Screen settings messed up

I am not sure if it is a virus or it is just something wrong with two of our
computers, and the same thing just happened to happen on the same time. One
computer was a Windows ME computer but we have recently installed Windows XP
as it is a more secure system, and the other is a Windows ME laptop and was
next in the que to be upgraded to Windows XP.

On the XP machine I was installing the Windows updates, and it asked me to
restart. When I restarted all the monitor settings had gone wrong. It was in
a 640x400 i think it was for screen resolution and then Low at 8bit for
screen quality. When I right-click on the desktop and then click on
properties, go to settings, and here this is where you should change the
screen settings. When I changed te screen resolution back to 800x600 and 64
bit high quality, hit apply noting happens and sometimes it restarts but
still nothing happpens. Somehow whilst trying to fix it we managed to get it
to a rediculously small setting that before the monitor didnt even support.
it was so small you could bairly see which setting you were in, and without
knowing Windows we ad no chance. We changed moniters from another computer
that was working and then we got it back to a 640x400 screen resolution.

I'm not sure how as I was out of the room at this point but we managed to
get the computer back to a 800x600 screen resolution. When ever I go to
properties and then settings though and try to change the screen settings
nothing seems to work, and again sometimes it restarts.

With the laptop there was a similar problem. When restarting all the screen
settings were messed up. It was at a 640x400 screen setting and 8bit screen
quality. The real bugger with this one is tht it has rejected all forms of
mouse's. The built in mouse on the laptop, a PS2 mouse and USB mouse all dont
work. Even when I transfer the files from a working computer for the mouse it
still doesnt want to work.

The laptop like the computer when you go to the display properties via the
control panel and then settings, when you go to a 800x600 and 64bit screen
quality and then click on OK, nothing happens.

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Alastair

alastairg100 wrote:
> I am not sure if it is a virus or it is just something wrong with
> two of our computers, and the same thing just happened to happen on
> the same time. One computer was a Windows ME computer but we have
> recently installed Windows XP as it is a more secure system, and
> the other is a Windows ME laptop and was next in the que to be
> upgraded to Windows XP.
>
> On the XP machine I was installing the Windows updates, and it
> asked me to restart. When I restarted all the monitor settings had
> gone wrong. It was in a 640x400 i think it was for screen
> resolution and then Low at 8bit for screen quality. When I
> right-click on the desktop and then click on properties, go to
> settings, and here this is where you should change the screen
> settings. When I changed te screen resolution back to 800x600 and
> 64 bit high quality, hit apply noting happens and sometimes it
> restarts but still nothing happpens. Somehow whilst trying to fix
> it we managed to get it to a rediculously small setting that before
> the monitor didnt even support. it was so small you could bairly
> see which setting you were in, and without knowing Windows we ad no
> chance. We changed moniters from another computer that was working
> and then we got it back to a 640x400 screen resolution.
>
> I'm not sure how as I was out of the room at this point but we
> managed to get the computer back to a 800x600 screen resolution.
> When ever I go to properties and then settings though and try to
> change the screen settings nothing seems to work, and again
> sometimes it restarts.
>
> With the laptop there was a similar problem. When restarting all
> the screen settings were messed up. It was at a 640x400 screen
> setting and 8bit screen quality. The real bugger with this one is
> tht it has rejected all forms of mouse's. The built in mouse on the
> laptop, a PS2 mouse and USB mouse all dont work. Even when I
> transfer the files from a working computer for the mouse it still
> doesnt want to work.
>
> The laptop like the computer when you go to the display properties
> via the control panel and then settings, when you go to a 800x600
> and 64bit screen quality and then click on OK, nothing happens.
>
> Any suggestions?

Update the video card driver for each machine from the corresponding
manufacturer's web site.. Do not get the Microsoft Driver. On the laptop -
system restore then update the video card driver as well as the mainboard
chipset driver.

Also - in the future - DO NOT MULTIPOST. Cross-Post if you feel your
question is relevant to more than one newsgroup - but multiposting is, at
the very least, annoying to those who might answer your question then find
it UNREAD in another one or more newsgroups.. Not to mention that if you
cross-post - their answer may have been carried over (if they configure
their newsreader to do this or choose to respond to all groups) to all
groups and you only have to check back in ONE place instead of the many you
multiposted to.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html