Windows 95/98 forum: colour problems.

That's an easy one. You not only need to install the original Windows 98, but also the original drivers that were supplied with the computer when it was new. Unless, of course, a new video card was installed on it somewhere in the past ten years. Then you install the drivers that came with that new card.

Kees

Not really clear.

I would have expected that the Unika reinstallation disk contained everything needed, including Windows, and the (Biostar) chipset for the Intel mainbord and all other drivers. But you said you reinstalled Windows from the Windows CD that came with the PC. So it's not clear what's on the Unika reinstallation disk.

If fact, it's not even clear if you have 'onboard video' (meaning: on the motherboard, and then the biostar CD seems the disk to use) or a separate videocard (then the driver might be on the reinstallation disk, or you might have lost it).

If you can't get it working yourself, see if somebody (family?) more computer-savvy can do it for you. If they can't either, your options are to find a repair shop to do it or to take the big step and buy a new PC. A PC that came with Windows 98 surely is old by now.

Kees

Hey Butchbutler,

I wish you would have come here BEFORE you reloaded
Windows. It's totally unnecessary. I'm a bit confused
when you say that it went into safe mode. You can't
be in Windows normal mode and have it switch. Something can happen when your in normal mode and then when you reboot it restarts in safe mode. Is
that how it happened to you? Is the machine now
running in normal mode and stuck at 16 color? As a
general rule there two things that cause your problem. Either you or your "Plug and Pray system
selected the wrong monitor and/or the wrong video
card. So lets look and see how your Device Drivers
are or aren't loaded. Start "Control Panel" Find the
"System" icon. (it's a Monitor sitting on a keyboard
with a mouse on the right side) Double click your
mouse on it. That starts "System Properties" There
are 4 tabs at the top. Select the "Device Manager"
tab. Now your looking at all of the installed device
drivers. The right ones and the wrong ones. If there
are any yellow exclamation marks, those are the wrong
or no device driver installed for the device
function that it's next to. I'm going to stop here
and let you go do all of the above. Then get back
to me with the results. Then I'll know where to take
you from there, Ok? And whatever you do don't feel dumb. Trust me, we were all where you are, once upon
a time.

Wes_V

Because you did the big no no when you reinstalled Windows you lost any and
all of the Microsoft security updates. Although Microsoft will still scan
your machine and list the updates, they no longer supply them. So your dead
in the water from Uncle Bill. I'm thinking, if you live somewhere close
I'll be more than happy to fix it for the wife. I have all of those updates
and I can fix win 98 in my sleep. And I'll do it just for kicks. I am in
Claremont, California, where are you at? All you would need to pay for is
the shipping to and fro then we're home free. I'm a retired electronics
design engineer with more years of experience than I care to remember.

What do you think about my offer? should only take me a couple of days.
If I don't have everything that it needs then what it needs was never
made. I'm an old guy and live alone. My house is wall to wall old computers.

The first computer I bought was a Dell 386, and it was the last one I bought
from a vendor. Everything after the first one I built my self. Me I trust, it's
the rest of the world I worry about. Let me know what you want to do.

Wes

It well be long and slow but we can get there. We can do some things to
repair Windows by working from DOS. That's why I still use Win 98, it was
the last version of Windows that supported DOS at the DOS level. I should
have guessed about your location from the way you spell colour/color. One
of those differences between English english and American english. Before
we go forward, tell me as much as you can think of about yous machine.
Specs and things like hard drive size, does it have a 3 1/2" floppy drive
and maybe a CDrom drive. Does the mouse and key board use PS2 or DIN
connectors? All that kind of info. It will also be easier and faster if we
use e-mail to e-mail and leave C-net out of the loop, if that's Ok with
you.

Wes

Note: This post was edited by forum moderator to remove exposed email address - the forum PM system is safer on 04/09/2011 on 9:14 AM PT

Thanks John, I don't know where my head was. The reason for
giving him the e-mail address and for bypassing CNET is the
complexity, time required and the amount of software that I
will need to send him. I have all of the Microsoft security
updates that he needs and Microsoft stopped supporting.

I didn't think everyone on the forum will want to monitor the
number of exchanges that it's going to take to get his machine
going again. I also don't know if there is a way to send him the
software through CNET. Might you have a suggestion as to how we
two could connect so as to avoid clogging up CNET?

Oh yes, while I'm at it, is there a method to not receive e-mail
notifications of my posts and my replies to posts of others and
continue to receive them for posts made by others and their answers
to mine?

Thanks again,

Wes