reinstalled windows 98, now can't get more than 2 or 16 colours!!

[mcbemused]

Hi, can anyone help with a video card problem? I upgraded the harddrive on the desktop (which is only used for games), now cannot get it to run with more than 16 colours! I formatted the new drive and reinstalled windows 98 on it.

I have tried every combination of drivers etc. to no avail. If I try installing super VGA 1280 x 1024 (the setting it was on HDD upgrade) windows tells me it is not compatible with my hardware and refuses to accept the changes!

It worked before - no hardware other than HDD has changed - have same graphics card, same motherboard etc. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong please?

[Miz]

You'll need the drivers for whatever video card is in the computer. While some drivers are packed inside Windows 98, it's apparent the ones for your video card are not.

Look through the disks that came with the computer to see if there's one for "video adapter" or "graphics card" or something similar. If so, use it to install the drivers.

Otherwise, you'll need to know the model and make of the video card in order to go to the card manufacturer's website and download the correct drivers.

[raybay]

Look carefully at the front and back of the card for digits... a combination of numbers and letters... they will be a model number or reference number.

Then look at the big chip on the front of the card, and jot down the numbers and letters on the first two rows. If covered with a fan, try to dislodge the fan with the oily glue remover. Re-glue it when done.

Enter those numbers into a Google search which will give you a good idea of the brand and model.

You can then go to www.driverguide. and register free do download what you need, if you don't find them on the manufacturer's web site. Note that the drivers are different depending on whether you are going to use W98SE, WMe (sometimes different than W98 but rarely) Windows 2000, and Windows XP

If using Windows 2000 or Windows XP as your operating system, it will detect the brand and model of most cards when it begins to boot. You can read the result in the BIOS, then you don't need to do the other research.

[DELTREE]

What I use to do is go to WINDOWS UPDATE and download ALL the critical updates from the bottom up; it worked for me!http://bestsmileys.com/happy/3.gif

[raybay]

The likely cause, since it worked once before, and would not take a Windows Update, is the card has reached the end of its useful product life... failed. Games are so very hard on video cards.

[DELTREE]

I formatted the new drive and reinstalled windows 98 on it.
This is what I am looking at, for you don't have the updates on it.
Try it! you maybe supprised

[raybay]

Different strokes for different folks.

[jtdoom]

first of all, welcome.

lets find out what you got

VIDEOCARD DETECT

If you cannot identify your video card, you can run the following without opening the case to get an idea of the manufacturer and make:

1. From a DOS prompt, Win 3.x, Win9x, WinNT, or Win2K command prompt type DEBUG and press Enter.

2. A single dash will appear at which point type DC000:35 and then press Enter (DC000:50 may also work for newer cards).

3. You may need to type D at the second dash and press Enter for all of the information to appear.

You can type D more than once to see more info appear.

4. Q to exit

this info can be gotten without opening the case, and can be used to find the driver on the net.

[raybay]

Be aware that you may get as many as 20 to 30 rows of code that you may not understand unless you have dealt with many parts of program language or debug code.
Your video card will most likely be posted on the right end of each of several row, and may it may take as few as two or as many as five rows for all relevant information to be detailed. It will usually be only the last section of each row that will be relevant.
As Jaak notes, this is for W9x thru W2K... and does not work for WXP.

[jtdoom]

raybay, the info comes up in readable txt, at right hand side.

[jtdoom]

hehehe, I just tried it in XP

even in XP, in a cmd window, it still works...