SeaWings said:
My computer appears to be running in safe mode but I don't have it in
safe mode. Does anyone have any idea what may be wrong and/or how to
fix it?
What makes you think the computer is running Safe Mode? Do you get Safe Mode
written in all 4 corners of the Desktop when starting in that mode and do
you get the Safe Mode dialog box?
If not, then you are not in Safe Mode and your video settings are probably
in 8 or 16-bit. Go to the Display applet and click on the Settings tab.
Change the resolution to something your monitor can handle. A conservative
setting is 1024 x 768.
If you are unable to change the resolution, update your video card drivers.
Never get drivers from Windows Update. Get them from:
1. The device mftr.'s website; OR
2. The motherboard mftr.'s website if hardware is onboard; OR
3. The OEM's website for your specific machine if you have an OEM computer
(HP, Dell, Sony, etc.).
Read the installation instructions on the website where you get the drivers.
To find out what hardware is in your computer:
1. Read any documentation you got when you bought the computer.
2. If the computer is OEM, go to the OEM's website for your specific model
machine and look at the specs (you'll be there to get the drivers anyway)
3. Download, install and run a free system inventory program like Belarc
Advisor. The older Aida32 is good for this, too.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html - Belarc Advisor
http://www.aumha.org/free.htm - Aida32 (hosted on Jim Eshelman's site)
If you have installed drivers from Windows Update, you can roll them back:
How to Roll Back a Device Driver -
http://tinyurl.com/86yb6
If you are truly not in Safe Mode and updating the drivers doesn't help,
then your video card is probably failing. Uninstall it and swap it out for
a known-working one.
Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts with
known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).
Malke
