actually... just fixed the problem, did a more through search of intel related files, reinstalled DX 8 and the newest drivers from scratch, and finally got it working without a hitch. Surprisingly, it being a PCI based card, it works extremely well ( I know how other systems perform, my hand made amd 1.2 ghz that just fizzled out(hehe dont o/c with a bad power supply!!!!) had the same card, mx 400 64mb, but in AGP format... and performance is nearly the same).