Windows 7 Missing graphics card...?

[LudivousKain]

After installing Win7 (no hardware changes were made), I'm suddenly not able to enable SLi. I have two BFG GeForce 8800GTS (512mb) cards and was previously using SLi with XP. Now with Windows 7, only one graphics card is detected, and changing the GeForce drivers makes no impact on the visibility of my second graphics card.

System:
Intel QX9770
8GB DDR3-2000 (@1600)
RocketRAID 2310 w/ 4x500gb Seagate HDDs
X-Fi Titanium Fata1ity (PCIex 1x)
2x BFG8800GTS (G92 core, 512mb each)
PC Power & Cooling 1kW PSU

Running Win7 Ultimate x64

I've tried searching, and so far my search has been inconclusive...

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're experiencing issues enabling SLI with your BFG GeForce 8800GTS cards after upgrading to Windows 7. Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve this problem: 1. Confirm SLI Compatibility: - Ensure that your BFG GeForce 8800GTS cards are SLI compatible. Not all graphics cards support SLI, so verifying this is crucial for SLI functionality. 2. SLI Bridge Connection: - Double-check the SLI bridge connection between the two graphics cards. The SLI bridge is necessary for them to work together in SLI mode. Make sure it's properly connected. 3. Device Manager: - Check Device Manager to see if both cards are recognized by Windows. Look for any warning symbols or errors that might indicate issues with the second card. 4. Driver Installation: - Completely uninstall the current graphics drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). Then, download and install the latest NVIDIA drivers for your graphics cards from the NVIDIA website. 5. NVIDIA Control Panel: - Open the NVIDIA Control Panel to enable SLI. Navigate to "3D Settings" and then "Configure SLI, Surround, PhysX" to check if SLI can be enabled from there. 6. BIOS Settings: - Ensure that SLI mode is enabled in your motherboard BIOS. Sometimes, SLI needs to be enabled at the BIOS level for it to function properly. 7. Test Each Card Individually: - Test each graphics card individually in your system to ensure that both cards are working correctly and are not defective. 8. Power Supply: - Verify that your power supply is providing enough power to support both graphics cards in SLI mode. Insufficient power can cause issues with SLI functionality. By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot the SLI issue with your BFG GeForce 8800GTS cards on Windows 7. If the issue persists, it might be worth considering the age of the graphics cards and their compatibility with newer operating systems like Windows 7.