Computer

OK, some parts were changed, huh? Would one of those parts have been your video card?

And while we're at it, what Operating System and version are you using, what browser and version are you using, and do you know much more about your machine than where its power switch is? Not being mean, here ... just wanna know how best to go about helping you.

0 Replies

Hi thanks for your reply..I had better say up front that I am not very familiar with my Windows M E....I do the defragging and Virus scanning regularly....I have an IBM MOUSE....is that the browser ? YES they did change the sound card and I have an Audio Excel AV51X series V.2.E

I phoned them back a couple of times about the different size and they said they could not do better......I was just so glad to get back my puter that I did not pursue it....It seems to me that the info at the top is much wider...I mean the file edit tools etc.........then the back refresh search etc ..I did discover how to reduce these but then I cant use the delete and create mail on my Outlook Express I even changed that around so that it is side by side and not one on top of the other..to enable me to read more of the E mails I get.... thats all I can think of right now
Gee

0 Replies

Well, we're getting somewhere. We're not there yet. I gather yours is a desktop, not a laptop,and that your operating system is Windows ME ... am I right so far? What is the make and model of your computer?

A browser is the application you use to view the internet ... Internet Explorer and Netscape are the most common ones. To figure out which you're using, find the toolbar up on top, click "Help", then click "About".

Normally, to reset screen resolution you right-click anywhere in an empty portion of your desktop ... the display you see when your computer boots up,before you open anything. When you right-click, select "Properties" down at the bottom of the option box. Then click "Settings". There you should be able to adjust your color depth and screensize.

From what you've said, you've tried to resize but can't, it sounds as though it could be that your machine is booting into "Safemode". Try this:

Start>Run>type "msconfig" (without the quotes) into the dialog box>OK

on the "General" Tab, which should be the first one, click "Normal Startup -load all device drivers and software" if it is not already clicked. Thay should be the first option, right at the top of the list. Click OK. You'll be prompted to reboot. Go ahead and do it, and see what happens. If your machine was booting into safemode, it should now boot normally, and you should be able to adjust your display settings.

If that helps, lemme know, and we can work on weeding out your unneeded startup items (there are prolly lots of 'em)

0 Replies

timberlandko wrote:

Well, we're getting somewhere. We're not there yet. I gather yours is a desktop, not a laptop,and that your operating system is Windows ME ... am I right so far? What is the make and model of your computer?

A browser is the application you use to view the internet ... Internet Explorer and Netscape are the most common ones. To figure out which you're using, find the toolbar up on top, click "Help", then click "About".

Normally, to reset screen resolution you right-click anywhere in an empty portion of your desktop ... the display you see when your computer boots up,before you open anything. When you right-click, select "Properties" down at the bottom of the option box. Then click "Settings". There you should be able to adjust your color depth and screensize.

From what you've said, you've tried to resize but can't, it sounds as though it could be that your machine is booting into "Safemode". Try this:

Start>Run>type "msconfig" (without the quotes) into the dialog box>OK

on the "General" Tab, which should be the first one, click "Normal Startup -load all device drivers and software" if it is not already clicked. Thay should be the first option, right at the top of the list. Click OK. You'll be prompted to reboot. Go ahead and do it, and see what happens. If your machine was booting into safemode, it should now boot normally, and you should be able to adjust your display settings.

If that helps, lemme know, and we can work on weeding out your unneeded startup items (there are prolly lots of 'em)

OK it was clicked,but to make sure i unclicked,clicked again and rebooted....went to the pixels again and its the same, the only change ,to 800 is way too small..My Browser is Internet Explorer, though I do like to search on Google..My computer was IBM but I dont know if it changed because I have a different Tower now ..it used to say Intel Inside now its USB.Start up ,yes thats another prob I get sometimes the items in the tool bar dont appear it freezes and I have to reboot.

0 Replies

Gee wrote:

timberlandko wrote:
Well, we're getting somewhere. We're not there yet. I gather yours is a desktop, not a laptop,and that your operating system is Windows ME ... am I right so far? What is the make and model of your computer?

A browser is the application you use to view the internet ... Internet Explorer and Netscape are the most common ones. To figure out which you're using, find the toolbar up on top, click "Help", then click "About".

Normally, to reset screen resolution you right-click anywhere in an empty portion of your desktop ... the display you see when your computer boots up,before you open anything. When you right-click, select "Properties" down at the bottom of the option box. Then click "Settings". There you should be able to adjust your color depth and screensize.

From what you've said, you've tried to resize but can't, it sounds as though it could be that your machine is booting into "Safemode". Try this:

Start>Run>type "msconfig" (without the quotes) into the dialog box>OK

on the "General" Tab, which should be the first one, click "Normal Startup -load all device drivers and software" if it is not already clicked. Thay should be the first option, right at the top of the list. Click OK. You'll be prompted to reboot. Go ahead and do it, and see what happens. If your machine was booting into safemode, it should now boot normally, and you should be able to adjust your display settings.

If that helps, lemme know, and we can work on weeding out your unneeded startup items (there are prolly lots of 'em)
OK it was clicked,but to make sure i unclicked,clicked again and rebooted....went to the pixels again and its the same, the only change ,to 800 is way too small..My Browser is Internet Explorer, though I do like to search on Google..My computer was IBM but I dont know if it changed because I have a different Tower now ..it used to say Intel Inside now its USB.Start up ,yes thats another prob I get sometimes the items in the tool bar dont appear it freezes and I have to reboot.

cont;also , YES I do have a lot of stuff on my desktop !!! Links to my games and programmes I use daily,possibly too much as you said !!!

0 Replies

cont ;Computers Gee
I have taken off a lot of the icons i had on my desktop,I had 18 now have ten.hope that is better.

0 Replies

Icons on the desktop are no big deal. Its the icons down at the bottom righthand of the screen ... in the System Tray, by the clock, that are chewing up your resources. Heck, my destops are totally littered with icons and folders, I've got more iconography than desktop... I lose stuff there all the time Rolling Eyes

Mostly the way I deal with that is just to not display icons ... but that's not the point at the moment. We can worry about system-siezing startup clutter later. Right now, lets get back to your display problem. I'm assuming you've got your monitor set to display the desktop full screen, right? If not, if there are big black borders around a tiny desktop image, look for a "Menu" button on the monitor, and see if you can expand your desktop to the screen borders. If that's not the deal, then we move on. Make sure no floppies or CDs are in your drives. Right click on My Computer, then select "Properties", then click the "Device Manager" tab, and if its not already selected, click "View Devices by Type". In alphabetical order, you'll find "Display Adapters". There may or may not be a red X or a yellow ! next to it, but don't worry about that now. Click the + sign next to it to open it up. Your video card will be listed. Right click on it, and again select "Properties". The "General" page for the card's prperties will open, and the make, model, and hardware version of your video card will be displayed. Make a note of it. If your machine thinks all is well with your video card, it will say "This device is working properly" in the Device Status box, otherwise, it will give you an error message (that's what'll happen if there was any sort of warning symbol displayed on the previous page). Now click the "Driver" tab, then click the "Driver File Details" button. The driver provider and the file version should be displayed. Make a note of them. Now, click "Update Driver". When the next box appears, select "Automatic Search for a better driver". Windows will look for one ... which might take a little while. Be patient. Either it will find one or it won't. If it does, it'll ask you if you want to install it. Go ahead. Probably, though, it'll report the best available driver is already installed. Click "Continue using .... ", then click "Finish", close the page, then close Device Manager.

Now, make a new folder on your desktop, and name it something like "Video Driver", then go to the website of your video card's provider ... do a google on the card's name if you have to ... and search there for a newer driver for that exact card and your version of Windows than the one you have. Odds are you'll find an update. Read and follow the download and install instructions, then save it to the folder you made on your desktop. When the download is complete, open the file and run tbhe setup, or whatever the install instructions said to do. Even if the only one listed is the same as yours, though, download and install it anyway. Now, reboot, and get back into Display Properties. You oughtta be able to access and implement all the available display settings.

0 Replies

Computers Cont; Gee
Firstly,at the bottom right of toolbar I have Speaker=volume, C Media Mixer (which I never use ) Norton anti Virus and the two modems =online.

Followed instructions up to Drivers ,found Wizard Auto search for updates,The Best is installed so I finished.

My Display Properties are IBM 6333 E51 on S3 Graphics Pro Savage DDR
(E51 is on my monitor)

In this window I have "advanced" with lots of tech stuff,maybe you will direct me there next ?? save a lot of typing Smile

Thanks again you are so easy to follow....so far no change so we press on ....

0 Replies

OK .. well, you have an IBM, probably an Aptiva, and you don't have a video card, you've got an embedded on-board graphics chip. Sounds like its stuck in VGA mode ... could be that no driver is loaded for your monitor, so Windows defaults to the generic display mode.

First, let try this: Start>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced>Adapter>Change>Update Driver>Next>Display a List of All Drivers>Next>Show All Hardware

You may find that the setting is for Standard PCI Graphics Adapter (VGA). If that's the case, see if your monitor is listed under "All Hardware". If so, select it, click "Next", and see what happens. Maybe you can set it to its optimum display characteristics. Otherwise, go back to Device Manager, and do "Update Driver" for your monitor. If that doesn't help, go to IBM's Driver Download Page and select "Automatically detect drivers for your IBM Notebook or Desktop". Download and install (following their instructions carefully) the latest drivers for your monitor and for your video chipset.

0 Replies

computer cont; Gee
There was no update for driver...List of drivers only one ticked CAT
Monitor was up to optimal

(S3 info plus)=chip type Pro Savage DDR=Bios version=78.30.00.07
System memory=128MB Video Memory =32 MB
(S3 driver)= display driver=s3_8m drv 4.13.01.3067-13.00.67 (Dx8)
Direct draw driver =s3_8m dll same numbers
Open GL ICD nbicd.dll 2.40.103
Direct X = 9.0
DirectX Media= 6.05.01.0902
after this its gamma plus colour etc

0 Replies

Computer continued Gee
I did restart but i dont think I shanged anything it was all OK according to Windows.
Now...when you say got to the download for IBM ???
I do check Windows Updates regularly and am up to date there
Do you still want me to go to IBM ??

0 Replies

Computers cont; Gee
Meant to ask ?? How am I doing for an amateur?

0 Replies

You're doing fine.

So, you're saying your monitor was listed, and its drivers were shown as installed, I take it. Hmmmmm. And there was no option under Display Adapter to change the resolution of your video, huh? Curious. Oh, well. That's what makes 'puters fun, I guess.

Yeah, I'd say go to IBM ... Windows Update mostly just updates Windows products, and for other hardware and software updates, you oughtta go right to the appropriate vendor. On IBM's website, where I linked you to, there's an option that should scan your machine for its IBM-installed hardware and list the available drivers. Get the latest drivers both for your monitor and for your Savage video chip.

Now, while we're at it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade your RAM, too. Its about the best, easiest, cheapest, most worthwhile improvement you can make on your computer. The 128MB your system seems to have is about 1/2 of what you oughtta have ... but lets save that for later. Memory is cheap, and real easy to install, even for an "Amature".

0 Replies

Dead End for me .....I went to IBM I got some numbers etc typed them in the space ...keep getting error....checked for parts numbers ...am unable to lift the computer..or even to see any numbers .....confession time ,didnt mention before .you may not have thought me able...but i am an Old Lady 73.I live alone...I got my computer in 2002.My daughter showed me how to turn on and off and all the rest I discovered myself.Also I dont use credit cards if its stuff to be purchased.!!

0 Replies

Nothin' wrong with bein' old ... I'm old, too, though you've got a few years on me.

OK ... be patient ... I'll see what we can do to get this sorted out for ya. Its become a challenge, now, and I'm stubborn. Lemme think on it a bit, and maybe drag in somebody else. Back soon, I promise.

0 Replies

Thanks a lot I will be patient..Gee

0 Replies

Hi Gee,

1st suggestion, try booting the computer in Safe Mode. To do so, restart the PC, and while it's starting up, before it starts loading Windows, keep tapping the F8 button. That'll bring you to a menu where you can choose to start Windows in safe mode. Then, once Windows has finished loading safe mode, just restart the computer normally -- in some cases that alone will fix display problems. (For people with display problems who're running Win2K/XP, it would be better to boot Windows in VGA mode & then restart.)

2nd, there is a recent update for your built-in graphics adaptor that is newer than what you're using (thanks for posting that info).
Here is S3 Graphic's download page for ProSavageDDR drivers: http://ranger.s3graphics.com/swlib/420drv/
Here is a direct link to the ProSavageDDR driver for Windows ME: http://ranger.s3graphics.com/swlib/420drv/S3_wIShldlogo.zip

Click that second link, download it onto your desktop, then unzip it (you'll need a program like the one available for free from www.winzip.com ). Winzip will extract all its contents to a folder named 'ProSavDDR_130109_WME_W_IShld_logod'. Open that folder and run the setup program within (Setup.exe).

If those ideas don't solve your problem, we may need you to try to better clarify the problem & how it differs from what you were seeing before. Be aware that 800x600 pixel resolution is the next step up from 640x480 -- there is no in-between with most video adaptors. Please clarify whether or not there are big black borders around your screen display, & if there are, have you tried what Timber suggested here?

timberlandko wrote:

I'm assuming you've got your monitor set to display the desktop full screen, right? If not, if there are big black borders around a tiny desktop image, look for a "Menu" button on the monitor, and see if you can expand your desktop to the screen borders.

If there are big black border around what you're seeing when you switch to 800x600 pixel resolution, usually you'd do one of the following things:

Start Windows in safe mode, then reboot.
Update your video card driver.
See if you can expand your desktop to the screen borders by using the buttons on your monitor.

0 Replies

I dont see a free WinZip should i take the one offered for 21 days and use it temporarily ??
The list to open files on My Computer is Microsoft Access for Windows or Excell,Power Point and Word, office stuff that I am not familiar with.I HAVE downloaded the S3 Graphics onto my desktop .
My computer went into "safe mode" recently and I had to reboot, so I skipped that part(smile)

0 Replies

computer cont Gee
With regard to my screen.I do not have a border so it is stretched to its full extent,I have 8 small buttons and three larger on the front of My Monitor,I assume one of these is what you are reffering to ? I will ask my daughter to look,I cannot read them,its all black Rolling Eyes

What am I seeing ? hmm for example this window that comes from you is never centered,I have to go from side to side to read it. I used to do Jigsaw Puzzles ,now they are too big for the screen,they dont have scroll arrows so i cant see all the pieces,same with some of my card games ,also when something has an "Apply" or" Start "section at the bottom of a page,I often cannot reach it ,even when I stretch the window as far as I can to the top of the screen,hope this helps. Gee

0 Replies

Computer

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know