Screen resolution changing to unsuported screen res during Start up - blank screen???

[rj]

hi, I'm trying to fix a problem on my girlfriends computer - XP Home
edition.

During boot up something is changing the screen resolution to an unsupported
screen resolution such that the screen goes blank. Of course I can't do any
troubleshooting because the screen is blank. Any ideas how I can fix this
without a having to reinstall the system because she only has dial up
internet and it's very hard to update her system after a system install?

1. System Restore - I started the computer in Safe Mode and tried System
Restore. However, the System says System Restore was not enabled and could
not be enabled in Safe Mode. I tried enabling System Restore by enabling it
in the registry using Regedit but this did not work and I'd get the same
message.

2. Registry screen resolution default setting. - In Safe Mode I located and
set the DefaultSetting.XResolution DefaultSetting.YResolution to a known
working resolution but when I'd restart the computer, the windows splash
screen appears and then the desktop appears for about 5 seconds in the
modified resolution but then the screen goes black. I restarted the
computer in safe mode again and the DefaultSetting.XResolution and
YResolution had been changed back to the invalid setting.

So, it appears some program, virus, whatever is starting up during the start
up process and is changing the screen resolution to an unsupported setting
causing the screen to blank and because it's blank I can't do any trouble
shooting. (they use AOL virus security which I don't know anything about
and because they have low speed internet she doesn't often update the virus
files so even if I could run the AOL virus scan software in Safe Mode, I
dont know if her virus files are up to date)
I don't want to reinstall the system from scratch. So Any ideas how I can
enable system restore in Safe Mode to reset the system to an earlier time.
OR
Any ideas how to determine what process is changing the screen resolution
during start up BEFORE it runs to cause the screen to go blank? If I knew
what program/process was starting to change the resolution, I could delete
the file in safe mode.

I suppose I could write a program to programatically change the screen
resolution and add this program to the Startup folder and hope the program
runs AFTER whatever is changing the screen resolution to an usupported
resolution.
1. Is there a way to ensure a program could be started LAST in the startup
sequence?
2. Is there a way to programatically change the screen resolution via a
batch file or something? If so what instructions would I use. Otherwise I'd
have to find and install a C or C++ compiler or something to create an
executable program.

Thanks for any advice
rj

 

[3c273]

See my earlier post for resetting your resolution "in the dark"
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...13ca64a6298?lnk=st&q=&rnum=3#e238713ca64a6298
Watch the wordwrap.
Read the entire process first, then practice in safe mode, making
adjustments to the instructions as needed. I wrote this for Windows 2000 and
I believe there is one less tab on XP.
Louis

 

[Patrick Keenan]

hi, I'm trying to fix a problem on my girlfriends computer - XP Home
edition.

During boot up something is changing the screen resolution to an
unsupported screen resolution such that the screen goes blank. Of course
I can't do any troubleshooting because the screen is blank. Any ideas how
I can fix this without a having to reinstall the system because she only
has dial up internet and it's very hard to update her system after a
system install?

1. System Restore - I started the computer in Safe Mode and tried System
Restore. However, the System says System Restore was not enabled and could
not be enabled in Safe Mode. I tried enabling System Restore by enabling
it in the registry using Regedit but this did not work and I'd get the
same message.

2. Registry screen resolution default setting. - In Safe Mode I located
and set the DefaultSetting.XResolution DefaultSetting.YResolution to a
known working resolution but when I'd restart the computer, the windows
splash screen appears and then the desktop appears for about 5 seconds in
the modified resolution but then the screen goes black. I restarted the
computer in safe mode again and the DefaultSetting.XResolution and
YResolution had been changed back to the invalid setting.

So, it appears some program, virus, whatever is starting up during the
start up process and is changing the screen resolution to an unsupported
setting causing the screen to blank and because it's blank I can't do any
trouble shooting. (they use AOL virus security which I don't know
anything about and because they have low speed internet she doesn't often
update the virus files so even if I could run the AOL virus scan software
in Safe Mode, I dont know if her virus files are up to date)
I don't want to reinstall the system from scratch. So Any ideas how I can
enable system restore in Safe Mode to reset the system to an earlier time.
OR
Any ideas how to determine what process is changing the screen resolution
during start up BEFORE it runs to cause the screen to go blank? If I knew
what program/process was starting to change the resolution, I could delete
the file in safe mode.

I suppose I could write a program to programatically change the screen
resolution and add this program to the Startup folder and hope the program
runs AFTER whatever is changing the screen resolution to an usupported
resolution.
1. Is there a way to ensure a program could be started LAST in the startup
sequence?
2. Is there a way to programatically change the screen resolution via a
batch file or something? If so what instructions would I use. Otherwise
I'd have to find and install a C or C++ compiler or something to create an
executable program.

Thanks for any advice
rj

You can get into Safe Mode. Have you tried the VGA mode setting? It's
very helpful in this context.

This is the same as Regular mode, but with very generic video drivers.
From there, you can set the resolution properly, or if you must, uninstall
and reinstall the video drivers, things you can't do from Safe Mode.

HTH
-pk

 

[C.Joseph Drayton, Ph.D. AS&T]

hi, I'm trying to fix a problem on my girlfriends computer - XP Home
edition.

During boot up something is changing the screen resolution to an unsupported
screen resolution such that the screen goes blank. Of course I can't do any
troubleshooting because the screen is blank. Any ideas how I can fix this
without a having to reinstall the system because she only has dial up
internet and it's very hard to update her system after a system install?

1. System Restore - I started the computer in Safe Mode and tried System
Restore. However, the System says System Restore was not enabled and could
not be enabled in Safe Mode. I tried enabling System Restore by enabling it
in the registry using Regedit but this did not work and I'd get the same
message.

2. Registry screen resolution default setting. - In Safe Mode I located and
set the DefaultSetting.XResolution DefaultSetting.YResolution to a known
working resolution but when I'd restart the computer, the windows splash
screen appears and then the desktop appears for about 5 seconds in the
modified resolution but then the screen goes black. I restarted the
computer in safe mode again and the DefaultSetting.XResolution and
YResolution had been changed back to the invalid setting.

So, it appears some program, virus, whatever is starting up during the start
up process and is changing the screen resolution to an unsupported setting
causing the screen to blank and because it's blank I can't do any trouble
shooting. (they use AOL virus security which I don't know anything about
and because they have low speed internet she doesn't often update the virus
files so even if I could run the AOL virus scan software in Safe Mode, I
dont know if her virus files are up to date)
I don't want to reinstall the system from scratch. So Any ideas how I can
enable system restore in Safe Mode to reset the system to an earlier time.
OR
Any ideas how to determine what process is changing the screen resolution
during start up BEFORE it runs to cause the screen to go blank? If I knew
what program/process was starting to change the resolution, I could delete
the file in safe mode.

I suppose I could write a program to programatically change the screen
resolution and add this program to the Startup folder and hope the program
runs AFTER whatever is changing the screen resolution to an usupported
resolution.
1. Is there a way to ensure a program could be started LAST in the startup
sequence?
2. Is there a way to programatically change the screen resolution via a
batch file or something? If so what instructions would I use. Otherwise I'd
have to find and install a C or C++ compiler or something to create an
executable program.

Thanks for any advice
rj

If the computer in question happens to be a laptop, what might have
happened is that the built in screen is no longer the default monitor.
To test this, press [FN]-[F4]. Note it may be a different function key.
You will have to press the [FN] key while pressing the function key. On
most laptops on the function key is a simple the same color as the color
on the [FN] key.


Ciao . . . C.Joseph

"A promise is nothing more than an attempt
to respond to an unreasonable demand."

http://blog.tlerma.com/

A Windows professional's view of entering the World of Linux