[1 BTC BOUNTY CLAIMED!] Get 6 radeon 7970 installing and mining in Windows

[BBQKorv]

Usually seeking for help really helps, congratulations! What was the solution, and what Catalyst version do you use?

[lewlzminer]

guess we all want to know, im glad its possible at all

[ssateneth]

I'm really tempted to sell the solution now, since I -did- spend $117 in BTC for it. Would be nice to get some (or all) of that back.

[notaek]

I'll put 10 bucks down 

Anyone else with me?

[GenTarkin]

I'm really tempted to sell the solution now, since I -did- spend $117 in BTC for it. Would be nice to get some (or all) of that back.

lol of course, after you said u would share it.... geez
Hell, it was probably as simple as "use windows 8" - done.

[philips]

This is a bit...unexpected...

[YipYip]

I'm really tempted to sell the solution now, since I -did- spend $117 in BTC for it. Would be nice to get some (or all) of that back.

-1

[ssateneth]

Oh ya bunch of whiners.

Tip away: 1BXNapSrzTSfmqSD63e49eh2JvDkeotCxt

It basically comes down to a limitation of Windows 7. What the specific limitation is, I don't know. But Windows 8 allows 1 more GPU to be detected and mineable. So if you install 13.1 driver on win7 and get 4 GPU working, you will get 5 GPU working on win8. Win8 is also annoying though in that you can't install "older" drivers, some of which allow an additional GPU mineable on top of that. The catalyst installer manager simply won't show the display driver installer option. SO. Here we go.

Install windows 8.
Wipe any previous GPU drivers off with amd_cleanup_util_1.2.1.0.exe (google it) if you have installed them before.
Install 13.1 plus OpenCL included with it. Personally, I only installed display driver, opencl sdk, and the hdmi driver because I dont like seeing stuff without drivers. None of the other stuff is required.
You will now have 5 GPU working with one with an error code 43 inside the Device Manager.
Open 12.6 and install only to the point where it extracts stuff into C:\AMD\Support\. Do not actually install drivers. We just need to extract.
In device manager, right click the errored GPU -> Properties -> Driver tab -> Update Driver -> Browse my computer for driver software -> Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer -> Have Disk -> Browse -> Navigate to C:\AMD\Support\12-6_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc_whql\Packages\Drivers\Display\W76A_INF and select either .inf file (it doesn't seem to make a difference) -> OK -> Should only have one device listed under "Model". Hit Next.

It should now proceed to downgrade from 13.1 to 12.6, which is the highest version driver that allows an extra GPU. You screen may flicker MANY times, and your device manager may appear to freeze/hang. Just let it do it's thing. It may take upwards of an hour or longer. You may get a BSOD too. Just go with it. If you're coming on 2 hours or longer, try doing a hard reset. You -should- now have all 6 GPU installed OK in device manager and detected in OpenCL. If not, reboot again (just in case).

If this doesn't work, well, I don't know what to say. This is just the solution I was given. (Well, actually, I was recommended the special 7970 release driver, but I was worried it wouldnt work with 13.1 opencl)

Tips: 1BXNapSrzTSfmqSD63e49eh2JvDkeotCxt

[GenTarkin]

Interesting =) .. ha well win8 was most of the answer =P
next time Ill just say "upgrade to MS's latest shitty OS!" and a few other things n ur good to go =)

I swear tho serious, these GPU count caps need to be fuckin lifted and done away with.

[ssateneth]

Interesting =) .. ha well win8 was most of the answer =P
next time Ill just say "upgrade to MS's latest shitty OS!" and a few other things n ur good to go =)

I swear tho serious, these GPU count caps need to be fuckin lifted and done away with.

But it wasn't as simple as that. :/

[notaek]

Does this mean that the motherboard you have can only take 5 GPUs on Windows 7, or Windows 7 can only take 5 GPUs?

[cimpex]

looks like it is a win 7 specific problem. damn...I won't use win 8.

[elchorizo]

Anyone know if Linux would solve this as well?

[scifimike12]

Wipe any previous GPU drivers off with amd_cleanup_util_1.2.1.0.exe (google it) if you have installed them before.

I'd be care of using AMD's driver cleaner on Windows 8.  There have been numerous reports of it messing up the registry or boot startup.  Instead, I'd suggest on using Atiman Catalyst Uninstaller.

[petala]

Now this is really confusing.

I understood from WAY back that now windows is limited to 8 GPU by amd driver.

Now it is 4 again? linux is still 8? i am confused.

[txmasut]

Now this is really confusing.

I understood from WAY back that now windows is limited to 8 GPU by amd driver.

Now it is 4 again? linux is still 8? i am confused.

Windows is not limited to 4, it's the combination of Drivers and Windows.  For some reason they just don't play together well and I'm guessing AMD never coded their drivers efficiently for 6 Video Cards since who has that many, lol.

[petala]

Now this is really confusing.

I understood from WAY back that now windows is limited to 8 GPU by amd driver.

Now it is 4 again? linux is still 8? i am confused.

Windows is not limited to 4, it's the combination of Drivers and Windows.  For some reason they just don't play together well and I'm guessing AMD never coded their drivers efficiently for 6 Video Cards since who has that many, lol.

8 GPU in windows is surely possible.I saw some guy running four 5970 cards without problem on windows 7 x64.

maybe later drivers like 13.1 took this possibility away??

[txmasut]

Now this is really confusing.

I understood from WAY back that now windows is limited to 8 GPU by amd driver.

Now it is 4 again? linux is still 8? i am confused.

Windows is not limited to 4, it's the combination of Drivers and Windows.  For some reason they just don't play together well and I'm guessing AMD never coded their drivers efficiently for 6 Video Cards since who has that many, lol.

8 GPU in windows is surely possible.I saw some guy running four 5970 cards without problem on windows 7 x64.

maybe later drivers like 13.1 took this possibility away??

Yeah, I just said that 6 was a problem.  4 and 5 is fairly easy to achieve.  6 is where the problems start loading on.  8 is even possible but good luck

[ssateneth]

Now this is really confusing.

I understood from WAY back that now windows is limited to 8 GPU by amd driver.

Now it is 4 again? linux is still 8? i am confused.

Windows is not limited to 4, it's the combination of Drivers and Windows.  For some reason they just don't play together well and I'm guessing AMD never coded their drivers efficiently for 6 Video Cards since who has that many, lol.

8 GPU in windows is surely possible.I saw some guy running four 5970 cards without problem on windows 7 x64.

maybe later drivers like 13.1 took this possibility away??

It was probably me.

[brucemangy]

sweeeeeeeeet ^^ 2.8 GH/s on one rig. \o/ (must be noisy.)