XPS Gen2 Question - Help!

you do not need a battery to install a Video Card.

You can try to bake the Video card and maybe restore it - search the forums here there alot of info on it, and the sucess rate has been decent with it.

external video cards would only work through a dock or an external pciexpress adapter. Which I've never seen except for the smart card slot which is VERY slow since it only has one lane.

It's an awesome idea, just companies know they won't make money by making it a reality. I wish.... then we could just use desktop cards at home and use the internal one on the road.

Often, when a video card starts to have "screen issues", it can be from overheating, your Gen2 is way long in the tooth and the 6800 may have just finally crapped out, but maybe not. I used to have a Gen2 and I know from personal experience that the 6800 video cards run hot, like most of Dell's XPS high powered laptop video cards.

I don't know how well versed you are on these laptops but there are a couple of quick things that you can check to determine the cause of the problem. First, since you bought this used, does it have the correct AC power adapter? It should be a Dell PA-13, 130w (watt) unit. If it is a 90w adapter that is a problem because it isn't supplying enough power for the unit including to the video card. If it's an aftermarket adapter that could also be the culprit.

Next, after your computer has cooled completely to room temperature turn it on and boot into the bios. If the video is OK initially, it may be a temperature related problem. If the power supply is correct and the video is screwed up initially upon booting then you're probably out of luck and you can stop here.

If the video is OK check the temperature settings in the bios as I believe you can check the temps in the Gen2 bios. If either CPU or GPU temp is higher than say 45 degrees Celsius at boot up then you have a temp problem. With the laptop still running turn it over and check the bottom of the case. Are the fan grills dirty/dusty? Can you see the fan blades turning? If so, put your hand in front of the fan exhaust ports on the rear of the case. Can you feel warm/hot air blowing out?

If everything is OK to this point, turn off the computer and flip it over again and look through the fan grills inside at each fan. Use a flashlight if need be. Are the blades dusty? If so it means there is much more dust inside between the fan outlets and the heatsink arms allowing the unit to possibly overheat. You, or someone you trust, will have to disassemble the laptop to properly clean the cooling system. It is quite involved, and not for the faint of heart. See my guide to help you through the process here: http://www.notebookforums.com/thread224718.html

Report back and let me know what you've found and I will try to give you some additional help.

Goodluck!

Bake the card. You'd mostly have artifacts if it were really hot, not all the time.
stay spicy!
And get baked yourself! good for stress.