The question:
I'm wondering if you can help me with my Windows Vista problems. They don't appear to affect the computer‘s performance or my ability to use it, but do result in annoying messages that appear every time I start my PC.
The first message appears just after I switch on, saying “Unsupported Video Configuration Detected”. It also says that my computer “has an add-in graphics card but the monitor cable is plugged into the integrated video connector”. I am offered the option to press F1 to continue or F2 to enter setup. I press F1 and all seems fine. Then, when Windows has launched, I get this warning: “The Catalyst Control Centre is not supported by the driver version of your [obscured words] graphics adapter. Please update your ATI graphics driver, or enable your [obscured words] using the Displays Manager.” The obscured words are off the edge of the screen, so I can’t read them. Do you have any idea what’s causing this and how to silence these annoying messages?
The first message appears just after I switch on, saying “Unsupported Video Configuration Detected”. It also says that my computer “has an add-in graphics card but the monitor cable is plugged into the integrated video connector”. I am offered the option to press F1 to continue or F2 to enter setup. I press F1 and all seems fine. Then, when Windows has launched, I get this warning: “The Catalyst Control Centre is not supported by the driver version of your [obscured words] graphics adapter. Please update your ATI graphics driver, or enable your [obscured words] using the Displays Manager.” The obscured words are off the edge of the screen, so I can’t read them. Do you have any idea what’s causing this and how to silence these annoying messages?
The answer:
The messages contain clues to the cause of your problem. Catalyst Control Centre is software from a company called ATI, which makes graphics cards. So, your PC has a dedicated ATI graphics card installed and also a graphics card that’s integrated onto the motherboard. From the warning messages it sounds
like your monitor’s cable is plugged into the connector for the motherboard’s graphics card. That’s fine if that’s what you or the manufacturer intended, but your PC detects a dedicated graphics card fitted, so you’re seeing these messages.
like your monitor’s cable is plugged into the connector for the motherboard’s graphics card. That’s fine if that’s what you or the manufacturer intended, but your PC detects a dedicated graphics card fitted, so you’re seeing these messages.
The solution most likely to work is to look around the rear of your PC and plug the monitor cable into the other connector. If it does, all well and good your problem is solved.
If not, it could be that your drivers are out of date or that you need to install Microsoft’s .NET framework, which is required for ATl’s Catalyst Control Centre to work correctly. You can download the latest version of .NET from http://www.microsoft.com/net/downloads and the latest version of your graphics card’s drivers from http://support.amd.com/en-us/download.
Finally, there's also the outside possibility that the dedicated graphics card has been loose or faulty since you bought it, so you’ve always relied on the motherboard’s graphics connector, consider this normal and have put up with the messages. If this is the case, then switch off the computer and remove the power cable, earth yourself by touching a metal—grounded object (like a radiator) then carefully open up the case and look inside. Remove the graphics card’s retaining screw then remove and reinsert the graphics card, using firm thumb pressure. Reassemble, attach the monitor cable to the graphics card’s connector then fire up your PC.
If not, it could be that your drivers are out of date or that you need to install Microsoft’s .NET framework, which is required for ATl’s Catalyst Control Centre to work correctly. You can download the latest version of .NET from http://www.microsoft.com/net/downloads and the latest version of your graphics card’s drivers from http://support.amd.com/en-us/download.
Finally, there's also the outside possibility that the dedicated graphics card has been loose or faulty since you bought it, so you’ve always relied on the motherboard’s graphics connector, consider this normal and have put up with the messages. If this is the case, then switch off the computer and remove the power cable, earth yourself by touching a metal—grounded object (like a radiator) then carefully open up the case and look inside. Remove the graphics card’s retaining screw then remove and reinsert the graphics card, using firm thumb pressure. Reassemble, attach the monitor cable to the graphics card’s connector then fire up your PC.
If it doesn’t work, open the case again and then remove the card completely. This should fix your first message. If the second still appears when Windows loads, use Control Panel to uninstall Catalyst Control Centre.
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