Guild Wars 2

My issue isn’t specific to GW2, but I figured I could get some help still.

My computer was running hot, so I took blew out the dust and applied a fresh layer of thermal paste between the cpu and the cpu fan. After I took out my GPU, radeon 6870, and blew out the dust and put it back in. Immediately I noticed upon boot up that the monitor wasn’t receiving a signal from the GPU, so I plugged it directly into the mother motherboard via HDMI.

I checked the device manager menu for the drivers under display and the only thing listed now is Intel 3000 integrated drivers. There are no drivers for my GPU. I didn’t uninstall them. I only plugged the GPU out and then plugged it back in.

I tried to install the drivers from AMD website and the automatic detection doesn’t support my hardware. I’m guessing because the 6870 is too old. So I found the specific drivers for my GPU on the same site, and when it gets to “installing components” in AMD catalyst program, it gets stuck. It will install forever without completing. And pressing the cancel button doesn’t do anything. I have to just restart the computer and try again.

I need some help, because I can’t play games without my GPU. Any advice on what to do next?

I wanted to add that I do have the original installation CD that game with the GPU, but it’s for windows 7 and I’m currently using windows 10.

TLDR: My computer isn’t detecting my GPU, radeon 6870, after i took it out of the computer to blow out the dust.

Re-seat the GPU again.

To rule out the obvious, I’m assuming you’ve set the monitor to use the expected input, whether you also use HDMI for the GPU or DVI or whatever else, and that it’s not loosely connected.

You don’t need drivers for basic video, so if it wasn’t displaying anything (test all outputs), like the boot process, you likely didn’t slot it back in properly. Pull it out, then push it back in, ensuring it’s straight and the clip on the slot snaps in place (if applicable) and that any power cables are connected. If you only took the GPU out, I doubt you changed which slot it was in, but ensure it’s in the proper one.

As a simple check, the fan should be on. In Windows, you should be able to locate it under WinKey+PauseBreak > Device Manager, likely under display, though it could be listed as an unknown device. Click the scan for hardware changes button if it’s not listed. You can try booting into safe mode (start menu > shift click power > restart > troubleshoot > advanced >startup settings > restart, or msconfig > boot > select safe boot) to test basic video drivers and to uninstall/reinstall the AMD drivers.

If it’s not detecting it at all, you may have damaged the GPU, or even worse, the slot. Check the contacts on the GPU to ensure they’re not dirty or any obvious signs of damage, and carefully check the slot for dust. If you happen to have another slot that fits, another GPU or another PC, you can try testing the components to see which one is the problem.

Alright, so i found a guide online. It said to go to device managers and go to the view tab and select “show hidden devices”. When I did that, the gpu showed up under display. The guide said to uninstall it, restart the computer. So did that. It said to reinstall from there. I went to the AMD site and tried to reinstall. Automatic detection worked and it said all drivers were installed. But now the GPU doesn’t show up at all in the device manager menu under display even if I click “show hidden devices”.

I tried reseating it. The fan on it is spinning so I think it’s properly hooked up. And I think the slot is working because the fans are spinning. But I could be wrong.

Healix and Abomally, thank you very much. It’s working now. I removed the drivers, then reinstalled. Then reseated again. And it’s working. I appreciate you taking the time to help out.

You’re welcome!