Monitor\display adapter problem

[Parangles]

Still trying to clean up an old PC and sell it. Did a format and reinstall of Win 98. Screen is now on only 16 colors (Looks like its in safe mode ) Message at boot up says: "Adapter type incorrect or current settings wrong." The driver being used seems to have come from windows. Its : "Standard PCI graphics adapter VGA" .
I downloaded a replacement driver from the Compaq site 'monitcpq.inf' for the specific model #, but the wizard will not accept it. When you direct it to the location of the 'monitcpg.inf ' It gives you its standard whine : ' specified location does not contain information about your hardware '
Is *.inf a driver file extention? Or is it just a 'read me' type file ?
Can I get a generic driver if this is not good ( I downloaded and opened it twice) Thanks.
Chris.

[GaryRouth]

Hi Parangles

The file you downloaded from Compaq looks like the .inf file for your monitor - so keep it handy, you can point to it later on after you install a new video driver. [an .inf file can help give "inf-ormation" about your hardware - in this case your monitor - to Windows and other parts of your computer about the capabilities it has. For a monitor, and inf file tells what resolutions, refresh rates, etc, the monitor can do]

If this is an old Compaq, look around the Compaq site again for the video driver (so far you have just the monitor file, you'll want the files for the video card now). If you still have the recovery disk around, you might be able to pull the video driver off that. (make sure not to accidentally select the reformat/reinstall option if you use a recovery disk - hopefully, you will have one just for re-installing drivers).

If you can't find a driver: post the make/model of the Compaq & I'll see if I can get you a link for it (it's there SomeWhere on the Compaq site . . . or we can find you a reference driver).
. . . Gary

[Parangles]

Thanks Gary - I now understand that I am looking for a video driver for the PC, which is an HP Pavilion 4450, and not for the Compaq monitor. There are no video drivers available for this model on the download section of the HP site.
I have a backup of the original autoexec.bat and config.sys on a floppy. Is this any help ? I have been trying to find the HP recovery CDs but not having any luck.
Thanks,
Chris.
PS- Found a driver for the Pavilion 4440 model ( which I'm pretty sure should work- Eh ?) at DriverGuide.com . Will download later.

[GaryRouth]

Parangles - took a little hokey-pokey, but I found some info for your HP 4450 over at hp.com:

the general technical specifications page:
http://www.hp.com/cposupport/personal_computing/support_doc/bph04796.html

the hp 4450 lists an onboard Ati Rage IIC as the video. Here's the reference driver from Ati:
http://mirror.ati.com/support/drivers/win98/win984112474.html

Whatever you do, DO NOT INSTALL THE hp 4440 video drivers! Those are for an Amd-based motherboard with a SiS chipset & SiS onboard video.

If you've already tried to install the 4440's, uninstall it, run a RegClean, and try the Ati reference drivers.

Then you should be all done!
. . . Gary

[Parangles]

Can't thank you enough Gary. I had in the meantime pulled the
case apart( those terrible small ones, jammed with stuff) and got off the IC /chip info which is as you found on the HP site. Tried to
use the ati video driver thats on the win98 CD but it sent me into safe mode ! Just tried to download the correct one from your site, but the file is too large to hold on a floppy so I will have to either (horrors) re set up a modem, or NIC, or install a Zip 100 drive to get it on . (All to get ? $200 in a garage sale ?)

This will be a weekend job. The lesson to be learned is that one
should not friviously format a HDD that is going to be used in the same PC.
It would be better and quicker to just clean it out with some
program like "Uninstaller".

Again- appreciate the time you spent on this for me! I'll PM you
to pick up from here if I'm so lame that I can't get it done.
Chris

[Parangles]

Done a lot of work but still no joy !

I downloaded the software for the Ati Rage IIc AGP which is the video chip on the mobo, and also its companion, MS DirectX , software. Both unpacked and self installed.
Now, at Device Mgr> Display Adapter> RAge IIc is showing.
Properties: " Device is working properly "
I ran the 4 video diagnostics- all OK
At Device Mgr> Modem> All shows Ok. I installed the .inf driver
which I downloaded from the Compaq support site. H o w e v e r :
I'm still only getting 16 colors on the Monitor 'settings' and when I change this to '16 bit' and reboot I still see the error message
" problem with display settings- incorrect adapter type or settings or settings do not work with your hardware " Screen still looks like its in safe mode. The only hint I have is that when the driver was installing there was a message " error loading streamci - can't find file" No file extention- just streamci.
Driver details show: macx4w4.drv and macxw4.vxd. I'm pretty sure that I downloaded Windows drivers- would they have a name that includes "mac"?
Yes - just went back to the site- Windows driver not Mac.
Where now ! Where now ??
Thanks,
Chris

[GaryRouth]

Well, I suppose if Windows wants a file, Windows gets a file, eh?

You can try a run of System File Checker to see if it offers to restore streamci from the Win98 CD (or Win98SE, whichever you have). Streamci is something called "streaming device installer", and is usually located in the Windows\System folder. If the regular run of System File Checker doesn't offer to restore the file for you, take a peek with Windows Explorer just to see if there's a streamci in your Windows\System folder. If not, you can ask System File Checker to "restore one file from disk" (it's a little box to checkmark for that task). Streamci seems to be in the cab file Base5.cab on both Win98 and Win98SE CDs. If you haven't used it before, find System File Checker by Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Information . . . start System Information, and from the "Tools" menu, select the System File Checker.

If you already see a copy of streamci in your Windows\System folder, hmmm . . . maybe try uninstalling anything you see with ATi on it from Add/Remove Programs, and remove the ATi from "Display Adapters" in Device Manager - by selecting it and then clicking on "Remove" [of course, you probably know all this already]. Then try a run of RegClean or RegMain (you can get them at the MS download site = free - get the Win98 versions, I think 4.1 is the current one). Then reinstall your Ati reference drivers & see if the video is a happy camper yet.

Those seem to be the right files for the Rage IIC driver (at least the filenames match). They look like part of the Direct Draw portion of the driver. On the ATi reference driver download site, it mentions that they need DirectX 6 or higher. It's been awhile since I looked, but I'm thinking DirectX 6 is builtin to Win98 (to go higher you visit Windows Update)

You could also do just that - visit Windows Update, and see if they offer a MS certified driver for your video in the "Drivers" section of the update page (the last section on the page after Windows Update lists all the updates it found for your PC) - It will offer a ton of Service Packs, too - since so many security patches have been issued since May 1998. Upgrading to IE6 will give you a fresh batch of a bunch of system files, too.

Well, all this should keep you busy, or cause you to see your eye doctor for glasses! (eye-strain from too much reading)

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[Parangles]

Well ! There is a serious lesson to be learned from this thread:
Do not assume anything, when trying to troubleshoot or diagnose a problem. This is at the level of- "It wasn't plugged in !"
After spending hours uninstalling, Regcleaning, restoring supposedly missing files, reinstalling freshly downloaded (maybe currupted !) drivers, etc, etc, everything looks great . 32 bit color showing in display properties, no error messages..... but the wallpaper photo still looks like it was in 16 colors of safe mode.
I get a thought that I must not assume anything and
I go to another computer, put a photo on a diskette and load it onto the problem machine. It looks perfect ! The original and only photo on the machine that I was judging it by was ? damaged
? corrupted ? somewhere along the line.
There WAS a serious problem . It was stuck in 16 colors. But maybe it was fixed long before I had finished trying to fix it.
Thanks Gary- You were a good judge of this posters experience and knowledge and neither spoke down to me or over my head.
Much appreciated !
Chris.

[GaryRouth]

Glad it all worked out. . . and nice work figuring out the wallpaper file puzzle . . .

. . . Gary