X58 SLI LE Video card help please!

[GIXXERGUY6]

I'm getting slightly ticked here.

I have 2 known good GTS450's(one EVGA and one Palit)

They both work when they are in the motherboard by theirselves in the top slot(slot 0??)

But I put the 2nd one in in the 2nd slot and it gets recognized in Device Manager, but a warning and error 43 stopped working, either card will do this, I put either on in the 3rd and 4th slot(oops not the 4th I can't fit either in there with the USB and other headers in their plugs) and I get the same thing.

My bios is updated I believe, but that shouldn't matter as I had 2 GTS450's and a GTS250 in there and I had 5 monitors running without issues. Took them out because I wasn't using them. Now I'm going to be using them again and I can't get the cards to work, ugh.....

I'm overclocked, but was OC'd when they worked before. I'm stable 100% Prime, IBT for days on end. I've even tried it at bone stock settings and still the same thing.

Using 314.07 That's the only thing that has changed since the last time I had all 3 cards installed and working perfectly.

Any suggestions?

also used Drive Sweeper and installed fresh drivers multiple times as well
EDIT:

Sorry I should have clarified if I didn't already.

Both cards will work in the top slot with only one card installed
Both cards work in any other slot with only one card installed
Add another card to the mix and only the top slot is recognized and functioning. I can have the top slot occupied and the 2nd or 3rd and only the top slot is recognized and functioning.

I have just rolled back to 310.90 after a Safe Mode/Drive Sweep/Reboot fresh install of the driver and still the same thing.

The 2nd slot GTS450 is seen by Device Manager but has an error of 43.


Also no SLI bridge is being used

UPDATE:
Well I just put w7 x64 on one of my other drives!

New install sees both cards and nvidia has them SLI'd and I can utilize them

Now for the question. Can I fix the issue with the current (original install) or do I have to reformat and start over ?

Reason I ask is I hate reformatting and if I have to do it I'm going to either get a larger drive or get an large SSD and a larger drive as I'll need it because I'll be swapping a 500gb for a smaller SSD(somewhere around 64-240gb)

I would like to repair if I can for now. But I have tried the repair function and it doesn't do anything, so what next? Registry deletion?

Can anyone help a brotha out?

 

[mokrunka]

What happens if you try it with the SLI bridge?

 

[GIXXERGUY6]

Same thing, but I never had to use the SLI bridge in the past.

 

[GIXXERGUY6]

Read OP to find out update:

In short if you don't wanna....

Installed fresh copy of w7 on one of my other drives and the cards work fine with or without the bridge.

Can I fix the issue with registry or should I just format and reinstall?

Reason I ask is I have a boat load of programs I don't feel like reinstalling also

If I do it I'll be buying a larger HDD and an SSD.

I'll want ALL my programs on the SSD though.

The reason for the larger HDD is I'll be taking away a 500gb drive and putting in the SSD(I only have 6 sata's and 1 is taken up by the ROM)