Monitor Display And Icons...help!

[jingjingna]

I know zilch about computers so any pointers in solving this problem much appreciated.

Switched the pc on this morning and suddenly all the colours are distorted ( the display is just a series of dots!) the icons are twice the size they normally are as well and I have no idea why?

Anyone have any ideas as to why this has happened and is there anything I can do to remedy the problem?? Help!

[Explorer]

go to

start > control panel > appearance and themes > change screen resolution > settings

adjust your screen resolution from there,

hope this help, if not the experts here will tell you what to do

Explorer

[jingjingna]

I am running Windows ME if this helps anyone when instructing me on what to do...

[sniffdog]

-Right-click on your desktop.

-Select 'Properties'

-Select the 'Settings' Tab

-Change the screen resolution.

-(Optional) Restart your system

(To reset your video card)

This works on all Windows OS systems.

[bino]

Just a suggestion- Ihad a similar problem once that drove me crazy as I tried all the "technical stuff" - settings / drivers with no avail.

Check your monitor cable- from the PC to the monitor. Unplug and reconnect it, make sure that the "screws" to hold it in place are tight. If it has worked itself loose over time you may be losing signal to the monitor.

This might or might not solve your problem- worth a try.

Hope this helps.

[jingjingna]

Sniffdog,

I did what you said to a point but when it came to adjusting the resolution there was a bar regarding colour which was labelled "less" or "more"...it is set on less but whenI tried to move it to more I couldn't. Any ideas? It is set at 640 x 480 and had been working for the last few years on these settings.

I also tried re-connecting the cables but it didn't make any difference.

Thanks to everyone so far for posting some possible solutions!

It's driving me up the wall! HELP!!

[sniffdog]

Maybe something wrong with your video card driver. If you really used 640x480 (which was the standard about 10 years ago), you perhaps should look into buying a new (cheap) videocard.

Or install the driver of your videocard again. I am not sure what kind of video slot you have (AGP or PCI), but working at 640x480 is out of 'fashion.'

[jingjingna]

Sniffdog,

I didn't buy this machine and even if I had, it wouldn't have made much difference tbh! I am a complete nonce when it comes down to 'how to fix' a problem. Like i said previously, have been using the same pc with no probs until yesterday!

How much do you think a new video card will cost to buy and have installed? Myself, I am thinking about just putting this one to rest and buying a new one but I don't really want to at this point in time.

Thanks 4 all your help so far!

[waldwolf]

I am running Windows ME if this helps anyone when instructing me on what to do...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

jingjingna - Unfortunately, ME has a lot of problems which even MIcrosoft can't explain, let alone fix. ME seems to have a mind of it's own. (To preserve your sanity, most professionals will advise you to revert back to Windows98/98SE or move forward to XP.)

However, before you run out and spend a lot of money for new hardware, would suggest you continue your search for help. It's a great way to gain confidence and technical knowledge. Your only initial expenditure will be time, patience and a little sanity.

I assume your system basically consists of a desktop tower and CRT monitor vs. a laptop or a desktop with LED monitor.

OK...A couple of thoughts, before I drop a ton of reading on you.

(1) Your 640x480 display setting, by default, will show larger "everythings". The internet display "standard" is 800x600 pixels. You may wish to consider changing this setting. (If larger buttons, icons, fonts, etc. are needed, refer to the "Accessibility Wizard" in Program Files.)

(2) Check your display settings (START>SETTINGS>CONTROL PANEL>DISPLAY) and click on "Effects" tab. Make sure "Use Large Icons" is unchecked.

(3) Review your Windows Me Accessibility Resources to see if any changes were made. (Check here for details.)

(4) Have you tried ME's built-in "System Restore" utility? (Check here for details.)

(5) Have you considered updating the OS to WindowsXP? (Check system requirements here)

OK....now for some dedicated reading.

a. Go to this Microsoft Knowledgebase website, type your problem in the window shown and review documents found.

No answer found?

b. Find a thick pillow and place same under your bum. Now, go to the usernet website here, where you'll currently find 17,517 Q&A's on ME problems.

After reading through all of the above .......I'd be willing to bet you'd gladly pay the "going" price for another Windows OS, like XP.

Seriously, I hope the above helps a little.

cheers

[slimdog]

I had a similar problem on my kids computer.

To solve I went into control Panel and then Display then click on Settings

Found that in the Colours Section (Bottom Left hand side), it was set to"256 Colours". Changed it to 24 bit and it sorted itself out.

Hope this helps

[Abandon]

maybe the computer has a damaged boot section or somthing that is making it start up in safe mode - that's the only reason I can think of that explans why the resolution cannot be changed back to normal.

Anyway - it does not sound like a terribly serius problem but the OP will need to take the computer to a friend or to a computer store to fix. Should be easy to fix though . Good Luck

[jingjingna]

I have tried most of the above, the system cannot successfully restore the settings and I am running out of patience. Will take the hard drive to a man who can to get the problem sorted. Thanks for all your advice!

[sniffdog]

Take your computer under your arm and walk to any shop at Pantip Plaza.

Ask the guy what's the matter with it and how much will it cost. It is certain you won't fix your problem by reading any more posts in this thread.

A new videocard will set you back anything between 1,000-3,000. Make sure you get the right card. As I said, take your computer with you.

[Thetyim]

May I make a suggestion

[asianladiesonly]

May I make a suggestion

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>