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How Do I Force XP to Accept 16 Bit Depth?

3K views 10 replies 3 participants last post by  taurusx5 
#1 ·
i got xp pro sp3. i installed a program called topdesk. i got my color depth set at 16 bit. the program was working fine for 3 months. but now, when i boot up, the program changes the color depth to 8 bit. i dont know why. how can i force my computer to accept 16 bit?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Is the color-depth okay (ie 16-bit) for everything else? If not, the video driver may have become corrupt or just gone missing & you'll need to re-install it. Check your Device Manager" -- if there's an error-symbol showing in the "Display Adapter" category, it's definitley the video-driver needs installing.

When the correct driver is missing or corrupt, Windows has to fall back on it's own built-in basic VGA driver which can't output colour any higher than 8-bit & can't display high resolutions.
 
#3 ·
hi pip22. i dont undersatand what you mean by, "is the color depth (16 bit) ok for everyting else"? if you mean that it affects every program, then the answer obviously is yes.

and i already got the latest driver from intel. when i enable the program to startup when the computer boots up, it changes the color depth to 8 bit. i then got to manually re-set it at 16 bit. is three a way at least to edit a file to force my computer to accept 16 bit at boot up all the time without me having to manually re-set it?


..
 
#4 ·
Use regedit.

Navigate to [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO] .

Click + signs until you are in a Monxxxxx key and look for DefaultSettings.BitsPerPel .

What value shows?

If there are multiple entries the topmost is, I believe, the active one.
 
#6 · (Edited)
There are several spots where changing the bit depth in Display Settings will change the registry, and one where it will NOT.

The one that won't is in; HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

On mine. it stays at the binary default (20 00 00 00) which is for 32 bit.

However, the locations that change are in;

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\0001\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\0001\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000\Mon11335587

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000\Mon11335587

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000\Mon11335587

(note that the identifier string and Mon string are unique to my comp I believe)

In each of those the reg sub-key DefaultSettings.BitsPerPel will have an entry in hexidecimal of 0x00000010 (equals 16 decimal).

Check ALL of those entries in your registry and see if they are all the same.

Note: there ARE entries in ControlSet0001 and like that, but they aren't loaded normally so I didn't bother checking.
 
#7 ·
Hi, CCT. I apologize for not replying to you for a while. I was tied up with other stuff. But getting back to my issue, the only locations that I found that matched the locations you stated are the following. In each, I found a value of 10 for DefaultSettings.BitsPerPel:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\0001\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{23A77BF7-ED96-40EC-AF06-9B1F4867732A}\0000

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{23A77BF7-ED96-40EC-AF06-9B1F4867732A}



The following are locations found in my registry that did not match your own locations, but were closely related. However, in each there was no DefaultSettings.BitsPerPel found:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{1B4396FF-E440-4BAB-AD11-05CCC2B25488}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{23A77BF7-ED96-40EC-AF06-9B1F4867732A}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{437246A2-A655-4833-AAAB-CB13E6A2A0F8}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{592CBB8C-0F8C-4C19-9378-303E362A7B6E}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{8B6D7859-A639-4A15-8790-7161976D057A}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{9D0A39F0-9C16-4DB1-9973-8F2878D1A1C4}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{DEB039CC-B704-4F53-B43E-9DD4432FA2E9}


CCT, please let me know what are the next steps in resolving my issue, Thank you so much.

..
 
#8 ·
All I can tell you is, after tidying up my extra entries, I have 2 places in HK Current Control Set with vid settings and 1 in HK Current Config.

They ALL have a sub-key to the 0000 sub-key called Monxxxxxxxx with entries that duplicate the 0000 entries.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\0001\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\0001\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000\Mon11335587

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000\Mon11335587

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VIDEO\{09276A9C-AE96-4BC5-B2D7-78B769C93FC9}\0000\Mon11335587


Thus, if you don't have the sub-keys, that may be the issue.

The monitor specific number string is in;

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\DISPLAY\ACRAD74\5&28a7ccaa&0&11335587&04&00] and

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\DISPLAY\Default_Monitor\5&28a7ccaa&0&11335587&04&00]



Of course, your numbers will be different.
 
#10 ·
Well, here's the thing.

I can tell you what I have, and you can check what some buddies have, and you can look for some definitive answer (which neither of us doing any research could find, right?), or just;

1 - try to add the missing stuff that I said I have and gave you info on after checking some buddies registries also,

or

2 - reformat and reinstall.


Outside of that, I have no idea.


I'm just a Helper.

:)
 
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