wobblescat

previous to today my monitor worked just fine, then my whole system took a crap i did a system restore to 3 days ago which fixed all my problem exceptit still says my monitor adaptor isn't configured properly, i used the stupid wizard thing bu it says the best adaptor is alreadyy in use, i have a flat screen lcd monitor made by sharp but mt computer will only display inn 16 color , i already tried the adaptor settings and refresh rate and that did noth please help ASAP

OldGrayGary

Hi wobblescat


If the video card has changed since the restore/recovery disk/file was created, you will still need to find and install a good video driver (I doubt that the problem lies with the monitor - though you could find and install an "inf" file for your monitor from it's manufacturer's website if you'd like ... most monitors are "Plug & Play" compliant nowadays & don't need "inf" files).

If you aren't sure what video chip/card is in your system, you can let a hardware detection program such as Everest Home Edition try to detect it. There is a free version still available for download over at PC World's site --- http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/fil...1/reviews.html ---

Once Everest detects the video, go to the manufacturer's website & get a matching Windows 98 driver.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

wobblescat

i can tell the card and driver and all that and even now when i'vr uninstalled it andre installed it as plug and play it still picks the wrong adapter and i can't find on the web anywhere what one i should be using, under advanced settings i can change the adapter from a pretty big list but still none of them work like the first time i plugged it into this comp. they'ere all 16 color crap. it's driving me nuts

OldGrayGary

Hi again


You mention running a restore procedure: what program or process did you use? Is your PC running Windows Me? (Windows Me is the only 'Win9x/Me' version that contains the built-in utility called "System Restore").

Another thing to check: does your system have two video adapters? (one "onboard" and one add-on card). If so, and you wish to use an add-on card rather than the onboard video built into the motherboard, you might need to disable the onboard video in your Bios Setup.

Having a display limited to 16 colors almost always is a driver issue.

If you are completely certain what card is in your system, visit the manufacturer's website & download an exact-match driver for your card & for the version of Windows you are running. Otherwise, run Everest & it wll detect the video for you. (or post what Everest finds here, and we'll help you find a driver).

Before trying a new driver, remove all other video drivers. Look in Add/Remove programs for any software related to your card (ATi, Nvidia, Intel, etc.). Then boot into Safe Mode (start tapping the F8 key while the PC is powering on & select Safe Mode from the menu), go to Device Manager (right-click "My Computer", select "Properties", [then "Hardware" if WinMe], then "Device Manager) --- and remove all adapters listed in the "Display adapters" category (the exact wording might vary - I don't have a Win9x/Me system with me at the moment). If you have downloaded a new driver at that point, you can try installing it from Safe Mode, or wait until rebooted normally (some drivers install fine in Safe Mode, some don't).

Best of luck
. . . Gary

wobblescat

well everest tells me my standard PCI graphics adapter VGA driver is bad but how can i reinstall it or download a new free one?

OldGrayGary

Hi again


The "Standard PCI VGA driver" is simply a generic driver that Windows uses when you don't have drivers (or at least: the correct drivers) installed for the display adapter in your system.

Was there no mention in the Everest log of the actual physical adapter detected? It should start with the name of a known manufacturer - such as Ati, nVidia, Matrox, S3, Intel, Cirrus ...

If your PC is a major-brand computer, you should also be able to look up its specifications online. If you'd like, post the make/model of your PC, and we'll help you locate a matching driver.

Drivers are nearly always free. If you end up on a site that attempts to charge for drivers, you may well be on a 'scam' website.

Remember, as I mentioned earlier, that you'll need to remove the current and previous drivers before you install the new.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[P.S. ... If you are technicallly minded, you also have the option of taking antistatic precautions, opening up your PC case, and inspecting the video card or chip --- they often have markings or labels that help identify the make/model.]