TBS 6220 card not recognised by PC

[TBSUser57]

Hello -

I have just bought a TBS 6220 TV Tuner card.
When I install it in a Dell Inspiron 660 (running Windows 7), the PC does not sense it's presence at all. It does not show up in Windows Device Manager. Windows gives no indication that the card is present at all. DVB Dream and TBSViewer are unable to detect the card.
I have tried installing the card in all 4 of the available PCI express slots, it didn't help.
I have tried installing the card in another PC, with similar results.
I have tried turning off all PCI-related power management in Windows 7, it didn't help.

Could you suggest any diagnostics I could run, before I return the card to the retailer?

[steven]

Hi TBSUser57

First:Do you have updated the latest BIOS for your Dell Inspiron 660 PC?

Second: Would you mind using a eraser to wipe the Goldfinger of TBS6220,and have a test agian.

Third:What about the other PC's config which you have tested,is it the same with Dell Inspiron 660?

Kind Regards

steven

[TBSUser57]

Thanks for the reply. The answers to your questions:

1) The Dell has the latest BIOS version (A03).

2) I'm not sure how to erase the Goldfinger on a TBS6220 card. Could you supply more information please?

3) I have since discovered that a Dell Poweredge T110 PC can recognise the card.

Dell are suggesting that the Inspiron 660 cannot recognise the TBS6220 card, because the Inspiron 660 has integrated graphics, but your system requirements state "graphics card".
Please could you confirm that integrated graphics hardware is sufficient, provided it supports DirectX9 or higher?

[CyberSimian]

I'm not sure how to erase the Goldfinger on a TBS6220 card. Could you supply more information please?

I think that Steven is suggesting that one or more of the gold contacts at the edge of the card may be dirty, and preventing a good electrical contact with the PCI-E socket. If I remember correctly, a simple rubber pencil eraser is often suggested as a good way of cleaning gold contacts (but do it carefully!). Steven had better confirm that I have interpreted his post correctly before you try this.

I have a Dell XPS 420, and I had a problem with the PCI-E slots in mine, but it was not as much of a show-stopper as yours. In mine, the TBS 6284 card was recognised and worked fine after a fresh boot, but would not sleep correctly (it disappeared from "Device Manager" on wake from sleep; I now use hibernation which works OK.) I am pretty sure that this is a defect in the BIOS of the Dell motherboard, since other PCI cards suffer the same fate, but there is no chance of a fix as it is not a current model.

The only suggestion that I have to fix your problem is to check the motherboard BIOS to ensure that the PCI-E slots are actually enabled. It is possible that the slots are disabled in the BIOS (hence the card is not recognised).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK