John Colby
jwcolby at gmail.com
Mon Oct 21 10:25:39 CDT 2013
Does it happen to be a coprocessor, using an onboard proc/mem? This sounds like color mapping issues. If it has video on the mb figure out how to disable it. On Oct 21, 2013 11:17 AM, "Rocky Smolin" <rockysmolin at bchacc.com> wrote: > I posted a couple of weeks ago that my display is wonky but I've been > living > with it from day to day because I don't want to face the ultimate > consequences - a total disk wipe and reload. > > > > Here's what happened - one day my displays (dual monitors - HDMI and DVI) > just refused to light up. Testing them on a second machine showed they > were > still working so I thought it must be the video card. I got the machine > back in limp mode by using one monitor in VGA and did a full backup using > Norton Ghost. > > > > So I zipped down to Fry's got an MSI with Nvidia software. Had a hard time > getting the software loaded but with terrible help from MSI I got the > monitors up to the point where they were working but they did not display > correctly. The desktop displays all colors correctly so the card was > working correctly but any app would show no colors except for what it looks > like just maybe embedded graphics. Access - no colors (except for a very > few control - I can set the color on a line control. And it shows the > color > on an image control with the Picture pointing to a .png file (embedded). > > > > Browsers also show this lack of color and come links are hidden. So that's > annoying. In Outlook, the folders down the left side are in yellow but > everything else is pretty much black and white with a few grays. So all > apps > are failing to show colors except for some graphics. But again, the > desktop > icons are all correct. SO I think the card is working right. > > > > So, MSI tech tells me maybe the card is bad out of the box because he > doesn't want to help me any more so back to Fry's I go to get a different > card. But before I do I stick the old card in so at least I have a working > machine. And what do you know - the HDMI and DVI ports are working. But > still no colors. So I'm thinking that the card is OK - it's software. > > > > I uninstalled all the Nvidia stuff I could find including cleaning the > registry, reinstalled the drivers for the original card (it came with the > Dell XPS 830) but have not been able to correct the problem. > > > > I did a deep virus scan - nothing found. I tried to go back to a restore > point - there was only one available (don't know why) and it failed to > restore. > > > > I use Norton Ghost and have the whole drive backed up to an external HD > with > a date that I think means the problem may be in the backup. I have > restored > individual files from these backups so they work. But I have never done a > whole system restore. > > > > My leading theory is that this is a software problem and there is a dll or > a > driver of some several files that are bad and if they could be found and > replaced the problem would be fixed. But I don't know where to go form > here. > > > > I have, I think for options in order if decreasing pain: > > > > 1. The nuclear option - wipe the disk and restore to out of the box > state; reload all software, add-ons, etc, restore personal files. Not a > pleasant prospect, but the backstop plan. ( I made the three DVD System > Recovery Disks when I got the box. ) (Actually have a backup to the backup > if System Restore from the DVDs fails, I've got a W7 Ultimate disk). This > plan could take a couple of days, as you guys know. > > > > 2. Do a whole system restore from the Ghost backup. If it fails > option > 1 becomes operative. > > > > 3. Try restoring specific OS folders like the Windows/System 32 folder > where the problem might lie. But for me, that just shooting in the dark. > > > > 4. Actually diagnose and repair the problem - and this would mean > relying on you guys to come up with some ideas of what the problem might > be. > > > > > The video card is an AMD Radeon HD 6450 1GB DDR3. > > > > I suppose I could also take it to a desktop expert and pay for the fix. > But > my comps have been so reliable for the last 20 years, I don't really have > anyone like that. > > > > Any ideas on this will be greatly appreciated. > > > > MTIA > > > > -- > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >