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Windows Forum / Windows Me / General Topics / June 2005Display monitor COLOR gone CRAZY!
Hi, I hope someone out there can help me! I noticed the other day that my monior color suddenly changed. I saw the color of my wallpaper dramatically darken and I now have an awful gray shadow, gray horizontal lines running across my screen, and a strange discoloration of everything that is displayed on my monitor screen. At that time, I tried changing the color display settings but this was to no avail. I basically tried everything I could thnk of to fix the problem but nothing worked. I thought my monitor was breaking down, so I foolishly ordered a new Dell monitor and after throwing out my old monitor and hooking up the new one the problem still persists. I again attempted to reinstall my display driver but that did nothing, then I tried readjusting the display pixels, but that didn't work either. I then uninstalled and REinstalled my video driver, but that did not work. I did an update driver search but could find none for my Windows ME operating system. I scanned my disk for errors, I did a registry fix for errors, I did a system restore, I did a disk defragmenter, rechecked my monitor settings, rechecked my pixel settings, checked my advanced display settings, etc.; nevertheless, nothing is working to remedy the problem. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SOMEONE OUT THERE TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY MONITOR DISPLAY! Thank you, Shani S. Boot into the Safe Mode........there you will be using simple VGA and, although, icons and such will be much larger with less detail, the color should be about right. See if the gray lines, etc. still exist. If not, suspect your video card. There is a slim chance it could be your monitor's cable (if your new one did not come with one), but, I would lean toward your video card. If you have 'on board' video and a vacant PCI slot, you can add a video card and probably cure the issue. You may have to consult your motherboard documentation to see if there is something to disable the onboard video or maybe something in the BIOS. Being a Dell, you probably have a vacant PCI expansion slot and onboard video. Consult Dell's website for your particular model.......hopefully, they will have the info you need. There are some free tools available that can provide info about your machine, such as: Everest, SiSoft Sandra and Belarc Advisor..........good to have on hand, in any case. I'm not one of the gurus, so, you may want to wait for confirmation, but, I believe the above to be true. Heirloom, old and happened to me > Hi, I hope someone out there can help me! > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Thank you, > Shani S. Hi Heirloom, Thanks for the info. :) As you suggested, I booted to "Safe Mode," and to my surprise the gray lines are still there. Besides my video card, what else do you think the problem could be? This is driving me crazy.......Grrrrrrr Thanks, Shani > Boot into the Safe Mode........there you will be using simple VGA and, > although, icons and such will be much larger with less detail, the color [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > Thank you, > > Shani S. It's looking like a faulty video card, but just to completely eliminate (or otherwise) WinMe from being involved with the problem, boot into Real Mode DOS by using your WinMe Startup (floppy) Disk and letting it continue until the 'white text on blue background' Help pages appear. Scroll up and down using the arrow keys and look to see if you still get the gray shadow and horizontal lines. If so, then you've proved WinMe not to be the cause, nor anything on your hard drive! Depending on the above result AND from your previous responses, then as Heirloom implied, the video card is certainly looking like the prime suspect - but you should substitute your video cable first, just to be sure. Mart > Hi Heirloom, > [quoted text clipped - 77 lines] >> > Thank you, >> > Shani S. Hi Mart, I did as you said, and sure enough I am seeing the gray lines while viewing my WinME start-up disc. I guess a new Video Card is the solution! :( Thanks for everyone's help. Shani > It's looking like a faulty video card, but just to completely eliminate (or > otherwise) WinMe from being involved with the problem, boot into Real Mode [quoted text clipped - 93 lines] > >> > Thank you, > >> > Shani S. Shani, As you did not mention your particular model of Dell machine, there remains the possibility that you may have 'onboard' video.......in essence, the video card is part of your motherboard. This will necessitate having a vacant PCI expansion slot or an AGP slot for a new video card, plus, disabling the onboard video......not sure if this would be done by a strap or switch on your motherboard or through the BIOS or both. If you are unsure, post the model and any specifics about your machine and someone will help you get what you need. You should also take into consideration the output of your power supply. My old Me box has a 250w power supply and it was determined that I should not get a video card beyond 32Meg, due to power consumption. As my previous card was a 16Meg, there was a noticeable difference going to the 32Meg, especially when dealing with graphics intensive programs. Heirloom, old and been there > Hi Mart, > [quoted text clipped - 126 lines] >> >> > Thank you, >> >> > Shani S. HL wrote :- > ..... there remains the possibility that you may have 'onboard' video Fair point HL - Shani should confirm that all the (video) hardware on the PC has been accounted for and is 'correctly' installed. Mart Shani, just a reminder to check your video cable first - bent pin or damaged wire within the cable etc. Try 'turning the cable around' end-to-end to see if it makes any difference BEFORE you replace your video card. Good luck. Mart > Hi Mart, > [quoted text clipped - 126 lines] >> >> > Thank you, >> >> > Shani S. Good work, Mart..........I do believe we have this one nailed down. I am curious about her Dell model and if it has onboard video. None of my few machines have had that and, as I understand, it may need to be disabled on the motherboard or the Bios or both.........is that correct?? If she'll send her model/year, I bet we can find out. She really could use SiSoft Sandra, or the like........it would tell us a lot. Heirloom, old and 'bout supper time > Shani, just a reminder to check your video cable first - bent pin or > damaged wire within the cable etc. Try 'turning the cable around' [quoted text clipped - 143 lines] >>> >> > Thank you, >>> >> > Shani S. Oh my God, you guys are scaring me! LOL I just ordered a new DELL Video Card. I ordered the same one I started with, which is the 32bit Graphics Card. Here is my system information. I have NO idea what you guys are talking about as far as the mother board, etc. Please tell me the NEW Video Card will suffice! YIKES!!! :( ---------------------------------------------------------------- SYSTEM INFORMATION: OS Name Microsoft Windows Version 4.90.3000 Build 3000 OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation System Name NONE System Manufacturer Dell Computer Corporation System Model XPS-Z System Type X86-based PC Processor Pentium(r) III processor GenuineIntel ~1000 Mhz BIOS Version Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS Locale United States Time Zone Pacific Daylight Time Total Physical Memory 191.26 MB Available Physical Memory 176.00 KB Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB Available Virtual Memory 1.68 GB Page File Space 1.81 GB ================================================== Name 32MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX (Dell) Adapter Type Not Available Adapter Description NVIDIA Bits/Pixel -1 Memory Address 0xA0000-0xAFFFF Memory Address 0xB0000-0xBFFFF I/O Port 0x03B0-0x03BB I/O Port 0x03C0-0x03DF IRQ Channel IRQ 11 Memory Address 0xFD000000-0xFDFFFFFF Memory Address 0xE8000000-0xEFFFFFFF Memory Address 0xC0000-0xCA3FF Memory Address 0xFC900000-0xFE9FFFFF Driver c:\windows\system\vmm32.vxd (, 1,019.88 KB (1,044,352 bytes), Not Available) > Good work, Mart..........I do believe we have this one nailed down. I am > curious about her Dell model and if it has onboard video. None of my few [quoted text clipped - 151 lines] > >>> >> > Thank you, > >>> >> > Shani S. Nothing to be scared of, Shani. You did good. Seems your machine does, indeed, have a separate video card, 32MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX (Dell). It should have you fixed up after installation and you should have to do nothing more that replace the existing card with the new one. You probably could have gotten a much better deal, $$$ wise, by buying one from someplace other than Dell, but, this way you will be assured of compatibility. Just be sure to disconnect power to your CPU, properly ground yourself to the case and simply replace the card, making sure it is seated completely. Please let us know how it works out............... Heirloom, old and bet it works > Oh my God, you guys are scaring me! LOL > [quoted text clipped - 221 lines] >> >>> >> > Thank you, >> >>> >> > Shani S. PHEW...LOL Thanks Heirloom! My new card should be here in 2 days! I will let you guys know how it goes once I change it. :) Sincerely, Shani ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Nothing to be scared of, Shani. You did good. Seems your machine does, > indeed, have a separate video card, 32MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX (Dell). It [quoted text clipped - 232 lines] > >> >>> >> > Thank you, > >> >>> >> > Shani S. I would agree with Heirloom, Shani - and what's more you stated in your first post :- "I noticed the other day that my monior color suddenly changed." which suggests that you hadn't done anything else (like enable/disable on-board video, IF FITTED) therefore it appears to be 'a sudden component failure' - i.e. the video card! So, bear in mind HL's advice and let's hope the new card will resolve the issue. Mart > PHEW...LOL > [quoted text clipped - 282 lines] >> >> >>> >> > Thank you, >> >> >>> >> > Shani S. Hey Heirloom and Mart, Is this card compatible with my old one? The customer service girl from DELL sounded a little ditsy...LOL This is what I will be receivng: 1 1E200 Card,Video,nVIDIA,32M,NV15 2X32 Thanks again for all your advice and help! Shani ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > I would agree with Heirloom, Shani - and what's more you stated in your > first post :- [quoted text clipped - 294 lines] > >> >> >>> >> > Thank you, > >> >> >>> >> > Shani S. They are both 32Meg nVIDIA cards.......a Google search turned up a bunch of used Dell parts......the 1E200 nVIDIA card was amongst them, from $14.95 up. Can't be 100% sure it is the exact same card as you had, but, quite sure it will work just fine. As best I can tell it is a 4x AGP card, so, it will go in the brown slot.........same as your other one. Keep us posted. Heirloom, old and sure it will work > Hey Heirloom and Mart, > [quoted text clipped - 336 lines] >> >> >> >>> >> > Thank you, >> >> >> >>> >> > Shani S. Will do Heirloom! :) Byt he way, my Video Card is costing $129.00. :( However, I say better safe than sorry. :) Shani -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > They are both 32Meg nVIDIA cards.......a Google search turned up a bunch of > used Dell parts......the 1E200 nVIDIA card was amongst them, from $14.95 up. [quoted text clipped - 343 lines] > >> >> >> >>> >> > Thank you, > >> >> >> >>> >> > Shani S. Yikes! $129!!!! I need to run out and buy some Dell stock before your credit card is processed, <g>. The card I put in the old Me box was an ATI Radeon, 32Meg, and purchased locally.....it was only about $40, at the time. Oh well, at least you should have Dell's assurance of compatibility. Will be looking for your report on the results. Heirloom, old and made the moths in my wallet shudder > Will do Heirloom! :) > [quoted text clipped - 399 lines] >> >> >> >> >>> >> > Thank you, >> >> >> >> >>> >> > Shani S. > Yikes! $129!!!! I need to run out and buy some Dell stock before your > credit card is processed, <g>. The card I put in the old Me box was an ATI [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Heirloom, old and made the moths in my > wallet shudder Heh, me 2, but for most people the warranty/compatibility/tech-support is worth it. Rick >>Will do Heirloom! :) >> [quoted text clipped - 399 lines] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. I just thought of something that Shani should attempt before opening the new video card.........nobody has mentioned 'reseating' the video card. Shani, if you get this in time, try removing your existing video card and putting it back (reseating it). There is a slim possibility that you may just have a loose/corroded contact........it's worth a shot, especially for $129!! Of course, be sure to observe the proper procedures while doing so......disconnect power, ground yourself to the case (bare metal) before removing the card and while reseating it. If you have some 'canned air', this would be a good time to blow out the dust bunnies.....do this before removing the card. Be sure to shoot the fans and the power supply from the inside toward the outside. Heirloom, old and crossing fingers >> Yikes! $129!!!! I need to run out and buy some Dell stock before your >> credit card is processed, <g>. The card I put in the old Me box was an [quoted text clipped - 379 lines] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. Heirloom wrote :- > I just thought of something ... .... nobody has mentioned 'reseating' the > video card. Well, you certainly alluded to it in one of your previous posts HL :- > ... simply replace the card, making sure it is seated > completely. As did I - to a lesser extent - by suggesting that the video cable be reversed, which by the very action of disturbing the video card VGA connector, is often enough to affect any streaking caused by a loose/corroded PCI connector. However, perhaps by restating/clarifying the point, you've alerted Shani in good time, before opening the sealed package - thus allowing a return. Mart >I just thought of something that Shani should attempt before opening the >new video card.........nobody has mentioned 'reseating' the video card. [quoted text clipped - 404 lines] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. You're right, as usual, Mart. Looks as if I may have been a little redundant, but, what the 'hey'...........if it works for her, it is better than $129. That still makes me pucker. Heirloom, old and time for bed > Heirloom wrote :- > [quoted text clipped - 430 lines] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. Well, well, well, thanks guys for NOT reminding me to reset the video card before I paid for, received, and now installed my NEW VIDEO CARD! heheeeeeee :) Oh heck, it was worth it. My video screen looks so clear and pretty, I could just kiss it...YIPPY! If it wasn't for all your help, I'd probably still be trying to trouble shoot the problem! The $129.00 was worth it! With much thanks and gratitude, Shani > You're right, as usual, Mart. Looks as if I may have been a little > redundant, but, what the 'hey'...........if it works for her, it is better [quoted text clipped - 435 lines] > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. Hey Shani, I wrote that suggestion on the 25th.....you didn't have the card then!! Anyway, glad you got everything worked out. Congrats on a good job. Heirloom, old and now you need a big LCD monitor > Well, well, well, thanks guys for NOT reminding me to reset the video card > before I paid for, received, and now installed my NEW VIDEO CARD! [quoted text clipped - 510 lines] >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. Hi Shani, I'll 'ditto' HL's reply and, if your as satisfied with your new card as you appear to be, then all is well - and you have justified your efforts (and expense). Well done! Mart > Hey Shani, I wrote that suggestion on the 25th.....you didn't have the > card then!! Anyway, glad you got everything worked out. [quoted text clipped - 533 lines] >>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Thank you, >>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Shani S. |
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