I recently did a lot of googling about how to use my ATI Radeon HD 3300 integrated graphics card at the same time as my nVidia 8600 GTS discrete graphics card at the same time. The problem is, my motherboard (the BioStar TA790GX 128M) supports integrated + discrete card usage…only with ATI cards. I don’t have an ATI graphics card, and didn’t want to buy one.

This hasn’t been a problem from my two-monitor setup because the 8600GTS easily powers two monitors, but I recently ordered an upgraded monitor (24″ Dell S2409W), and I didn’t want to have to ditch my old 17″ LCD. Lots of googling, and the result is all the same: the TA790GX turns off the onboard graphics card automatically if an nVidia card is detected.

Well, my motherboard does support crossfire with 2 PCI-express slots, so I got to wondering. What if I put my graphics card not in the primary slot, but in the secondary slot? Sure, it will only run at x8 speed, but it’s already PCI-express 2.0, and the lower bandwidth is not likely to hurt my middle-of-the-road graphics card anyways.

Swap it out. Boot it up. Windows 7 recognizes TWO graphics cards from different manufacturers, automatically installs the drivers for the ATI card, and asks to reboot. Reboot.

Viola! It’s done! Hybrid graphics on an ATI motherboard with an nVidia graphics card! Hope someone finds this to be helpful.

Note: apparently, Vista will not work with this. XP may, but I’m not sure. Windows 7 definitely does. I tell you, I’m loving Windows 7!

Having trouble installing Win7 x64 (Windows 7 64-bit) on your mac? Keep getting a Select CD-ROM Boot Type” message when you go to install? Boot Camp have you pulling your hair out?

Some googling reveals the answer over at Jowie.com, but it’s a little confusing to know exactly where to start. Hopefully this step-by-step tutorial makes it idiot-proof. If you need pictures, Jowie’s site has some nice screenshots.

So, without further ado, install Windows 7 (x64) on your Mac (specifically, I’ve done this for a mac mini) in 7 easy steps!

Step 1: Download and install ImgBurn
Step 2: Insert your Windows 7 Install DVD, OR mount your .iso file with Daemon Tools Lite.
Step 3: Extract your boot image:

• Using ImgBurn, go to “Build” mode
• Select the Advanced Tab
• Under that, select the “Bootable Disc” tab
• Select your DVD drive at the bottom and hit the disk icon. If it asks you if you want to keep those settings, tell it “yes”

Step 4: Add your disk to your new disc image

• On the left side, click the folder icon in the “Source” section and browse to select your Windows 7 Install DVD (Just select the actual drive, no files or folders inside it)
• Hit ok.

Step 5: Verify build settings

• Click the options tab on the right.
• System should say ISO9660 + UDF, Revision 1.02
• Click the Advanced tab again
• Click the Restrictions Tab
• Select “Level X – 219 Characters”
• Select ALL 4 checkboxes below
• Click the “Bootable Disc” Tab again
• Make sure “Make image bootable” is checked
• Emulation Type: None (Custom)
• Boot Image: (should already be selected if you told it to use those settings. If not, select the .ima file you saved in Step 3)
• Sectors to Load: 8 (if you’re using Vista x64, it should be 4)

Step 6: Build your new iso

• Enter a destination for your new ISO on the left. (Use the folder icon to the next of the dropdown, or enter a filename in manually)
• Click the big folder pointing at a disc document at the bottom to create your new image!
• If it asks about a Volume name, just hit “OK”

Step 7: Burn your new iso.

• Switch to burn mode.
• Select your NEW .iso file (don’t accidentally use your old iso!)
• Select your destination blank DVD

Click the burn button.

Tada! Pop that disc into your mac mini, or imac, or macbook, or mac pro, or whatever, and you’re set! Welcome to Windows 7!

If you haven’t heard it from about 1,000 people already, Microsoft made the Upgrade version of Windows 7 Available for pre-order today at less than half the suggested retail price. It ships October 22, and the pre-order price is available only until July 11, or “while supplies last,” whatever that means.

Order it from amazon now:

Windows 7 Premium Upgrade – $49 (Reg. $119)

Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade – $99 (Reg $219)

What are you waiting for? This will probably run faster than XP if you’re still running it, and certainly faster than Vista. Get it cheap before supplies run out and you’re back in 6 months paying $119/219 for it.

So today I installed Windows 7 on a 5-year-old Compaq Presario 2175us with an IGP 320 M graphics card. If you have no idea what that means–it means there’s hope for Windows. Lots of it.

This laptop has an ancient AMD Athlon XP Mobile 2400+ processor (1.79 GHz). (Though it does have 1GB Ram) ATI stopped making drivers for its graphics card years ago. You could never install Vista on this thing, and XP wasn’t even that snappy.

But Windows 7? Somehow it’s putting right along. The average Joe would never pull this one off due to trying to find compatible graphics drivers, but it is possible. And if this computer can run it, probably so can yours. Are you suffering through laggy Vista? Windows 7 will probably fix your problems.

If you’re trying to do the same thing, with the IGP 320 M, and can’t get out of 640×480 plus 16 colors, here’s what I had to do:

• Download the wxp-w2k-8-082-041130a-019577c.exe file from ATI. (Look under Legacy XP drivers)
• Install it, but after it extracts itself, cancel.
• Under Devices, right-click your video card to update the driver
• Manually select the driver, navigating to the place you unzipped your ATI stuff to (Usually C:\ATI\Support\…).
• Select one of those drivers (not sure if they both work, but the first one I grabbed did)
• From the list, find Radeon IGP 320
• Install and Reboot
• Windows 7 keeps the same HAL issue as Vista, so if you can’t find a BIOS update to fix this (I couldn’t, but if you do, let me know!) go into Devices again and disable the PCI-PCI bridge. (under “System devices”)
• Reboot, go to display settings, and kick those up

Pretty sweet, huh? I haven’t gotten my audio drivers to work yet (haven’t tried), but things look promising. It floors me how well this runs on such ancient hardware.

Sorry, can’t help you get a hold of the Win 7 pre-beta. I will say though, that if you happen to have your old Vista Beta or RC activation code from Microsoft, it will work with the Win 7 iso you might find lying around under that, um, torrent of dirty socks in your closet. Ya feel me?

Oh, yeah, and the System Experience Index rating? Couldn’t even complete the test Impressive…