Restore Default Monitor Setting

  • Thread starter Thread starter iain010100
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iain010100

My monitor died. My cheapo replacement can't handle the resolution that
my PC boots up with. I can run it in safe mode, but I don't know what
to do to ensure that my PC boots in normal mode with the correct video
settings.

Can anyone help?

-- i
 
My monitor died. My cheapo replacement can't handle the resolution that
my PC boots up with. I can run it in safe mode, but I don't know what
to do to ensure that my PC boots in normal mode with the correct video
settings.

Can anyone help?

-- i
Click to expand...

While in Safe Mode, set its resolution to 800x600.
 
I booted in safe mode, opened the monitor settings control panel
(r-click on desktop > properties), set the resolution 800x600 (which it
was already set to), then rebooted, but still no luck. the normal
monitor setting didn't fix it.

- i
 
I'm afraid your statement "the normal monitor setting
didn't fix it" means nothing to me. What are the "normal"
monitor settings? What is it that it did not fix?

I suggest you report along those lines:
1. I reset the resolution to 800x600 while in Safe Mode.
2. I rebooted the machine in Normal Mode.
3. The desktop was / was not visible.
4. While in Normal Mode, I changed the settings to
a x b pixels. This worked / this did not work.
 
Sorry for not being clear.

While in Safe Mode, I'm attempting to change the monitor setting that
my PC boots up in when it's in Normal Mode. My Normal Mode monitor
setting is 1024x768 I believe. That setting will not work on my
substitue monitor.

1) the video setting for Normal Mode is incompatible with my monitor.
2) I booted up in Safe Mode. The monitor setting in this mode is
800x600.
3) Since the Safe Mode resolution is already set to what I'm attempting
set as my Normal Mode monitor setting, I didn't need to change the
resolution. However, I decided to switch the monitor setting to
640x480, then back to 800x600, just in case the operating system needs
to see a change in resolution in order to make the setting apply to
Normal Mode. I don't know if this makes any difference.
4) I then rebooted into Normal Mode hoping that the monitor settings
would now be changed to 600x800.
5) At the end of the start-up sequence, and the point where the Win2k
desktop appears, the video setting changed to a setting that my monitor
could not handle. This lead me to believe that changing the monitor
setting while in Safe Mode has no effect on the monitor setting in
Normal Mode.
6) At this point, now in Normal Mode, I was still not able to change
the monitor setting because I could not see my desktop due to the
monitor setting being incompatible with my monitor. :-)

Am I missing something in my approach?

- i
 
Sorry for not being clear.

While in Safe Mode, I'm attempting to change the monitor setting that
my PC boots up in when it's in Normal Mode. My Normal Mode monitor
setting is 1024x768 I believe. That setting will not work on my
substitue monitor.

1) the video setting for Normal Mode is incompatible with my monitor.
2) I booted up in Safe Mode. The monitor setting in this mode is
800x600.
3) Since the Safe Mode resolution is already set to what I'm attempting
set as my Normal Mode monitor setting, I didn't need to change the
resolution. However, I decided to switch the monitor setting to
640x480, then back to 800x600, just in case the operating system needs
to see a change in resolution in order to make the setting apply to
Normal Mode. I don't know if this makes any difference.
4) I then rebooted into Normal Mode hoping that the monitor settings
would now be changed to 600x800.
5) At the end of the start-up sequence, and the point where the Win2k
desktop appears, the video setting changed to a setting that my monitor
could not handle. This lead me to believe that changing the monitor
setting while in Safe Mode has no effect on the monitor setting in
Normal Mode.
6) At this point, now in Normal Mode, I was still not able to change
the monitor setting because I could not see my desktop due to the
monitor setting being incompatible with my monitor. :-)

Am I missing something in my approach?
Click to expand...

Now I understand. AFAIK, the settings you select in Safe Mode
will be preserved for the Normal Mode. I suggest you do this:
- Set the resolution to 640x480 while in Safe Mode.
- Set the refresh rate to 60 Hz while in Safe Mode

You should now be able to reboot the machine and see the
desktop while in Normal Mode. If not then I would borrow
someone else's monitor to see what's really going on.
 
If the computer will finish booting but you just cant see the screen, you
could try resetting the resolution "blindly".
1) Push your mouse up and to the right as if you were going to put the
pointer in the top right corner of the screen.
2) Press and release the right mouse button.
3) Press and release the "up arrow" on your keyboard and press enter.
With any luck, the "Desktop Properties" menu will now be on your invisible
desktop.
4) Hold down the Shift key and presse and release the Tab key.
5) Press and release the "right arrow" on your keyboard 5 times.
This will cycle to the settings tab.
6) Press and release the Tab key 2 times.
You should now be on the "Screen Area" slider on the settings page.
7) Press the "left arrow" key repeatedly to move the slider all the way
to the left.
8) Press Enter 2 times.
With a lot of luck, your screen should become visible and you cna press "Y"
to comfirm the changes.
You may want to try this process in Safe Mode first to confirm the key
sequence, but I have successfully done this before.
Good luck,
Louis
 
3c273, your suggestion is the one that worked! It was great to suddenly
see my desktop appear after hitting the correct sequence of keys!

-- i
 
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