Interesting Jack ... so if I'm reading between the lines right, if I install the card and then add the drivers even though the BIOS ignores it and Windows doesn't "see" it, Windows might install the card?  And I assume in that case, that whenever I need to go into the BIOS again, I'll need to switch the monitor back to the onboard graphics?  That's easy enough.  Well, it starts up and restarts just fine also with the "invisible" card installed, so I might as well give it a shot later on.

Ok.  Thank you Jack.  But it does boot with that card physically in the machine even though the BIOS fails to see it.  So I don't foresee that if it does install under Windows it would somehow also cause it to brick the BIOS - I suspect (hope) the BIOS would continue to ignore it.  I guess I don't understand why they would build a BIOS so obviously impaired that bricking it because of a video card install would even be possible.  I've been a PC tech since before Windows, and never had a machine that ought to take a card per the specs be locked out like this one is.  I've seen a few weird things for a few years with some Dells and video cards, but there was always a BIOS work around.  Also never had any issues with HP's or Asus.  Or Acer either ... except for mine now, :-p  All that said, you have a lot more Acer specific background than me, which makes me respect the possibility that you could be right.  I will take your understanding on this into account and first make a fresh metal to metal image of my boot SSD with Acronis before I try again.  That means a few days, but better to lose some time than to lose my setup too.  And if the PC bricks, shame on Acer.  I have other boxes I can put back into play if I need to.  Thanks again!

We're from near the same generation Jack - I used to sell the original IBM PC's with DOS, and the IBM PC XT's, and the PC Jr's, and the Compaq suitcases, etc.  And the Apple IIC's for the kids.  Worked at a MicroAge store in the day.  I still even have a leather Kaypro notes binder I saved.  Back then, we had to order the right memory chips and I/O cards and hard drives and even DOS.  I remember selling my first PC XT 286 and being amazed at how much faster it was, LOL.  And we mostly sold Word Perfect and Lotus 1-2-3 with the machines, and Epson dot matrix printers.  I would make my clients a batch menu so they wouldn't have to maneuver around DOS commands to start their programs, and it would reload the menu when they quit the program it loaded.  I never did bother to learn BASIC though.  The first computer I ever touched was a few years earlier ... my friend was studying to be a Mini-PC programmer (like the IBM System 36; nowadays he programs in DotNet), and he would have me type up the programs he had hand written, using his Tandy TRS-80.  That booted from a cassette and you put the program you wanted to use in a second cassette and loaded that.  So I really do understand what BIOS is - I just think they made bad choices if you can brick your PC by adding a video card.

Wow ... I hadn't heard or saw that one before.  There is clearly where the option doesn't belong!  Although I haven't worked with any, I know some Asus Laptops had the ability to optionally upgrade the video.  On theirs it would make sense.  I guess with those G-models they must have been porting and probably modifying BIOS code developed for Desktops over to the Laptops and didn't think it out fully.  And that issue should have been obvious up front.  Again, wow!