I recently installed a geforce2 mx-dh-pro video card in my gateway
pentium 3-866mhz computer. The card has 2 vga outputs and an s video
output. I got the two vga outputs to work in clone mode but while I
was trying to get them to work in dual monitor mode I must have done
something wrong. Now In control panel-display-settings I am only
offered 16 color on the ge force and when I remove the geforce card I
am only offered 16 & 256 color on the motherboard video. It doesn't
matter what I am offered because when I try to change to 256 color at
768x1024 It tells me to restart the computer to activate the changes
but the results never change to 256 color. They stay at 16 colors.
What did Ido wrong and how do I fix it? I have reinstalled the video
card and the drivers but with no luck. I have used restore in windows
but that comes back with an unsuccessful result for some reason. I
have followed windows help suggestions but with no luck.

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Request for Question Clarification by molloch-ga on 11 Aug 2002 17:52 PDT

Hi FlyFish,

I can help you with this question but firstly I need to know the
following:

1/ What version of Windows you are using.
2/ What version of the NVidia drivers are installed (in Device
Manager, find your video card, right click, go to properties, click on
the "Driver" tab and note the driver version and publisher)
3/ Do you have 2 monitors connected? Are they the same monitor? What
is the brand/model if possible)
4/ Are you confident (or able) to look in your BIOS settings?

Thanks

Molloch

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Clarification of Question by fly_fish-ga on 12 Aug 2002 14:32 PDT

I needed the computer so bad that I removed the video card and
reinstalled windows. This lost all of the info on my hard drive even
though windows said it wouldn't happen. Anyway I would still like an
answer to the question so here is the info. I am using windows ME. I
have a MAG innovision model dj920 as the main monitor and a gateway
pmv 1448 as the second monitor (old one). The integral video card in
the motherboard has these specs. Intel(r) 82815 graphics controller
ver. 002. Using driver C;\windows\system\vmm32.vxd (vxd/vdd). File
version 4.12.01.2636. AMI bios date 10-31-00. SMBIOS ver. 2.3. If you
can tell me how to get more info on the bios I will try it. Tell me
what else you need and I will get it for you and then reinstall the
video card because I know you need the drivers installed for it. Thank
you. Sincerely, Mark

Hi!!
What kind of monitor are you using?, are the monitor drivers well
installed?
You must check it because if you are changing the setting of display,
and the computer "think" that your monitor does not support the new
settings, the change could no be made.

Please give us more info about monitor used and monitor installed. See
that in the  Control Panel ---> System ---> Device Administrator.

livioflores-ga

Have you tried the nVidia Detonator driver?
http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=drivers

The nView should do dual monitor nicely.

fly-fish...

What's frustrating is that I experienced the same thing,
at some point, and I can't remember what I did to cause
it, or exactly how I got out of it...

What I do know is that it happened, not from installing
a new video card or monitor, but while using the same
ones I'd had installed for awhile - working at 800x600,
and 64k colors. It might have happened when I upgraded
my Voodoo 3 drivers.....

I seem to remember that it had something to do with the
vmm.vxd windows driver, in C:\Windows\System\
I believe that Windows modifies this file when you 
install a video card, and somehow it got modified
so as to limit the display to 16 colors. As I say,
I don't remember exactly how I got out of it, though
it may have had to do with that file.

Also, here's a letter from a thread about being
"stuck in 16 colors" which notes that, after
going into Safe Mode, you may lose your normal
display drivers, and have to re-install them.
I'm certain this has happened to me, as well:

"I went to start \ settings \ Control panel \
Display \ Settings \ Advanced \ Adapter 
.... and hit the change button. From memory,
I got a dialog box that asked me if 
i wanted the system to search for the latest
driver or if I wanted to specify one 
myself. I chose the first option, after
making sure that I had the "Product recovery
and diagnostics CD Rom" which came with the
computer, in the drive. The system chugged
and whirred and said it was finished and
would have to restart  and when it did -
you beauty! - it was back on Hi-color
1800x600! What I think happened was that when
it went into "Safe Mode" I remember it saying
that it only loaded the minimum of drivers,
so when I restarted from there I had lost my
video driver. If this doesn't solve your
problem at least you can cross this off your
list of possible faults."

Quoted from:
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/r1013394224


Searches, via Google:

"stuck in 16 colors"
://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22stuck+in+16+colors%22

sublime1-ga

fly-fish...

P.S. If this adequately resolves your situation, let me know
so I can post it as an answer...

thanks...
sublime1-ga