Just got EPoX 8k7a yesterday.

[friedchickenbutt]

What drivers should I download for the AMD-761 northbridge and the Via 686b southbridge? Or should I even download drivers for them? I don't want to run into any compatibility or stability issues so what direction should I go in?

 

[Insane3D]

Download and install the latest Via 4 in 1's here and install them except for the AGP driver. Next download the AMD AGP Miniport drivers here and install them. Try to install both of these drivers before you install any video or soundcard drivers. Good luck!

 

[friedchickenbutt]

Has anybody had any problems with these chipset drivers? Or had problems if you installed video and sound drivers before installing chipset drivers? Please give feedback, thanks

 

[whistleclient]

How do you install the 4in1 and AGP miniports before you install the video driver?
I mean, don't you need a video driver installed to see so you can install the others?
Or should you use a PCI vid card first?

 

[friedchickenbutt]

the agp driver is for the chipset... the agp controller, has nothing to do with the video card i dont think

 

[Insane3D]

"How do you install the 4in1 and AGP miniports before you install the video driver?
I mean, don't you need a video driver installed to see so you can install the others?
Or should you use a PCI vid card first?"

No, you can install the AGP drivers fine before you install the video card drivers. When you install a AGP video card and do a fresh OS install, the AGP card still works before the drivers are installed, it just emulates a PCI VGA controller until the proper drivers are loaded. It is always best to install the AGP drivers, then the video card drivers. The reason for this is if you install the video card drivers first, the video card starts trying to use the AGP bus that does not have the proper drivers loaded for it yet, and that can lead to lockups or graphical problems. Also, you should not install VIA's AGP drivers on a AMD 761 based motherboard. They should only be installed on a KT133/KT133A or KT266 based motherboard. The Epox is a AMD 761 based motherboard so it needs AMD's AGP drivers.

 

[friedchickenbutt]

Can I just uninstall my video card drivers and then install the AGP miniport drivers? Or is that a stupid idea? I really don't want to have to reinstall Win2k because I installed things in the incorrect order

 

[Insane3D]

Yes, that should be fine. You can also just install them without uninstalling the vid card drivers. It is just better to do it the other way around, but that does not mean it won't work if you do it in the reverse order. Just install the AGP drivers with the vid card drivers already installed, then play a 3D game and see if all works well. If you have problems, then uninstall the vid card drivers and reinstall the AGP drivers.

 

[friedchickenbutt]

Alright, cool