[OKDXA] Computer Help

[Nelson Derks]

> I bought a new (used) Compaq Presario for use in the shack.  It works
great except I am having trouble getting it to work properly with my
monitors.  I have tried two different monitors and had the same problem.  I
have downloaded the monitor drivers and tried everything I can think of.

If you really did load monitor (not video) drivers, you were probably trying
to upgrade the wrong end of the video cable... Chances are the machine is
running the default SVGA video driver for your version of Windows, the
lowest common denominator video driver that makes no use of any features on
the chipset, and 16 colors is about as basic as it gets.

Right click on your Windows desktop (startup screen) in an area where there
are no icons (just background) then go to Properties => Settings. Click on
the 'Advanced' button => then 'Adapter'. What does it show? If it's SVGA
without any particular model or brand name, you're on a generic driver. If
it does show a name and model (my Compaq deskpro shipped with a Matrox
Millenium G400 AGP card, so don't expect only a Compaq model), back up and
look at the 'Colors' pull-down menu. Any choice better than 16 colors? If
not, visit:

http://www.hp.com/country/us/eng/support.html

and look for an updated video driver according to the model and rev code of
your machine (there should be a cryptic label with this info on the back or
bottom). Now... Here's the part you're going to love about the computer
industry... Let's say the original OS was Win '98 but someone re-loaded it
with Windows ME or XP. The generic version from Microsoft may not support
the Compaq-specific version of your video card, even though it's from a
name-brand manufacturer. Compaq (and others) have been known to diddle the
video firmware to add features specific to their motherboards, which means
you'll need the Compaq driver for the newer version of Windows.

Surprise, there may not be one, because someone decided the potential number
of upgrades does not justify the engineering cost. Let's say your machine
was three years old when Windows XP came out and they used your specific
video chipset in only a few thousand machines. Factor in field attrition
with the percentage of likely upgrades and you may be part of the SOL group.
Windows XP was particularly bad about not supporting legacy hardware unless
the manufacturer decided to re-write their drivers, but Compaq is usually
pretty good about this. If that's the case, here's what I'd do:

Go into Control Panel and remove the video card. Re-boot the computer.
Windows will auto-configure the video and may find a better match for you
hardware. If it comes out the same, run Windows Update from the START menu
to see if there's a newer video driver. If you find No Joy from Microsoft,
do a web search for the video chipset manufacturer to see if they have a
semi-generic driver for your OS. It may not do something Compaq-specific
like an auto-sleep mode, but if it provides more color depth you can
probably live with that. Not sure what your video chipset is? Surf the
Compaq web site for instructions on how to enter the BIOS setup routine
(usually you press F10 when the white square flashes in the upper right
corner at power-up, but it does vary) and look around for the video
description. It's also not unusual for the video card BIOS to flash its
model type at power-on, but you gotta' read it fast... If all else fails,
buy a restore CD from Compaq and take the machine back to the original OS
and factory setup. Yeah, you're going to lose any added-on software but at
least the hardware will be 100% functional.

If the machine is loaded with the original OS as shipped you should find the
correct driver on the Compaq web site, but watch the rev number! It's not
unusual to see many variations throughout a model run, especially on
something as broad as the Presario line... There's also a chance the
previous owner disabled the on-board video to install a gee-whiz upgrade
card, then pulled the gee-whiz card for use in their new machine, but that's
a long shot. The Compaq web site should have tech notes on what the factory
settings are for the motherboard DIP switches and jumpers, which you may
want to confirm. (?) Just keep thinking how cool it will be when you get it
working...

GL de AC5UP