posted on December 29, 2000 04:16:29 PM new
When I turned my monitor on this morning my screen was frozen and I had to restart my computer. When I did, Windows wouldn't start, so I restarted it again. Windows came up, but would only display 16 colors in 640 x 480 resolution, and I got a message that something was wrong with my display adapter. Does anyone know what that is? Does it have to do with my monitor, or my graphics card?
I ran Norton SystemWorks but all it did was make my mouse stop working.
I recently bought a refurbished monitor. Was that a mistake?? I can't imagine that my monitor would prevent Windows from starting, but I really don't know. This 16 color business also prevents some applications from running. I can't even balance my checkbook.
posted on December 29, 2000 04:37:42 PM new
Hello RainyBear,
Try clicking on:
My Computer
Control Panel
Display
Settings
and check what the current settings are and correct or tweak as necessary.
You might also want to try the eBay Q&A board or Computer Board for some rela-time advice from folks who are real PC experts, rather than the likes of me.
posted on December 29, 2000 04:44:05 PM new
Thanks codasaurus -- I tried that, but when I changed the settings it said I had to restart, and after I restarted, well... same old story.
posted on December 29, 2000 05:33:00 PM new
Yep it's your video card. The monitor only handles what the card throws at it so it sounds like you might need a new card. Try this to see if you can get some further information...right click on your My Computer icon and select Properties. Select the tab that says Device Manager. This will give you a listing of the components installed in your computer. Look for the one that says Display Adapter and click on the + sign next to it. This will show what the name of your video card is. Click on the name of the video card and select the Properties button. A new window will appear and under Device Status it should say that the device is working properly. There should also be a tab that tells you what driver it is using and there may be a diagnostics tab that will allow you to do further testing on the card. By any chance, have you made any changes to the system recently such as changing any drivers?
----------------------------------- Yoda of Borg are we: Futile is resistance. Assimilate you, we will.
posted on December 29, 2000 08:37:11 PM new
berkeley - I checked and it said the device is working properly. It sure doesn't seem that way, though! A driver is listed, but everything under the Performance tab is greyed out... I wonder why. Maybe I need to go to the manufacturer's web site and download new drivers.
Thanks for confirming what the problem is, and I'm really glad it's not the monitor!
Oh, and I haven't made any changes to my system lately. I haven't even installed anything in weeks, except Norton's today, and that was after this junk happened. I guess that's what I get for using my husband's hand-me-down computers whevener he gets a new one. The next new computer will be mine! Maybe this weekend would be a good time to buy one.
posted on December 29, 2000 09:31:44 PM new
Have you tried to re-install the drivers for your video card, it sounds like you may have a corrupted driver
posted on December 29, 2000 10:57:21 PM new
Hi RainyBear. You may want to try reinstalling the driver for your display adapter like tjyoung2001 suggested. Go to MY COMPUTER, CONTROL PANEL, SYSTEM, DEVICE MANAGER, DISPLAY ADAPTER and highlight the DISPLAY ADAPTER next to the plus sign and choose REMOVE. Then shut down or restart your computer and Windows will build you a new driver. This should work if your current driver is corrupted.
If that doesn't work go through the same sequence above but after you highlight the adapter you're using click on DRIVER, PROPERTIES and UPDATE DRIVER. Then choose AUTOMATICALLY SEARCH FOR A BETTER DRIVER and see if Windows can find one. If it can't, then go back and choose SPECIFY A LOCATION and then DISPLAY A LIST OF ALL DRIVERS and look for the name of your video adapter on the list and then reinstall the proper driver. This should work if your display adapter for some reason is using the wrong driver.
posted on December 30, 2000 09:12:17 AM new
If the problem *is* your video card, they are relatively cheap and easy to replace. I don't consider myself a technie by any means, but when my video card fried itself a couple of years back, I did manage to buy a suitable replacement (on eBay, where else? ) and install it on my own. It helped that I had two similar computers at the time, so I could plug the monitor into the other computer and determine that the problem was the video card and *not* the monitor. Good luck with fixing your problem!
posted on December 30, 2000 09:26:02 AM new
My two cents....
It could be a multitude of things. I have had this happen many times. Here's a short list of what caused them:
Video Adaptor Loose
Older style monitor unable to cope with with the modern video cards (especially fixed frequency montiors)
Incorrect video or monitor drivers.
IRQ conflict.
And the biggie....IRQ sharing...It doesn't show up as an error or a conflict in the device list, but if you check the IRQ's you find that the video adaptor is sharing an IRQ with some system device (mine was always the USB bus). According to Microsoft, this is supposed to work with their "IRQ steering". Most times it doesn't.
posted on December 30, 2000 09:34:56 AM new
There are .inf files for monitors as well. Double check that your system is "seeing" the correct monitor.
Go to the Advanced Properties of the Display properties window and see if your correct monitor is chosen. You could try the manufacturer web site of the monitor as well for drivers and tech help.
posted on December 30, 2000 11:29:39 AM new
From what you checked, I would have to agree with checking the driver first. If windows thinks that the card is working, then definitely try reinstalling the driver. The company's web site is a good start as they will have the most current drivers for your card. I would go one step further and double check the card inside the case (make sure you're grounded before touching any of the components) and see if you can find the model and manufacturer listed on it. The wrong driver can also create problems.
I wouldn't say that the card is unseated, as if it was you'd not be getting any picture at all as the card wouldn't be sending a signal to the monitor.
Once you know exactly what card is in your tower, let me know if you need help looking for a driver. With older cards, that search can be interesting sometimes.
----------------------------------- Yoda of Borg are we: Futile is resistance. Assimilate you, we will.
posted on December 30, 2000 01:06:53 PM new
Wow, you guys are great -- thanks for all the advice! Unfortunately it's still not working. I tried reinstalling the original drivers from the CD, I deleted the device profile and let Windows find it again, and I even downloaded new drivers from the manufacturer's web site. I also tried a different monitor to confirm that wasn't the problem. Nothing helped.
At this point I'm really thinking it's a Windows problem since I'm getting other strange error messages, too. Something about "Regsvr32" and an illegal operation. Sometimes the "blue screen of death" pretty much right after I restart the computer. I'm pretty close to just reformatting and reinstalling the original system software.
It isn't even a tower system... it's a little flat HP Pavilion. Its 2 or 3 years old. I'm going to go look at new computers today. I could certainly make do with this one after reformatting it, but it's about time for a new system anyway.
(Hmm, yellow smilies are yellow with this 16 color display but blue smilies are white!)
[ edited by RainyBear on Dec 30, 2000 01:08 PM ]
posted on December 30, 2000 01:13:28 PM new
*blush* Gosh thanks Rainy Bear. Well, fdisking and reinstalling might be an option. Systems tend to get gummed up. Be sure that you write down all of the drivers you need before you do that and back up any files you will need later (email, bookmarks, data, Internet account info). If you need assistance with wiping the hard disk, this site is has good instructions http://www.cguru.com/~tech/fdisk.html
Just curious, what are the specs on the system? Processor speed, memory, etc?
----------------------------------- Yoda of Borg are we: Futile is resistance. Assimilate you, we will.
posted on December 30, 2000 02:04:51 PM new
berkeley,
Not to split hairs-well OK maybe <G> - but I didn't say the video card was unseated, I said it might need to be reseated. Of all the cards in a system, I have found the video card to be the most likely item to require this. Seems the oxidation that can build up on the connector can be the cause of weird errors.
That said, with the further info provided, I'm willing to bet this system has the video built into the motherboard, though can't say for sure without the model #.
Seems a run of scan disk wouldn't hurt either. I hope Rainbear has a good way to back up their files, methinks that things are going to get worse quickly.
posted on December 30, 2000 03:47:16 PM new
berkeley - my system has a 233 MHz Pentium processor (I think... not sure how to confirm that) with 64 MB RAM and a 1.96 GB hard drive. The video card is a Graphics Blaster Exxtreme by Creative Labs. I backed up most of my files yesterday but forgot about bookmarks -- so thanks for the reminder!
I once reformatted the hard drive on my old system and resintalled all the factory software, and it was great! Just like having a new computer. This time I have so much software I'd have to download again and reinstall, though (at 28.8 kbps), that I hesitate to wipe it clean. And I'll be more than a little irritated if I reformat the disk and *still* get this 16 color display!
I looked at some of those creepy computer stores today and didn't like anything I saw, so I guess I'll give this one another shot. Wish me luck, and if I'm not back for a while then I'll be either struggling or screaming, or both. I have work I need to get done on here this weekend.
Thanks again for the advice you guys, and bitofagrump, thanks for the good luck, I'll need it!
posted on December 30, 2000 03:48:49 PM new
I just saw a very, very similar problem with a friends computer. He did all the afore mentioned fixes, even Fdisk-ing, and ended up buying a new video card. BUT turns out it may have been 2 problems. He also was using and older monitor and an older Mouse. The mouse was worn out thus causing lots of Windows errors. Check the mouse and its plug-in behind the computer. Maybe.....??
posted on December 30, 2000 04:46:13 PM new
Hello RainyBear. I'm sorry you haven't been able to correct the problem yet. Have you tried setting the video adapter to a different screen size and/or number of colors (Control Panel, Display, Settings)? Another thing to try is Control Panel, System, Performance, Graphics, and reduce the Hardware Acceleration.
Another possible cause of problems is a corrupted browser cache. Try clearing it:
IE, Tools, Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files, Delete Files and then reboot your computer.
You should also check your ActiveX controls to see if there are any problems. Go to START, RUN, type in dxdiag.exe and OK. Go
through each tab on the screen to see if any problems are mentioned. If there are problems, you may have to reinstall your ActiveX components. But, I really think you're going to need a new video card. Good luck!!
posted on December 30, 2000 05:37:23 PM new
I don't know if you have solved you problem
yet. But I had this happend to me three
times. Doing the quick fix of reinstalling
the desplay driver, and what you need
to do is a run you complete recovery system
from the CD.
I learn that to late and lost everything.
Computer completely crashed and had to
reformat everything after loosing explorer.
posted on December 30, 2000 05:45:51 PM newIt was my video card!
I finally opened up the computer, pulled out the video card and tried reseating it. Well, that didn't do any good so I thought I'd pull my old system out of the closet and steal the video card from it. Well, when I got it open I realized it didn't have a video card, yet it had always displayed just fine. So I removed my video card and hooked the monitor back up to the port to which it was originally connected. Ta da! It's working fine.
Unfortunately before I tried that I reinstalled the original software which came with the system. It didn't remove any of my files, but it did overwrite some things and I have some messes to clean up. Oh well, I'm just glad my original problem has been solved.
I'm curious why the video card broke in the first place, though. My new monitor makes an awful noise whenever I turn it on... I wonder if that's some kind of power surge (?) which affected the card.
I sure am glad my display is back to normal and Windows is behaving better now. Thanks again everyone!
posted on December 30, 2000 09:41:16 PM new
Re why your card broke. How old was it? Sometimes, they get old and brittle, and the least bit of flex can lose some tiny connection that makes all the difference. Or a dust particle or hair falls in the wrong spot between two traces, and *zap!*
posted on December 30, 2000 10:28:32 PM new
About how old the card was -- I don't remember exactly how long ago I bought it, but probably at least a year and a half ago. I bought it new on eBay for a good price, so it's possible it was older even when I bought it, "seconds" merchandise or that type of thing. Or perhaps it just succumbed to normal wear and tear as electronics will do.
It's trash now! I really don't need it, though. The reason I bought it was so my husband could play games which required a 3D video card. I have no such requirements... just give me the web, email, telnet etc. and I'm happy as a clam.
posted on December 30, 2000 10:56:25 PM newWell, when I got it open I realized it didn't have a video card, yet it had always displayed just fine.
Sounds like your system has an integrated video card in the motherboard also. Maybe the added video card just conflicted with your original onboard video card for some reason.
Was the onboard video card disabled in all profiles when you had the problem? Maybe the card you threw in the garbage has nothing wrong with it.
posted on December 31, 2000 06:50:34 AM new
This is a bit off topic, however, it's a situation that someone else might run across at some point.
When I switched over to DSL and installed the DSL modem, I decided to leave my 56k modem installed in case the DSL ever was down. This way, I would be able to dial up my ISP and get my mail if there was any extended outage.
As soon as the DSL modem was installed and all the drivers were loaded my computer was supposed to be restarted. It took forever and finally I had a 16 color 640x480 display (horror!) showing and the message: There is a problem with your Display Adapter...
After trying many different things, I used the Device Manager under the System tab to disable one thing at a time and reboot to find the culprit. It was my 56k modem.
To this day, when the DSL goes down (which is rare) I just enable the 56k modem and dial up. After I hang up, I have to remember to disable it again or when I turn on the system tomorrow, I'll have the error message again and have to go through a series of reboots.
posted on December 31, 2000 09:09:20 AM new
AnonymousCoward - yes, the onboard video card (hey, I'm learning new stuff here!) was disabled in the system profile under "Device Manager." Since it worked fine for a year and a half or so I have no idea why it would have spontaneously stopped working since I didn't make any changes to my system beforehand.
Kerryann - that's the same message I got, so maybe it pops up whenever there's a device conflict... or, sometimes when there's a device conflict. It seems like there's an endless array of possibilities when something goes wrong. Sigh.
Oh, and I haven't thrown the video card away yet, though I'm seriously thinking about it!
posted on December 31, 2000 01:18:16 PM new
When you state that you booted in 16 colors 480X640 in sounds like it was safe mode. I would suggest re-installing your videocard again from scratch and also re-install DirectX. You don't say if it's Win95 or Win98. Win98 has a troubleshooter in the help section. It might be able to suggest corrections you can attempt.
This is from Win98 help troubleshooter on how to re-install your drivers for the video card. It's pretty much the same for Win95.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may need updated drivers for your video card.
To update your video card drivers using the Upgrade Device Driver wizard
1.Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.
2.On the Settings tab, click Advanced Properties.
3.On the Adapter tab, click Change, and then follow the instructions of the Upgrade Device Driver wizard.
If the Upgrade Device Driver wizard is unable to locate updated drivers for your video card, obtain updated drivers from your video card manufacturer.
To identify your video card's manufacturer
1.Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2.On the Device Manager tab, click the plus (+) sign next to Display adapters to reveal the manufacturer of your video card.
3.Call the manufacturer or visit their Web site to obtain the latest drivers for your video card.
4.Install the updated drivers according to the manufacturer's instructions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can also verify if the right monitor is setup. Just follow the instruction for the video card, but instead of clicking on the Adapter tab on #3 click on the monitor tab.
Click on change if it's not the right monitor and follow the prompts.
