Weird PC Prob ... Virus??

[AquaMagick]

Hi everyone,

I have Windows 98 and have a problem. I may have accidentally deleted a file, or the hard drive maybe is dying or I have a virus. I'll try to explain this best I can:

The screen is spotty looking, the colors are blurry. The text is too big and the pull down menus are black (so you can't see the text) in AOL. Could this mean it's internet related? The color/resolution problem is everywhere though, not just in AOL. Other programs don't have problems with pull down menus.

That's basically it ... everything looks spotty/blurry almost like the resolution is too low (but it won't allow me to change it to anything higher than 640 x 480 pixels or 16 colors).

Any ideas? Any suggestions on what to try?

Thank you so much!

Allison
AquaMagick@aol.com

[reboot]

Find out what video card you have, and update the drivers for it.
Change the monitor type in display properties, to PnP detect.

p.s. Welcome to PCMech! I moved this post into the proper Win98 forum

[AquaMagick]

Thanks reboot,

I wasn't sure where to post it, I appreciate you moving it for me. I will certainly try what you suggested, it sounds like a good place to start. I'll keep you updated ...

AquaMagick

[Cricket]

How old is your monitor?

Have you scanned for viruses, spyware or trojans yet?

Have you checked to see if the monitor cable is connected securely?

Video drivers up to date? Have you tried to uninstall it and then reinstall it?

What about uninstalling AOL and reinstalling it?

Cricket

[AquaMagick]

Thank you Cricket, I will also try your suggestions.

AquaMagick

[AquaMagick]

Oh and my monitor is from 1999. So it's old. I actually got this from a "free pc" contest I won back in 1999. I have two other computers that work fine, but I like my free PC. I don't usually win stuff. If the monitor is shot, would you suggest perhaps I should switch the Hard drive from the free PC over to another computer? It's been working fine except for the last few months that it's been having "issues." I'll still try updating the drivers, etc. Thanks!

AquaMagick

[GaryRouth]

Did you get everything working Ok again?

I confess I'm a little curious about the other issues the PC is experiencing. The reason reboot and Cricket mentioned your video drivers is that the screen you describe is what you see when Windows 98 has a problem with your usual video drivers, and defaults to the "Standard VGA" driver, which only displays 16 colors [which is why high-color icons and menus can't display] and only 640x480 resolution [which is why things appear so big on the screen].

If you don't use a full-time antivirus (which you will want to) you can scan that PC with HouseCall at TrendMicro's website. It's a free online virus scanner (http://www.trendmicro.com). HouseCall is just for emergencies, it only runs from the website. It doesn't protect your computer like a real-time scanner (like AVG, Norton, PcCillin, etc). . .

For machines that have had a lot of programs coming & going, I recommend a run of RegClean 4.1 . . . It usually does a nice job with Win98 [4.1 was updated to work well with 98] (http://download.com.com/3000-2094-881470.html?tag=list)
The directions on how to use the program are in the ReadMe.txt file.

. . . and that's a good quote from Mr. Bill

. . . Gary

[p.s. ....I wouldn't normally worry about a 4 year old monitor, unless it starts to get too hot or displays everything a bit crazier than you describe - like shrinking, dancing, ghosting, or multiples]

[LocoCoyote]

I don't think I'm tracking....you are having the problem only when surfing the net? Your browser and nothing else is having the problem or is it system wide?

[AquaMagick]

"and defaults to the "Standard VGA" driver, which only displays 16 colors "

When I tried to see what Video Card I was using, it said exactly that ... that it was a Standard VGA. That would make sense, but what would cause it to default back to that? And in answer to the last persons question, it isn't just online, it's system wide. The colors are messed up (probably because of the "16 colors" only) and the graphics and text are enlarged. When I go online, the pull down menus are completely black. I'm still working on it .... I really do appreciate all your wonderful tips. I'll get back to you when I make some progress!!

Allison

[AquaMagick]

Question: does anyone suggest maybe buying a new Video Card? Could that possibly fix the problem?

Thanks again...

[Redo40]

I wouldn't advise buying a new card until you have tried reinstalling the drivers for the old one. It could just be one of many unexplained events that windows does, losing the driver that is.

Is the computer a name brand or custom build?

If you feel comfortable doing so, you could open the case and look for any numbers or name on the video card itself.

[GaryRouth]

Like Redo40(Roger), I think your hardware is probably Ok, and you likely won't need to buy new parts. Like Roger suggests, post what you know about your computer - if it's a name brand, can you see a model number on the case? Do you have any of the original documents that list its parts?

If you do decide to look inside the case, remember to shut the computer down first, and unplug the power cord. I like to have a magnifying glass handy (especially at my age) - it helps read the tiny letters on those cards inside your pc.

If you're not thrilled about looking inside the case, you can try something like BelArc advisor to detect and list the parts as best it can through software. It's a free download at http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[...p.s. if you find your video card info, we can help you find the driver for it.]

[twoguise]

You don't mention if you've installed anything recently........just a thought but sometimes when you install games it messes with your video and/or memory............
so the reinstall of drivers could help
or uninstall the game
goodluck!