i1400 stuck on 16 colors! Help...

[Denny]

My Thinkpad i1400 type 2621 model 420 used to show millions of colors.

Then I installed a scanner (since removed), which changed some system settings automatically. As a result I only have 16 simple colors now.

For awhile the system complained that a certain driver was missing. Now it just boots up with only 16 colors and no complaint.

There are currently no profiles associated with this machine, and the only one that it did accept when I "poked around" showed only 16 colors available, not 16 million!

The IBM site offered a BIOS upgrade, now installed, but still I can access only those very few colors.

Anyone know what driver I need?

Thanks for all assistance,
Denny

[G-Man]

What about the video driver? Have you installed it?

Regards,
G-Man

[Denny]

Thanks for the input.

I re-installed the driver you referenced (thanks for the link).

Using the Update Device Driver Wizard for the Monitor, it searches for a driver for "IBM ThinkPad 1024x768 LCD panel."

Then states that the "best driver" is already installed for this device, giving C:\windows\inf\other\IBMTHI~1.INF

DXINFO.exe reports the driver as vga.drv with a resolution of 640 x 480. Also gives the monitor as IBM Thinkpad 1024 x 768 with a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768.

Right about now, my inexperience is showing, I suspect!

Apparently there is another kind of driver somewhere that I should be checking into, right?

Thanks,
Denny

[G-Man]

What Windows are you using?

Regards,
G-Man

[Denny]

From the IBM website, I re-installed:

1)vftpkr8m.exe - Video driver for Windows 98/Me - ThinkPad 1400, 1500 (2621, 2651)

2) dx90update_redist.exe (DirectX 9.0b Redistributable ) required by the video driver.

Still getting only 16 simple colors!

BTW, I found a file supervga.drv under c:\windows\system. I found somewhere that the current driver is vga.drv. Is the other driver the one I should be using? (Looked all around this computer for a way to change it, but I keep being directed to a wizard that says the correct driver is already installed.

Thanks for the heads up ;-)

Denny

[G-Man]

Make sure you first remove the video driver, then install it again. Go to Control Panel>System>Hardware>Device Manager>Display Adapters, right click on the video adapter (ATI RAGE Mobility) and uninstall. After the driver is removed, restart the system. After restart just let windows install the default driver. Now install the IBM ATI driver. Hopefully you will have the 16 million colors option in Display Properties.

Regards,
G-Man

[Denny]

Thanks...

Problem solved ;-)

Have a great day.
Denny