Cant change video settings in WIN98.

inquiring

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I run WIN98 on my desktop and am unable to change the video setting from 16 color at 640x480. When I select 800x600 and 16 bit color for example and then restart my box, the video settings return to 640x480 at 16 colors. How can I remedy this?
Thank you.
 

Toejam31

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What video card do you have, and what driver have you installed for the card?

Toey

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Toejam31

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Thanks for trying, but that doesn't really tell me much. I'll assume that the video card is integrated on the mainboard, but even that is just a hunch, based on your response.

If the system is proprietary (Dell, Gateway, etc), accessing the web site of the computer manufacturer that created the system and entering your system serial number should bring you to a support page that has access to the drivers for your computer, including one for your video card and chipset. Installing the chipset drivers and then the video card driver should allow you to reach higher resolutions with 16-24 bit color.

I occasionally use <A HREF="http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html" target="_new">Belarc Advisor</A> to discover the serial number for a system, if it is not printed and attached somewhere on the case.

At the moment, I'd also have to assume that the reason you can't change resolutions and color depth is because the system is using a standard VGA adapter, and the default driver that is furnished for this purpose by Microsoft.

However ...

That may not be the case.

In Win9x, unfortunately, it is often necessary to first install the standard VGA adapter under Add/Remove Hardware, and once this is in place, after a reboot, then the actual video card drivers can be installed, and the video card identified. Another reboot, and the display properties can be altered to your taste, within the hardware limitations.

A good indication that the drivers have been accepted and installed in Win98 is a request for a reboot from the system.

But ... you also got some good advice from 4ryan6. If all you've have is an integrated card, and one that shares the physical memory, an upgrade might certainly be worth considering, especially if you have an open AGP slot. Integrated graphics on older boards are nothing to shout about, and even a fairly cheap video card can give you richer, more vibrant colors, clearer fonts, and the ability to play a game slightly more demanding than Solitaire. Faster cards, with their own dedicated memory will also speed up the system to a certain degree, and free up memory that could otherwise be used for applications.

Note: Integrated graphics cards must be disabled in the BIOS before a new card can be installed.

A thought ...

You <i>are</i> booting up into Windows, and not into Safe Mode, each time you start the system ... right?

Toey

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Crashman

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Integrated video? Reinstall the chipset driver. The video driver might be a separate package included with the chipset driver.

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