Clean the contacts of the card with a paper towel and some rubbing alcohol. The contacts may look clean and still be dirty.
Try the graphics card in another board.
Check the card for any obvious damages like scratches, discolorizations, burn marks, bend pcb, etc (you said the pins look pristine, but have omitted information about the state of the rest of the card).

Tetrium wrote on 2023-07-15, 08:16:

Clean the contacts of the card with a paper towel and some rubbing alcohol. The contacts may look clean and still be dirty.
Try the graphics card in another board.
Check the card for any obvious damages like scratches, discolorizations, burn marks, bend pcb, etc (you said the pins look pristine, but have omitted information about the state of the rest of the card).

Hey, thanks for taking a second. I tried cleaning the pins to no effect. The board itself shows no obvious signs of damage and in fact looks rather new and well cared for. The slot itself I know for a fact had never been used until I placed this card in it after purchase.

At present time I don't have another AGP board but can get my hands on one.

Do you have any other AGP video card to check if the slot works on that motherboard? Just to make sure.

Some AGP ports are whimsical.
Try to move gently the AGP card by the top while hitting the reset button.
If it didn't help, try with a PCI video card to boot anyways and look in Windows what it reports about the AGP card.

try to bake the card for 8 mins in a owen
I revived some geforces using this method, google for "baking a dead graphic card" to learn how you can do it

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-15, 05:01:

Hey!

Curious if anyone has any tips, recently got a supposedly working TNT2 Pro to slot into a MEB-VM board (HP Pavillion 4450) but whenever I have it slotted in I get 1 long, 2 short beep code. Slot and pins are pristine to the eye, any advice beyond the card and/or the slot itself are just dead?

Hi.
What happens when you start without the TNT2 ?
It seems like this mainboard has an onboard graphics too.
Have you tried to disable the onboard graphics before installing the TNT2?
If your board looks like on page 5-39, look at page 5-44 of the HP service manual first.
If your board looks like on page 5-55, you may not be able to disable the onboard graphics by jumper; but you perhaps have options in your BIOS.
HP Pavilion Technical Service Handbook, Spring '99 Edition http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/bph04912.pdf

Normally, it is possible to get two video adapters working at the same time (for multi-monitor setups) but only one of them will be treated as the primary adapter (where the main monitor is connected). But yeah, it is recommended to disable the onboard one if it isn't going to be used in any capacity.

If the onboard gpu is agp you'll have to disable it in order to use the agp slot. The agp bus can only handle one device at a time

It appears that this is the motherboard you have: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-meb-vm#downloads

I skimmed the manual, and there's no option to disable the onboard video. Three possibilities come to my mind: the card is bad, the card draws more power than the motherboard can provide, or the card draws more power than the old, low output power supply can provide.

Sometimes a BIOS update can cure an issue like this; if I were you I would update it to the latest BIOS if you haven't already done so.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-07-17, 21:48:

It appears that this is the motherboard you have: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-meb-vm#downloads

I skimmed the manual, and there's no option to disable the onboard video. Three possibilities come to my mind: the card is bad, the card draws more power than the motherboard can provide, or the card draws more power than the old, low output power supply can provide.

Sometimes a BIOS update can cure an issue like this; if I were you I would update it to the latest BIOS if you haven't already done so.

I'm sorry but you perhaps haven't read the linked manual in detail.
To begin with, the description of the "TH99" jumper table at your linked homepage is not accurate enough - It just says VGA jumper: Factory configured - do not alter.
Please follow either the HP service manual in the link I have posted to get more details - or look at the ASUS mainboard manual on the page you have linked.
On page 15 of the ASUS manual you can read: Disable the onboard VGA if you are using a VGA card on the expansion slot.
Luckily HP provides excellent service manuals.

Disruptor wrote on 2023-07-18, 00:56:

I'm sorry but you perhaps haven't read the linked manual in detail. To begin with, the description of the "TH99" jumper table at […]
Show full quote

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-07-17, 21:48:

It appears that this is the motherboard you have: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-meb-vm#downloads

I skimmed the manual, and there's no option to disable the onboard video. Three possibilities come to my mind: the card is bad, the card draws more power than the motherboard can provide, or the card draws more power than the old, low output power supply can provide.

Sometimes a BIOS update can cure an issue like this; if I were you I would update it to the latest BIOS if you haven't already done so.

I'm sorry but you perhaps haven't read the linked manual in detail.
To begin with, the description of the "TH99" jumper table at your linked homepage is not accurate enough - It just says VGA jumper: Factory configured - do not alter.
Please follow either the HP service manual in the link I have posted to get more details - or look at the ASUS mainboard manual on the page you have linked.
On page 15 of the ASUS manual you can read: Disable the onboard VGA if you are using a VGA card on the expansion slot.
Luckily HP provides excellent service manuals.

You are correct, I didn't read it carefully enough. When I skimmed that, I thought it only involved assigning an IRQ to the VGA since it's called VGA Interrupt, but it then goes on to say that it enables/disables the onboard video.

Gmlb256 wrote on 2023-07-15, 20:04:

Do you have any other AGP video card to check if the slot works on that motherboard? Just to make sure.

Working on acquiring another card as we speak, thanks!

JustJulião wrote on 2023-07-16, 13:51:

Some AGP ports are whimsical.
Try to move gently the AGP card by the top while hitting the reset button.
If it didn't help, try with a PCI video card to boot anyways and look in Windows what it reports about the AGP card.

I tried futzing with the seating, no luck

Laser wrote on 2023-07-17, 09:21:

try to bake the card for 8 mins in a owen
I revived some geforces using this method, google for "baking a dead graphic card" to learn how you can do it

I've heard this, will try as a last resort 😀

Disruptor wrote on 2023-07-17, 09:44:

Hi. What happens when you start without the TNT2 ? It seems like this mainboard has an onboard graphics too. Have you tried to d […]
Show full quote

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-15, 05:01:

Hey!

Curious if anyone has any tips, recently got a supposedly working TNT2 Pro to slot into a MEB-VM board (HP Pavillion 4450) but whenever I have it slotted in I get 1 long, 2 short beep code. Slot and pins are pristine to the eye, any advice beyond the card and/or the slot itself are just dead?

Hi.
What happens when you start without the TNT2 ?
It seems like this mainboard has an onboard graphics too.
Have you tried to disable the onboard graphics before installing the TNT2?
If your board looks like on page 5-39, look at page 5-44 of the HP service manual first.
If your board looks like on page 5-55, you may not be able to disable the onboard graphics by jumper; but you perhaps have options in your BIOS.
HP Pavilion Technical Service Handbook, Spring '99 Edition http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/bph04912.pdf

Gmlb256 wrote on 2023-07-17, 14:00:

Normally, it is possible to get two video adapters working at the same time (for multi-monitor setups) but only one of them will be treated as the primary adapter (where the main monitor is connected). But yeah, it is recommended to disable the onboard one if it isn't going to be used in any capacity.

chrismeyer6 wrote on 2023-07-17, 18:42:

If the onboard gpu is agp you'll have to disable it in order to use the agp slot. The agp bus can only handle one device at a time

Yes, computer boots with onboard graphics. Could very well be the issue, will explore this!

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-07-18, 03:07:

Disruptor wrote on 2023-07-18, 00:56:

I'm sorry but you perhaps haven't read the linked manual in detail. To begin with, the description of the "TH99" jumper table at […]
Show full quote

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-07-17, 21:48:

It appears that this is the motherboard you have: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-meb-vm#downloads

I skimmed the manual, and there's no option to disable the onboard video. Three possibilities come to my mind: the card is bad, the card draws more power than the motherboard can provide, or the card draws more power than the old, low output power supply can provide.

Sometimes a BIOS update can cure an issue like this; if I were you I would update it to the latest BIOS if you haven't already done so.

I'm sorry but you perhaps haven't read the linked manual in detail.
To begin with, the description of the "TH99" jumper table at your linked homepage is not accurate enough - It just says VGA jumper: Factory configured - do not alter.
Please follow either the HP service manual in the link I have posted to get more details - or look at the ASUS mainboard manual on the page you have linked.
On page 15 of the ASUS manual you can read: Disable the onboard VGA if you are using a VGA card on the expansion slot.
Luckily HP provides excellent service manuals.

You are correct, I didn't read it carefully enough. When I skimmed that, I thought it only involved assigning an IRQ to the VGA since it's called VGA Interrupt, but it then goes on to say that it enables/disables the onboard video.

Ah, sounds promising!

Repo Man11 wrote on 2023-07-17, 21:48:

It appears that this is the motherboard you have: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-meb-vm#downloads

I skimmed the manual, and there's no option to disable the onboard video. Three possibilities come to my mind: the card is bad, the card draws more power than the motherboard can provide, or the card draws more power than the old, low output power supply can provide.

Sometimes a BIOS update can cure an issue like this; if I were you I would update it to the latest BIOS if you haven't already done so.

So I had considered the power draw angle, and I installed a higher wattage PSU, but it did not solve the issue (but, I may end up needing it anyway)

Thanks for all the help here folks, pretty cool community helping out someone with zero posts. Thank you kindly!

Yes indeed, the jumper was the key! Nothing wrong with the card (at least, nothing defective)

Display is working now, after installing drivers I find that despite being advertised as a TNT2 Pro it shows as a TNT2 M64 according to nVidia settings panel (classic eBay!).

Also, when I launch Unreal it is pretty clearly not utilizing the GPU as it runs identically to software mode. Might be maybe version I have installed predates direct x support, we'll see...

EDIT: OK, after some driver weirdness, I settled on 30.82, anyone recommend anything else for Win98 Celeron 366? I see some indication that there is a sweet spot for driver version dependent on hardware.

Currently I am getting some weird corruption in the Start Menu...

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 01:04:

Display is working now, after installing drivers I find that despite being advertised as a TNT2 Pro it shows as a TNT2 M64 according to nVidia settings panel (classic eBay!).

Probably your videocard is a chinese clone of TNT2 Pro based card with cut in half memory bus (64bit width instead of 128bit), but with TNT2 Pro frequencies for GPU and RAM and 32MB of RAM. I have one of these chinese pieces of *r*p, but mine is dead probably due to faulty old OTP EPROM chip.

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 01:04:

Display is working now, after installing drivers I find that despite being advertised as a TNT2 Pro it shows as a TNT2 M64 according to nVidia settings panel (classic eBay!).

Pic of the card?

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 01:04:

Yes indeed, the jumper was the key! Nothing wrong with the card (at least, nothing defective)

This makes me smile.

Tetrium wrote on 2023-07-20, 07:00:

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 01:04:

Display is working now, after installing drivers I find that despite being advertised as a TNT2 Pro it shows as a TNT2 M64 according to nVidia settings panel (classic eBay!).

Pic of the card?

analog_programmer wrote on 2023-07-20, 05:54:

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 01:04:

Display is working now, after installing drivers I find that despite being advertised as a TNT2 Pro it shows as a TNT2 M64 according to nVidia settings panel (classic eBay!).

Probably your videocard is a chinese clone of TNT2 Pro based card with cut in half memory bus (64bit width instead of 128bit), but with TNT2 Pro frequencies for GPU and RAM and 32MB of RAM. I have one of these chinese pieces of *r*p, but mine is dead probably due to faulty old OTP EPROM chip.

Does the lesser memory bus kneecap the performance? I would say what I am seeing thus far falls short of benchmarks...

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 18:06:

analog_programmer wrote on 2023-07-20, 05:54:

bifflog wrote on 2023-07-20, 01:04:

Display is working now, after installing drivers I find that despite being advertised as a TNT2 Pro it shows as a TNT2 M64 according to nVidia settings panel (classic eBay!).

Probably your videocard is a chinese clone of TNT2 Pro based card with cut in half memory bus (64bit width instead of 128bit), but with TNT2 Pro frequencies for GPU and RAM and 32MB of RAM. I have one of these chinese pieces of *r*p, but mine is dead probably due to faulty old OTP EPROM chip.

Does the lesser memory bus kneecap the performance? I would say what I am seeing thus far falls short of benchmarks...

Yes, 64-bit memory bus hampers the performance. A real TNT2 Pro has 128-bit memory bus and uses the same PCI Device ID as the vanilla one.