click on "extended desktop."

I haven't even attempted the 650 yet.

Ok, for the H--- of it let's stick in the 650. Oops! won't boot. Black screens, power lights, nothin' else!

HELP!!!!!!!!

Allthunbs