vidio card help

I need some advice on the right vidio card so far i tried an agp 8x and it didnt work. I also tried a PCI it made all my icons bigger and the bottom bar dissapear. I took both back to the store but i still dont kno what type i need i cant find the owners manual either. both were geforece 5500 fx series



Specifications
CPU: Intel® Celeron® 2.60GHz Processor
128KB L2 cache & 400MHz FSB
Operating System: Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
Chipset: Intel 845GV chipset
Memory: 512MB DDR (PC 2100) >>I upgraded this was 256
Hard Drive: 80GB HDD
Optical Drive: 48x Max. CD-RW Drive; 16x Max. DVD Drive; 3.5" 1.44MB FDD
Video: Intel Extreme Graphics 3D >> this is a geforce 2 now
64MB Shared memory
Sound: AC '97 Audio
Network: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
Modem: 56K ITU v.92-ready Fax/Modem
Peripherals: Standard Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Standard Stereo Speakers
Ports/Other: 6 USB 2.0 ports (2 on front), 1 Serial, 1 Parallel, 2 PS/2, Audio-In & Out
Dimensions: 7.25" W x 14.125" H x 16" D

EDIT: sorry i forgot to mention when i tried the PCI it didnt always start up somtimes it would just be a black screen and i would have to try agin until it worked when it worked i had to restart the cpu to finish instaling the vidio card disc and nothing would change once i restarted it, it would just give me the same message "please restart so Geforce FX5500 can finish instaling"

That's typically what every vid card you install is going to do upon installation. Once you install the drivers and update them, you have to adjust the display settings, because it defaults to a big resolution, and usually 256 colors.

remeber to delete your current driver, then install the video card. and also know that vid card these days also need to be connected to a power molex (would have saved me some time and dough to have that info), update driver if needed like the above post says. nvida should give u a resolution option on the lower right-hand bar. mine is set to 1152 x 864. for the most part your comp specs are like mine except for 30 gig more hard drive space.

I assume you understand what AGP 4x/6x, PCI x1, PCI-Express x16 is.... That being said as the above was stated, your almost certainly going to have to reformat and reinstall all the drivers for full compatability and features.

Also, be careful as i'm assuming that is an OEM PC (Dell, HP, Gateway, etc..etc..) they are notorious for putting in crap PSU's and proprietary GPU slots. Either of which can royally screw you over.

EDIT - Lol, you seriously didn't think they put the power adaptor / slot there for a reason? I'm not trying to be a smart ass or anything, but it just kinda seems that one would be pretty obvious.

sorry ime not to sure about some of these things. what do u meen about deleting my current driver? can u tell me were to go to do this? and i think i know what a power molex is but ime not sure. also do i need to remove my old vidio card as well?

You mean AGP 4x/8x? Never heard of a 6x before.

Lol, gotta love those typos.

Drivers are the software that tells your hardware what to do, and how to utilize its available features. Having a driver for one thing, then replacing it means that you also must remove said old driver, in favor of the new one. The GPU should come with a disk, or you can simply go to the website and download the drivers. I prefer to reformat / fdisk / kill disk / etc..., which just means wipe the hard drive, and reinstall windows. That way you have zero software problems that could possibly arise.

Power molex's look like:this it will be on your power supply, and will plug into a corresponding port that looks like the reverse of the connector. Kinda like how a peg fits into a hole that is the reverse of itself, get my meaning?

Yes, you must first remove the graphics card, if applicable. Of course integrated graphics cannot be removed, as they are built into the motherboard.

--> Unplug the power at all times, static = bad so use an anti ESD strap / wrist or hold the side of the case to minimize the chances, if you have to force it then chances are it isn't designed the way you think, take a break calm down and then go back to it.

Not trying to insinuate (sp?) that you are stupid, but I dislike it when people fry things and then try to blame it on the people whose information they misunderstood, lol.

Not trying to insinuate (sp?) that you are stupid, but I dislike it when people fry things and then try to blame it on the people whose information they misunderstood, lol.[/QUOTE]

thats not what i was trying to do its just i dont kno alot about computers outside of gaming, and this is the first time ive installed a vidio card. best buy put the last one in when i got the computer. (sorry if it came across like that thou)
but thanks for the help.

This statement and your others tell me that you obviously do not know enough about them to be opening up your case and playing with things inside. Seriously....ask a friend or someone else you know that DOES know what they are doing to come over and do the installation for you and explain these things to you so you may do it in the future. It will save you the headache of messing up a jumper setting or touching something accidentally and getting an ESD discharge through your Northbridge.(If you dont know what I'm talking about....this further illustrates the problem)

As a bit of advice so you don't think I'm making fun of or criticizing your lack of knowledge......you should leave the power plugged in if there is a seperate switch on the back of the power supply, turn off the switch. Leaving it plugged in means that you can discharge any static by touching the case frame. Unplugging it means you may build up static by simply handling the box. (Plastic does that)

Also, I doubt that your GeForce FX5500 had any slot for external power but some people wanted to cover all the bases I guess.