Mac Pro with flashed GPU issue

[Blkant]

Update: Issue solved! Seems the reset wiped the settings on which driver to use. I remote into the Mac Pro to correct it as it MUST be corrected on the Mac Pro to update the settings in its PRAM/NVRAM otherwise it will keep using the default drivers even if those settings are adjusted by booting into the drive on another computer. I'm not sure how to get bootcamp working though but at least everything works.

Edit: I had it reversed, it is a NON-flashed gpu

I recently got a Mac Pro on impulse and didn't realize that the GPU it came with was flashed instead of being natively supported. This provided some obstacles, but over all ran fine, until I attempted to set up a bootcamp partition. I ended up getting stuck with the "Nothing bootable please insert" loop and since I had only the flashed GPU I couldn't simply option key at start up to choose where to boot.

I realize how foolish this is now, but to resolve this I attempted to reset the NVRAM (option + command + P + R) and now the Mac Pro has no video, my displays all claim there is no signal. I believe I may have un-flashed the card making it useless unless I replace the GPU. I bought the Mac Pro for a few hundred (lowest xeon 2010) as being in college I don't have the means to go higher, so buying a new graphics card that has native support feels like I might be digging a deeper hole.

I'm not sure what to do at this point, is there a way to fix this? Just recycle it or scrap it for parts? I'm stuck in a pit of despair as all my choices just seem to make a bad situation worse.

 

[chscag]

Usually, PC type flashed graphic cards do not show the boot up sequence but generally work OK. However, as you found out, getting them set up for boot camp is another matter. Why don't you get on eBay and see if you can find a Mac card at a reasonable price? It would be a shame to scrap or recycle the Mac Pro just because of that.

 

[Blkant]

Usually, PC type flashed graphic cards do not show the boot up sequence but generally work OK. However, as you found out, getting them set up for boot camp is another matter. Why don't you get on eBay and see if you can find a Mac card at a reasonable price? It would be a shame to scrap or recycle the Mac Pro just because of that.

I certainly don't wan't to, but the cheapest I can find start at 100+ and to run at a decent resolution it's 400+ at least. Thats why I'm still holding on to hope there may yet be a work around. :/

 

[h9826790]

Sorry for my poor English, but I am confused. Do your graphic card flashed or unflashed?

A flashed GPU works the same way as the stock GPU, shows the boot screen, ident correctly in system info etc.

Unflashed GPU do not shows boot screen (e.g. The Apple logo during boot), but work exactly the same as the flashed / stock GPU once boot to desktop (except may not have detail ident in system info, but that's purely cosmetic).

AFAIK, there is no need to have flashed GPU for bootcamp setup.

And reset PRAM should makes the OSX partition become the boot up partition again. If your Mac boot to nothing after that. I suspect you mess up the partitions during Windows installation, but nothing to do with the GPU.

 

[G4DPII]

Flashed GPU should make no difference. IF you have gone through the correct install procedure it will just carry on. The nothing bootable inside is nothing to do with the state of the GPU, it means the computer cannot find your Mac OSX start up disk.

Which version of windows are you trying to install? If you have it on DVD, just go through the normal installation process. Once complete, install the BootCamp software and required drivers. YOu should then be able to see your Mac OS start up disk in the BootCamp panel.

Installing Windows seems to havebecome rather a hit and miss affair now. you can follow the instructions to the letter and it'll still cock up, especially if on a small partition on the main drive.

I found the easiest and safest way was to buy another HD, install windows "natively", then intall BootCamp"

If the card was flashed - as h9826790 points out - the boot process is fully shown.

 

[Blkant]

When I did the PRAM/NVRAM it corrected the booting problem but now it simply never displays anything, my monitors say there is no signal. I followed the same driver installation procedure and the same driver I used before.

I guess the card is non-flashed then, seems I misunderstood and had them reversed.

 

[G4DPII]

Okay, which MacPro and which GPU do you have for it?

 

[Blkant]

Okay, which MacPro and which GPU do you have for it?

Mac Pro 5,1 with a GTX 970

The way I had it originally working is I connected the SSD to my laptop and installed El Capitan, then installed the drivers. After that I simply put it back in the Mac Pro and it worked fine until I tried bootcamp. To fix that could not find anything bootable message I first attempted to reformat the SSD and reinstall everything like before, but I still got the boot loop so I reset the PRAM/NVRAM and now all I get is no signal.
[doublepost=1466845750][/doublepost]I finally figured it out from having to clean up those awful misunderstandings I was having you guys pointed out. It seems that the boot problem was solved by the PRAM/NVRAM reset but at the same time it is the NVRAM that saves which driver it should use for the GPU (I was misunderstanding in thinking that was some flashing process on the GPU :#). As a result, reseting it made it so no matter what I did on the laptop the Mac Pro would always use the default OS X drivers, thus the black screen. Using my laptop turned on sharing and remote in to correct the driver setting on the Mac Pro itself and thats it!!!

Thank you guys for your help.

Now to figure out bootcamp.

 

[G4DPII]

Glad you got the boot issue sorted.

There have been issues of having BootCamp on the same SSD as your start up volume. I can't remember off hand which models that affected.

Might be worth spending 10 minutes have a good google search to see what pops up.