True Colors??

shemightbedani · 02-23-2006, 04:21 PM

We have recently gotten a new computer with Windows XP, and the color settings are off. The only color options are Medium (16 bit) and Highest (32 bit), and it is set at Highest (32 bit). I know that our other computer that has Windows 2000 has a True Color option.

The colors are off, and the image quality is bad. Pictures look real grainy or compressed. How can I fix this??

**koala** · 02-23-2006, 04:37 PM

Hi, welcome to TSF.

True Color is only 24 bit, so Highest (32 bit) is your best option. What graphics card are you using and have you installed the latest drivers for it? What program are you using to view images?

If you mean images on webpages, go to Internet Options > Advanced tab > Multimedia and enable 'Smart image dithering'

shemightbedani · 02-24-2006, 10:46 AM

I just checked and the 'Smart image dithering' option was already checked.

I don't even know what a graphics card is, so I guess I don't have one

I've never had this problem before. What kind should I get?

The images and colors look bad on both webpages and on my desktop.

**koala** · 02-24-2006, 11:00 AM

The graphics card will either be a plugin card or an onboard chip on your motherboard. You will have one or the other, sometimes both. It controls what you see on your monitor.

The drivers control how well it works, how many colors can be displayed and the resolution. I wouldn't worry about not having a 24bit True Color option as 32bit is pretty much the same thing (it just uses slightly more memory). You usually find 24bit on older graphics cards. For example, mine is an ATI Radeon and only has 8/16/32bit options.

Go to Start > Run and type dxdiag, then go to the Display tab and post back with all the info under Device and Drivers.

shemightbedani · 02-25-2006, 03:25 PM

Device:

Name: RADEON X300 SE 128 MB HyperMemory
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip Type: RADEON X300 SE (0x5B60)
DAC Type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Approx. Total Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Display Mode: 1024 x768 (32 bit) (75Hz)
Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor

Drivers:

Main Driver: ati2dvag.dll
Version: 6.14.0010.6561 (English)
Date: 8/4/2005 04:10:38
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
VDD: n/a
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)

elf · 02-25-2006, 04:10 PM

Like koala said its not the color depth; 32bit color is as good as it gets, unless you have High Def. However, you have a pretty new card also, and have probably never updated the drivers. The newest versions can be found HERE

Just save that file to your hard drive and run it when the download finishes and it will automatically install the driver. Reboot and see if anything is better.

shemightbedani · 02-25-2006, 05:16 PM

I did that and everything still looks the same.

**koala** · 02-25-2006, 07:17 PM

Can you post a screenshot to give us a better idea of what the problem is?

Press the PrintScreen button on your keyboard to capture an image of your screen, paste the image into Paint or any image editor, save it and then click the Manage Attachments button when you reply.

shemightbedani · 02-26-2006, 12:02 PM

Here are some. The first two are just photos I've had uploaded. You can really tell how grainy they look.

**oshwyn5** · 02-26-2006, 12:39 PM

http://www.ati.com/

Click drivers and software on the bar
Select your OS (XP?)

Click on the Windows XP drivers and software and get the latest drivers for your video card.

peterdiva · 02-26-2006, 12:45 PM

The baby photo is in gif format, which is a low quality format,not good for photos.

The dog photo looks ok,it's in jpg format (I think wolves are supposed to look like that).

The website looks like it was designed by someone with flaming lips, not a very good example, it looks the same on mine. Also, from those shots IE looks to be running in 32 bit colour.

02-23-2006, 04:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
shemightbedani Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	True Colors?? We have recently gotten a new computer with Windows XP, and the color settings are off. The only color options are Medium (16 bit) and Highest (32 bit), and it is set at Highest (32 bit). I know that our other computer that has Windows 2000 has a True Color option. The colors are off, and the image quality is bad. Pictures look real grainy or compressed. How can I fix this??

02-23-2006, 04:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,813 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Hi, welcome to TSF. True Color is only 24 bit, so Highest (32 bit) is your best option. What graphics card are you using and have you installed the latest drivers for it? What program are you using to view images? If you mean images on webpages, go to Internet Options > Advanced tab > Multimedia and enable 'Smart image dithering' __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here TSF Articles - Tech Handbook Last edited by koala; 02-23-2006 at 04:42 PM.

02-24-2006, 11:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,813 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	The graphics card will either be a plugin card or an onboard chip on your motherboard. You will have one or the other, sometimes both. It controls what you see on your monitor. The drivers control how well it works, how many colors can be displayed and the resolution. I wouldn't worry about not having a 24bit True Color option as 32bit is pretty much the same thing (it just uses slightly more memory). You usually find 24bit on older graphics cards. For example, mine is an ATI Radeon and only has 8/16/32bit options. Go to Start > Run and type dxdiag, then go to the Display tab and post back with all the info under Device and Drivers. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here TSF Articles - Tech Handbook

02-25-2006, 04:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
elf Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN or Austin, TX depending Posts: 7,075 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 and Windows 7 My System	Like koala said its not the color depth; 32bit color is as good as it gets, unless you have High Def. However, you have a pretty new card also, and have probably never updated the drivers. The newest versions can be found HERE Just save that file to your hard drive and run it when the download finishes and it will automatically install the driver. Reboot and see if anything is better. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! I do not subscribe to threads, so if I stop replying, PM me with a link to your thread so I can find it again.

02-25-2006, 07:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,813 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Can you post a screenshot to give us a better idea of what the problem is? Press the PrintScreen button on your keyboard to capture an image of your screen, paste the image into Paint or any image editor, save it and then click the Manage Attachments button when you reply. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here TSF Articles - Tech Handbook

02-24-2006, 10:46 AM	#3 (permalink)
shemightbedani Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	I just checked and the 'Smart image dithering' option was already checked. I don't even know what a graphics card is, so I guess I don't have one I've never had this problem before. What kind should I get? The images and colors look bad on both webpages and on my desktop.

02-25-2006, 03:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
shemightbedani Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	Device: Name: RADEON X300 SE 128 MB HyperMemory Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc. Chip Type: RADEON X300 SE (0x5B60) DAC Type: Internal DAC(400MHz) Approx. Total Memory: 128.0 MB Current Display Mode: 1024 x768 (32 bit) (75Hz) Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor Drivers: Main Driver: ati2dvag.dll Version: 6.14.0010.6561 (English) Date: 8/4/2005 04:10:38 WHQL Logo'd: Yes Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys VDD: n/a DDI Version: 9 (or higher)

02-25-2006, 05:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
shemightbedani Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5 OS: Windows XP	I did that and everything still looks the same.

02-26-2006, 12:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
oshwyn5 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Dallas , Tx Posts: 1,433 OS: DOS,Win95,98,ME,XP, Fedora	http://www.ati.com/ Click drivers and software on the bar Select your OS (XP?) Click on the Windows XP drivers and software and get the latest drivers for your video card. __________________ Hello and Welcome to TSF My name is Pete but call me Oshwyn Click here for the five steps for Malware Removal If we have been of assistance please consider Donating to TSF to keep the forum running.

02-26-2006, 12:45 PM	#11 (permalink)
peterdiva Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Western Australia Posts: 455 OS: WinXP	The baby photo is in gif format, which is a low quality format,not good for photos. The dog photo looks ok,it's in jpg format (I think wolves are supposed to look like that). The website looks like it was designed by someone with flaming lips, not a very good example, it looks the same on mine. Also, from those shots IE looks to be running in 32 bit colour.