What began as a simple upgrade to a Radeon 7000 Mac Edition cost my 8500 its life. I installed the System7Today ATi Drivers. I opened up the 8500 and installed the Radeon, closed it up, and started it up. No video. I figured I should have hit the CUDA button. I opened it up, and removed the motherboard, with much difficulty, and hit the CUDA button. In the process of removing it, like 10 plastic tabs snapped off from here and there. Even half the PCI card retainer snapped off. I ripped off the rest of it because it kept cutting me and was pointless anyway. It turned out I didn't even have to remove the motherboard to get to CUDA. I had ruined my 8500's inner case for nothing! I tried to put the 8500 back together but failed. I started it up naked, with all the necessary connections done. Still no video. Since I had the motherbaord out already, I tried removing all the VRAM for the built-in video, which apparently could force the video to be from a PCI card. Still no video! The system just refused to give video to the Radeon! This wouldn't be so bad if my 8500 was together! I don't even think I can get that brittle case back together again probably. I can't even slide the motherboard back in, much less put the power button back in and the outer case back on.
What can I do? :'(
What can I do? :'(