Need Computer Help

ttmom

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Feel like a total doofus here since I work with computers, but I can't get this fixed. My monitor is being weird, but only with graduated colors. So anything that's cartoonish are just straight colors looks fine, but photos, etc., have these orange squiggly lines running through them making them look like terrain maps. Any ideas?
 

valanhb

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Ericka, is it possible that your color settings got changed? Forgive me if this is too basic, but I learned to always check the simplest, easiest solution first...

Go to your desktop, right click (just over the wallpaper, not on any icons) and choose Properties. Go to the Settings tab. If your computer graphics card is even just decent, you should have it set to Highest (32 bit) for the color quality. If it's sluggish when you change it, go down a setting.

Hope this helps!
 

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I agree. It sounds like your color settings got changed to 256 color mode.
 
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ttmom

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I have my screen resolution at 1024 by 768 pixels (hate the big stuff) and the color quality is at High (24 bit) and when I play around with it it resets it to Low (8 bit) where the pictures get fuzzy, but the orangey stuff is still there. If I go into advanced my adapter is NeoMagic MagicGraph 256ZX driver. I don't know if that's right or not because we got this PC from the Navy, anyhow, the mode is set to what is says above 1024 by 768, True Color (24 bit), 85 hertz. Any ideas if this is good or bad? I've tried to find updates, but Dell (that's what this is, an older Dell Latitude) doesn't have any available. I'm up for just about anything right now because I hate the orangey stuff. I've change my colors to black and white to get rid of most of it.
 

cirque

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Some monitors will only display certain resolutions as well. Although this is not directly related to your problem I thought I would mention it. My parents seem to have trouble grasping that 800x600 resolution shows a smaller "close up" view of the "desktop" area and if they would upgrade to a better video card/monitor they could see a "bigger" area at a higher resolution like 1280x1024 or higher. This lets them see a lot more of the area at once and not feel so "crowded". -- Of course with their eye sight getting worse.. stuff would seem a little smaller even though it would look crisper so maybe they couldn't see it as well. *chuckle*

But as for the problem above... everything mentioned so far sounds right.. after setting the colors and such you might have to reboot to have them take effect, depending on your settings. If all else fails, generally its recommended to reset your video drivers to standard VGA drivers, then reinstall the "proper" video driver for your specific video card/chips, then readjust your resolution and color depth (16/32bit).

Good luck!
 
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ttmom

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I just did a driver scan and it says my only bad drivers are:

Network adapters
D-Link Air DWL-650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter(rev.M) « Update Available!

IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers
Intel(r) 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller « Update Available!

Universal Serial Bus controllers
Intel(r) 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller « Update Available!
 
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ttmom

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I think it's Windows XP in combination with the video driver. Even though it was working before. Either that or my monitor is dying. I hope it's not the second. Thanks guys!
 

cirque

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Originally Posted by TTMom

I think it's Windows XP in combination with the video driver. Even though it was working before. Either that or my monitor is dying. I hope it's not the second. Thanks guys!
If changing the video mode and rebooting doesnt help, uninstall your video driver, reboot, and reinstall the newest for your brand of video card, then reset the video mode to 24 or 32 bit color quality. It should be all fixed.
 

cheeseface

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Originally Posted by TTMom
I think it's Windows XP in combination with the video driver. Even though it was working before. Either that or my monitor is dying. I hope it's not the second. Thanks guys!
I think you are right. I think that card is only supported as far back as Windows 2000.
 

cirque

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http://www.video-drivers.com/compani...hx=9&bng=7&o=5

Heres some for WinXP but NOT exactly for that direct model of video card.
IF you try them.. be careful! It is always risky to install drivers not ment for your video card!!!! You COULD damage it!!

Personally I would search the web until I found mention of someone with XP and that card using other drivers and then give that a try ONLY if I was out of all other options. I did notice already that your video card company got out of the video card driver business.. and left you hanging... not cool!

Installing the latest Service Packs and DirectX for WinXP could also affect how your Computer sees what type of video card you have as well. It might help or it might hurt considering its older. In some cases though, newer drivers are backwords compitable. Its pretty much a gamble.. maybe time to upgrade video cards?
 
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ttmom

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Yeah, even though it was working before the uninstall and install didn't work (even though it specified the driver was supposed to work with Windows XP). *sigh* I guess I was lucky I got 5 months out of it, eh?
 
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