I Need Help So Bad!

[SweetPeaOfTheGames]

I just had to format my poor old computer. It's crap. But after I did it all and re-installed Windows 98 (I know, it's old, I'm ashamed) I only have 16 colors! 16! I have absoloutely no idea how to make it go back to the vibrant palette I had before! Everywhere I go they want me to sign up for free spy ware blocker, then they don't have anything to help me at all!

Does anyone at this fine site know what I need to do? The monitor is an old crummy one I dug out of a dumpster (yes, this babe dumpster dives) and it's OLD. '93 according to the back of it.

I've loved this site ever since I saw it on TechTV (Old Java is far superior to new Java, hands down&#33 and I figured if anyone could help me maybe you guys could.

Please help me! I'm so dumb computer-wise, and seeing the e-world in 16 colors is making me depressed!

[Shaun]

You need the drives for the video card you have in your computer.
you allso need to know what type of video card you have.

[Goslow]

Perhaps right click the desktop (blank part of screen)
then left click properties
then left click settings
then toggle color arrow
then left click test (or apply)

This is O.V.com old is preferred not to be ashamed of

[straight talker]

ive had similar problem after a reinstall of windows , a classic example of not having good backups of all your drivers etc. have you tried the windows update as it may update the current driver that your video card is using, as GOSLOW has stated have you tried altering the settings ?

[locustfurnace]

Make sure you've selected the monitor your using in the display propertys. Otherwise, it will chose the default monitor selection. Try locating your monitor in the monitor section.

Did you use this monitor before? Being its a 1993 monitor, its not going to be a SVGA (Super VGA) it will most likely be a VGA monitor. Which does not have the higher resolutions or color palette. If your lukcy, the monitor will probably handle 256 colors, or 16bit color, but not likely it will get better (such as 24 or 32bit color)

[SweetPeaOfTheGames]

The only option it allows for me to use is the default. Someone told me I need a driver for the video card possibly, BUT I can't see the site with the driver on it because I don't have enough colors. I figure maybe I can google it (it is an ES1869 Control Interface (WDM) ) and try to find a driver on pure luck, but I'm not having much luck doing it. This monitor worked just fine before it was formatted, I WAS using Windows XP, but XP was the reason my computer died before, virtual memory dumps because XP was overloading it constantly. :angry: at XP, btw.

The colors were brilliant before, I don't want a super computer, I just want places to not look like a bad piece of graph paper covered in bugs.

If you can walk me through finding if it has another driver somewhere for the monitor I'd appreciate it. I checked in the area where I found out what my video card is, and it had one monitor option, default.

[SweetPeaOfTheGames]

Originally posted by Goslow@Jan 13 2005, 01:47 AM
Perhaps right click the desktop (blank part of screen)
then left click properties
then left click settings
then toggle color arrow
then left click test (or apply)

This is O.V.com old is preferred not to be ashamed of

Tried this, it won't let me move the toggle over any, it's stuck on the lowest setting, and to the left of that my 2 options for colors are 16 colors and 2.

2!

[Pete]

Try going to the Control Panel and click on "Add New Hardware".

Follow the prompts. First it will look for Plug&Play components, then it will look for non P&P or let you look for the component yourself.

[locustfurnace]

ES1869 Control Interface (WDM)
That sounds more like a sound card driver. Do you know what exactly the name of the video card is? It might be easier to open the computer case, look on the video card (it a card exists) and drop the card model here.

[SweetPeaOfTheGames]

Here are all the stats on my computer that I know:
(I tried Windows update, btw, it just says 'error displaying the page' about 5 million times. I e-mailed them, I'm [sarcasm]sure[/sarcasm] they'll e-mail me back in a timely fashion.)

NEC READY 9856 Designed for Windows 98

In the hardware place under

Sound, video, and game controllers

ES1869 Control Interface (WDM)
ES1869 Plug and Play AudioDrive (WDM)
Gamesport Joystick

MII™-300 Cyrix Enhanced Processor
64 MB RAM (Why XP zaps me and I can't use it haha)
8.4 GB Hard Drive
32X Maximum Variable Speed CD-ROM
56KBps Modem

(I'm sure none of that is helpful information in any way, it just happens to be on a sticker on the front and I figured I'd share)

If you can tell me where to go specifically to find out the names of this stuff, I'll gladly do it. I tried driverguide.com, but every driver I found, after I went through all the crap to use it, said "The driver windows is using now is the best one. Windows will continue to use this driver."

Guys and gals, thanks so much for all the help so far, I hope I'm not being a nag or a pain, I'm just really computer dumb and desperate not to have to install XP on this poor thing again (I know this time it will kill it dead if I put it on there)