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mandy
08-22-2009, 06:32 AM
I recently re-installed windows XP home with all service packs and other updates.
I re-installed the display driver [for Via XM400] and the chip driver, from drivers supplied by VIA Arena.My monitor is Optronix OP-158BS. The information on the monnitor tab says the driver provider for the plug and play monitor is microsoft version 5.1.2001.0 but it also says that no driver files are required or loaded for this device. The adapter tab says the correct driver is loaded. I tried update driver and it sayed it had done so but it still says no driver files are required or loaded for this device

Fonts in general were then unacceptably large AND
those grey windows that come up, for example when installing a program are so long that I cannot see the accept , ok, or cancel buttons. They have no scroll bar and cannot be resized by dragging so I cannot install the programs

I reset the display resolution from the default of 640x 480 to 1024 x 768 which mostly solves the font problem but not the huge grey window problem.

I have to reset the display resolution every start-up as I cannot find how to save the default resolution. The microsoft help page suggests that a screen will come up asking if I want keep it, but no such screen comes up [except once, when I clicked on yes. It did not help.]

I tried resetting in safe mode, and in VGA enable mode , to no avail.

Do I need to alter the registry? If so how?, but I do not understand what to do or how to do it, and am very nervous of registry editing.

I tried setting DPI to 75%, and restart normally.
It saved the 75% setting, but unfortunately the screen
is then too blurred to be useful. I reset it to 100%,
and reset resolution to 1024 x768.
The 100% was retained but not the resolution.

On the adapter tab 'List all modes' looks relevant
as it has several
different resolutions eg
1280 by 1024, true color (32 bit), 60 hertz
1280 by 1024, true color (32 bit), 75 hertz
640 by 480, 16 colors, default refresh
800 by 600, 16 colors, default refresh

I tried double clicking on the resolution I favour, but it did not change the default.

I have read your comprehensive guide on changing video cards, but am not sure which bits , if any, I need to do. I have no reason to suppose the card is at fault.

Any advice appriated, both on saving resulution and on these huge grey windows.
PS I have a lots of rubbish on an old FATS disk which refuses to reformat. It was used with a different display, running windows NT. Could this be relevant?

mandy
08-22-2009, 09:12 AM
My boot.ini file says
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
C:\="Microsoft Windows"
---------------------------------------------
I do not know which disc contains the boot.ini file , as I cannot find it.

XP is installed on the D: drive. C: is the old FATS drive for Windows NT, so I do not understand how the boot.ini finds where to boot from?

A further confusion:
When I tried to update drivers for the display, [see above] the browse window wanted to look in the E drive-which is now the CD reader. Before re-installing, XP was on the E drive.

mandy
08-31-2009, 08:15 AM
Problem solved. My brother-in-law helped me and I have now re-installed Windows XP again, with the FATS disc disconnected.
It worked like a dream, and XP is now on the C drive. I do not know why, but using the C drive seems to solve a lot of problems, including the extraordinary font size problem. I have not re-installed the video driver , as it works well with the default windows driver.