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Monitor problem



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 27th 08, 03:28 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Nevans
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 9
Default Monitor problem

Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared") since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???

  #2  
Old June 27th 08, 08:39 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default Monitor problem

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card) no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to direct it to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't let it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart



"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared") since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???



  #3  
Old June 28th 08, 10:01 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Nevans
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 9
Default Monitor problem

Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first, are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card) no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to direct it to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't let it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared") since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???

  #4  
Old June 29th 08, 12:58 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default Monitor problem

Nevans,

My guess is that your Video Adapter is trying to use a combination of old
and new driver files - a sort of soup of residual files - some of which
*may* have the same name but are the incorrect version. So you need to start
over again.

Under the circumstances, yes, uninstall any/all nVidia utilities (in Safe
Mode) using add/remove programs first then open Dev Man and 'Remove' all
Display Adapters (How many do you see? And are they all the same versions
(according to their Properties)

You might even have to search for and remove any stubborn nVidia files still
floating around on your C: drive. You might even have to repeat the process
a couple of times to ensure that you've got rid of them all.

Eventually when you re-boot - with a bit of luck - it *should* ask you for
drivers. Only install the original driver (supplied 2001?) Do not install
(or over-install) the later one. IIRC, there were issues with 'upgrading' to
so-called universal nVidia drivers. Never affected me as mine were Matrox
(desktop) and Neo-Magic (laptop)

Not sure if Mike M (if he is watching this thread) may be able to add any
further info on nVidia drivers as I seem to recollect he had some experience
with them some years back.

Mart



"Nevans" wrote in message
news
Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first, are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card) no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD
perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to direct it
to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't let
it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared") since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the
Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and
remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???



  #5  
Old June 29th 08, 01:50 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Nevans
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 9
Default Monitor problem

Thanks Mart.

There were two Display Adapters in Dev. Mon. when this saga started: a
nVidia one and a "generic" one (can't remember exactly what it was
called). Now there is only a "nVidia Vanta LT (Compaq)" entry. It has
a yellow exclamation point in Normal mode but looks "ok" in Safe Mode.
Also, the Monitor entry does not show up in Normal mode but is there and
fine in Safe Mode.

Thanks for the information about uninstalling the drivers in Safe Mode.

I have actually found the original Compaq driver from 2000 that came
with this machine in the folder C:\cpqdrv\nvidia. I'll try to install
that when (and if) I'm given the opportunity to do so. Maybe later I'll
apply Compaq's nVidia driver Softpaq from 2001. If things get to the
point where I'm back to normal, I'll just leave the driver with a
Compaq-supplied one unless Mike M says otherwise.

I'll report back as soon as I can get online after getting the job done.

Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:58:13 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Nevans,

My guess is that your Video Adapter is trying to use a combination of old
and new driver files - a sort of soup of residual files - some of which
*may* have the same name but are the incorrect version. So you need to start
over again.

Under the circumstances, yes, uninstall any/all nVidia utilities (in Safe
Mode) using add/remove programs first then open Dev Man and 'Remove' all
Display Adapters (How many do you see? And are they all the same versions
(according to their Properties)

You might even have to search for and remove any stubborn nVidia files still
floating around on your C: drive. You might even have to repeat the process
a couple of times to ensure that you've got rid of them all.

Eventually when you re-boot - with a bit of luck - it *should* ask you for
drivers. Only install the original driver (supplied 2001?) Do not install
(or over-install) the later one. IIRC, there were issues with 'upgrading' to
so-called universal nVidia drivers. Never affected me as mine were Matrox
(desktop) and Neo-Magic (laptop)

Not sure if Mike M (if he is watching this thread) may be able to add any
further info on nVidia drivers as I seem to recollect he had some experience
with them some years back.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
news
Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first, are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card) no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD
perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to direct it
to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't let
it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared") since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the
Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and
remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???

  #6  
Old June 29th 08, 04:46 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default Monitor problem

Ah! ... So the 2001 driver was not even the original?

Remove the 2001 & later from your machine and leave only the
C:\cpqdrv\nvidia folder (and contents) in place.

Repeat the 'Removal' of all Video Adapters and Monitors in Dev.Man in Safe
Mode and re-boot.

Hopefully, this time you will be asked for the video drivers. Just point
(navigate) to C:\cpqdrv\nvidia and it should install the correct 2000
driver.

The Monitor files are probably there too and all being well, should
correctly identify your monitor.

Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to update your drivers once you get
them working. Just leave well alone.

Mart


"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Thanks Mart.

There were two Display Adapters in Dev. Mon. when this saga started: a
nVidia one and a "generic" one (can't remember exactly what it was
called). Now there is only a "nVidia Vanta LT (Compaq)" entry. It has
a yellow exclamation point in Normal mode but looks "ok" in Safe Mode.
Also, the Monitor entry does not show up in Normal mode but is there and
fine in Safe Mode.

Thanks for the information about uninstalling the drivers in Safe Mode.

I have actually found the original Compaq driver from 2000 that came
with this machine in the folder C:\cpqdrv\nvidia. I'll try to install
that when (and if) I'm given the opportunity to do so. Maybe later I'll
apply Compaq's nVidia driver Softpaq from 2001. If things get to the
point where I'm back to normal, I'll just leave the driver with a
Compaq-supplied one unless Mike M says otherwise.

I'll report back as soon as I can get online after getting the job done.

Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:58:13 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Nevans,

My guess is that your Video Adapter is trying to use a combination of old
and new driver files - a sort of soup of residual files - some of which
*may* have the same name but are the incorrect version. So you need to
start
over again.

Under the circumstances, yes, uninstall any/all nVidia utilities (in Safe
Mode) using add/remove programs first then open Dev Man and 'Remove' all
Display Adapters (How many do you see? And are they all the same
versions
(according to their Properties)

You might even have to search for and remove any stubborn nVidia files
still
floating around on your C: drive. You might even have to repeat the
process
a couple of times to ensure that you've got rid of them all.

Eventually when you re-boot - with a bit of luck - it *should* ask you
for
drivers. Only install the original driver (supplied 2001?) Do not install
(or over-install) the later one. IIRC, there were issues with 'upgrading'
to
so-called universal nVidia drivers. Never affected me as mine were Matrox
(desktop) and Neo-Magic (laptop)

Not sure if Mike M (if he is watching this thread) may be able to add any
further info on nVidia drivers as I seem to recollect he had some
experience
with them some years back.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
news
Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first, are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card) no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have
the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD
perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and
reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to direct
it
to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't let
it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed
for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any
problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting
the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME
had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty
sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I
double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of
the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard
shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing
another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how
to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there
into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go
back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device
Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever
I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I
can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box
appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your
computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode
where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says
that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site
does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared")
since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying
this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update
Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the
Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and
remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???



  #7  
Old June 29th 08, 08:34 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Nevans
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 9
Default Monitor problem

Hey Mart.

After trying unsuccessfully many times to get this system to recognize
the video driver, I decided to accept the fact that either my video card
was bad or that something in the BIOS got changed last Sunday night when
I didn't connect my monitor correctly.

This morning, I decided I'd better try Step 3 (the directions for
resetting the BIOS) that I had obtained on Tuesday from HP's site
regarding the monitor being blank on startup. First, I did a system
restore in Safe Mode to a point before all of this trouble started
(which I'd tried earlier and determined would not correct the problem
but would at least clean things up a bit). Then I entered the BIOs and
reset it to its default configuration by choosing "Load Setup Defaults
and Exit" or something to that effect . Once I did that, the system
came up properly in normal mode and everything in Device Manager is
correct.

I guess I shouldn't have been so chicken about messing with the BIOS.
It's just not something I want to touch unless absolutely necessary -
and I guess this was one of those times! I was a mainframe applications
programmer for twenty years and was always used to the "systems guys"
having to deal with the equipment and OS side of things.

Sorry to have taken up your time. I've definitely learned some things
from the information you gave me that helps me better understand how
this machine operates.

Thanks so much for all of your help!
Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:46:27 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Ah! ... So the 2001 driver was not even the original?

Remove the 2001 & later from your machine and leave only the
C:\cpqdrv\nvidia folder (and contents) in place.

Repeat the 'Removal' of all Video Adapters and Monitors in Dev.Man in Safe
Mode and re-boot.

Hopefully, this time you will be asked for the video drivers. Just point
(navigate) to C:\cpqdrv\nvidia and it should install the correct 2000
driver.

The Monitor files are probably there too and all being well, should
correctly identify your monitor.

Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to update your drivers once you get
them working. Just leave well alone.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Thanks Mart.

There were two Display Adapters in Dev. Mon. when this saga started: a
nVidia one and a "generic" one (can't remember exactly what it was
called). Now there is only a "nVidia Vanta LT (Compaq)" entry. It has
a yellow exclamation point in Normal mode but looks "ok" in Safe Mode.
Also, the Monitor entry does not show up in Normal mode but is there and
fine in Safe Mode.

Thanks for the information about uninstalling the drivers in Safe Mode.

I have actually found the original Compaq driver from 2000 that came
with this machine in the folder C:\cpqdrv\nvidia. I'll try to install
that when (and if) I'm given the opportunity to do so. Maybe later I'll
apply Compaq's nVidia driver Softpaq from 2001. If things get to the
point where I'm back to normal, I'll just leave the driver with a
Compaq-supplied one unless Mike M says otherwise.

I'll report back as soon as I can get online after getting the job done.

Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:58:13 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Nevans,

My guess is that your Video Adapter is trying to use a combination of old
and new driver files - a sort of soup of residual files - some of which
*may* have the same name but are the incorrect version. So you need to
start
over again.

Under the circumstances, yes, uninstall any/all nVidia utilities (in Safe
Mode) using add/remove programs first then open Dev Man and 'Remove' all
Display Adapters (How many do you see? And are they all the same
versions
(according to their Properties)

You might even have to search for and remove any stubborn nVidia files
still
floating around on your C: drive. You might even have to repeat the
process
a couple of times to ensure that you've got rid of them all.

Eventually when you re-boot - with a bit of luck - it *should* ask you
for
drivers. Only install the original driver (supplied 2001?) Do not install
(or over-install) the later one. IIRC, there were issues with 'upgrading'
to
so-called universal nVidia drivers. Never affected me as mine were Matrox
(desktop) and Neo-Magic (laptop)

Not sure if Mike M (if he is watching this thread) may be able to add any
further info on nVidia drivers as I seem to recollect he had some
experience
with them some years back.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
news Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first, are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card) no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have
the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD
perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and
reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to direct
it
to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't let
it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed
for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any
problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting
the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME
had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty
sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I
double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of
the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard
shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing
another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose how
to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there
into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go
back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device
Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager. Whenever
I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I
can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box
appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your
computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16 colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which, fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode
where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says
that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site
does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared")
since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying
this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update
Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the
Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and
remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???

  #8  
Old June 29th 08, 10:38 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Mart
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 1,190
Default Monitor problem

Well, although I'm very pleased to hear that you've now fixed your PC, I did
wonder why you mentioned the BIOS when discussing what appeared to be a
straight forward Video driver issue. And then I found this post dated
09/12/2004 :-
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...-aperture-size

Hmm... poking about in the BIOS is not always a good idea without keeping
copious detailed notes of every thing you do - so that you can undo them
if/when things go pear-shaped.

Mart



"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Hey Mart.

After trying unsuccessfully many times to get this system to recognize
the video driver, I decided to accept the fact that either my video card
was bad or that something in the BIOS got changed last Sunday night when
I didn't connect my monitor correctly.

This morning, I decided I'd better try Step 3 (the directions for
resetting the BIOS) that I had obtained on Tuesday from HP's site
regarding the monitor being blank on startup. First, I did a system
restore in Safe Mode to a point before all of this trouble started
(which I'd tried earlier and determined would not correct the problem
but would at least clean things up a bit). Then I entered the BIOs and
reset it to its default configuration by choosing "Load Setup Defaults
and Exit" or something to that effect . Once I did that, the system
came up properly in normal mode and everything in Device Manager is
correct.

I guess I shouldn't have been so chicken about messing with the BIOS.
It's just not something I want to touch unless absolutely necessary -
and I guess this was one of those times! I was a mainframe applications
programmer for twenty years and was always used to the "systems guys"
having to deal with the equipment and OS side of things.

Sorry to have taken up your time. I've definitely learned some things
from the information you gave me that helps me better understand how
this machine operates.

Thanks so much for all of your help!
Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:46:27 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Ah! ... So the 2001 driver was not even the original?

Remove the 2001 & later from your machine and leave only the
C:\cpqdrv\nvidia folder (and contents) in place.

Repeat the 'Removal' of all Video Adapters and Monitors in Dev.Man in
Safe
Mode and re-boot.

Hopefully, this time you will be asked for the video drivers. Just point
(navigate) to C:\cpqdrv\nvidia and it should install the correct 2000
driver.

The Monitor files are probably there too and all being well, should
correctly identify your monitor.

Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to update your drivers once you get
them working. Just leave well alone.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Thanks Mart.

There were two Display Adapters in Dev. Mon. when this saga started: a
nVidia one and a "generic" one (can't remember exactly what it was
called). Now there is only a "nVidia Vanta LT (Compaq)" entry. It has
a yellow exclamation point in Normal mode but looks "ok" in Safe Mode.
Also, the Monitor entry does not show up in Normal mode but is there and
fine in Safe Mode.

Thanks for the information about uninstalling the drivers in Safe Mode.

I have actually found the original Compaq driver from 2000 that came
with this machine in the folder C:\cpqdrv\nvidia. I'll try to install
that when (and if) I'm given the opportunity to do so. Maybe later I'll
apply Compaq's nVidia driver Softpaq from 2001. If things get to the
point where I'm back to normal, I'll just leave the driver with a
Compaq-supplied one unless Mike M says otherwise.

I'll report back as soon as I can get online after getting the job done.

Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:58:13 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Nevans,

My guess is that your Video Adapter is trying to use a combination of
old
and new driver files - a sort of soup of residual files - some of which
*may* have the same name but are the incorrect version. So you need to
start
over again.

Under the circumstances, yes, uninstall any/all nVidia utilities (in
Safe
Mode) using add/remove programs first then open Dev Man and 'Remove'
all
Display Adapters (How many do you see? And are they all the same
versions
(according to their Properties)

You might even have to search for and remove any stubborn nVidia files
still
floating around on your C: drive. You might even have to repeat the
process
a couple of times to ensure that you've got rid of them all.

Eventually when you re-boot - with a bit of luck - it *should* ask you
for
drivers. Only install the original driver (supplied 2001?) Do not
install
(or over-install) the later one. IIRC, there were issues with
'upgrading'
to
so-called universal nVidia drivers. Never affected me as mine were
Matrox
(desktop) and Neo-Magic (laptop)

Not sure if Mike M (if he is watching this thread) may be able to add
any
further info on nVidia drivers as I seem to recollect he had some
experience
with them some years back.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
news Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what
driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I
only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first,
are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did
install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card)
no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have
the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD
perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and
reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to
direct
it
to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't
let
it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You
MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed
for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any
problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting
the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME
had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty
sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I
double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del
to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had
used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of
the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard
shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a
blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing
another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose
how
to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there
into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go
back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the
steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot
Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through
lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found
a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having
a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device
Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen
that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager.
Whenever
I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a
message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I
can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box
appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your
computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16
colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which,
fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario
again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode
where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says
that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may
do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site
does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared")
since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying
this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update
Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by
the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the
Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and
remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC
does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???



  #9  
Old June 30th 08, 12:02 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
Nevans
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 9
Default Monitor problem

Wow! I'd totally forgotten about that post. I never did get an answer
back then and never did change anything.

I started thinking about the BIOS at the present time because it is
referenced in Step 3 of the following document titled "HP and Compaq
Desktop PCs - Monitor is Blank after Starting the Computer":

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaqLiteDocument?lc=en&cc=uk&dlc=en&docname=bph 04760

I wouldn't be surprised if this week's BIOS problem resulted from my
stupidiy using the keyboard while my monitor was blank (because it was
not properly connected) when I rebooted to finish installing that new
RAM stick last Sunday night. Quoting myself from this past Thursday:

quote
After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I double-check
it before powering up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard shutdown?).
end quote

Anyway, all's well that ends well? And I think I'll give things a rest
for awhile before adding that new RAM again. I'm tired!

Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:38:00 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Well, although I'm very pleased to hear that you've now fixed your PC, I did
wonder why you mentioned the BIOS when discussing what appeared to be a
straight forward Video driver issue. And then I found this post dated
09/12/2004 :-
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...-aperture-size

Hmm... poking about in the BIOS is not always a good idea without keeping
copious detailed notes of every thing you do - so that you can undo them
if/when things go pear-shaped.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Hey Mart.

After trying unsuccessfully many times to get this system to recognize
the video driver, I decided to accept the fact that either my video card
was bad or that something in the BIOS got changed last Sunday night when
I didn't connect my monitor correctly.

This morning, I decided I'd better try Step 3 (the directions for
resetting the BIOS) that I had obtained on Tuesday from HP's site
regarding the monitor being blank on startup. First, I did a system
restore in Safe Mode to a point before all of this trouble started
(which I'd tried earlier and determined would not correct the problem
but would at least clean things up a bit). Then I entered the BIOs and
reset it to its default configuration by choosing "Load Setup Defaults
and Exit" or something to that effect . Once I did that, the system
came up properly in normal mode and everything in Device Manager is
correct.

I guess I shouldn't have been so chicken about messing with the BIOS.
It's just not something I want to touch unless absolutely necessary -
and I guess this was one of those times! I was a mainframe applications
programmer for twenty years and was always used to the "systems guys"
having to deal with the equipment and OS side of things.

Sorry to have taken up your time. I've definitely learned some things
from the information you gave me that helps me better understand how
this machine operates.

Thanks so much for all of your help!
Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:46:27 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Ah! ... So the 2001 driver was not even the original?

Remove the 2001 & later from your machine and leave only the
C:\cpqdrv\nvidia folder (and contents) in place.

Repeat the 'Removal' of all Video Adapters and Monitors in Dev.Man in
Safe
Mode and re-boot.

Hopefully, this time you will be asked for the video drivers. Just point
(navigate) to C:\cpqdrv\nvidia and it should install the correct 2000
driver.

The Monitor files are probably there too and all being well, should
correctly identify your monitor.

Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to update your drivers once you get
them working. Just leave well alone.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Thanks Mart.

There were two Display Adapters in Dev. Mon. when this saga started: a
nVidia one and a "generic" one (can't remember exactly what it was
called). Now there is only a "nVidia Vanta LT (Compaq)" entry. It has
a yellow exclamation point in Normal mode but looks "ok" in Safe Mode.
Also, the Monitor entry does not show up in Normal mode but is there and
fine in Safe Mode.

Thanks for the information about uninstalling the drivers in Safe Mode.

I have actually found the original Compaq driver from 2000 that came
with this machine in the folder C:\cpqdrv\nvidia. I'll try to install
that when (and if) I'm given the opportunity to do so. Maybe later I'll
apply Compaq's nVidia driver Softpaq from 2001. If things get to the
point where I'm back to normal, I'll just leave the driver with a
Compaq-supplied one unless Mike M says otherwise.

I'll report back as soon as I can get online after getting the job done.

Nevans

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:58:13 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Nevans,

My guess is that your Video Adapter is trying to use a combination of
old
and new driver files - a sort of soup of residual files - some of which
*may* have the same name but are the incorrect version. So you need to
start
over again.

Under the circumstances, yes, uninstall any/all nVidia utilities (in
Safe
Mode) using add/remove programs first then open Dev Man and 'Remove'
all
Display Adapters (How many do you see? And are they all the same
versions
(according to their Properties)

You might even have to search for and remove any stubborn nVidia files
still
floating around on your C: drive. You might even have to repeat the
process
a couple of times to ensure that you've got rid of them all.

Eventually when you re-boot - with a bit of luck - it *should* ask you
for
drivers. Only install the original driver (supplied 2001?) Do not
install
(or over-install) the later one. IIRC, there were issues with
'upgrading'
to
so-called universal nVidia drivers. Never affected me as mine were
Matrox
(desktop) and Neo-Magic (laptop)

Not sure if Mike M (if he is watching this thread) may be able to add
any
further info on nVidia drivers as I seem to recollect he had some
experience
with them some years back.

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
news Mart,

Whenever I remove the Monitor and Video Display Adapters in the Device
Manager in Safe Mode, the subsequent reboot does not ask me what
driver
I want but just does its own thing and then says to reboot, which I
only
do when I do not need to get online.

I did not do the following but just want to be sure I'm doing things
right: When you say to remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first,
are
you talking about using Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the couple of
nVidia drivers that are present in that list? I have a Compaq Softpaq
with the latest nVidia driver they supplied in 2001 which I did
install
back then. I also have the installation program for nVidia's 71.84
driver which I installed a couple of years ago.

Thanks for your assistance,
Nevans

On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:39:09 +0100, Mart wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Your (current) problem appears to be due to the video adapter (card)
no
longer being offered the correct WinMe driver. Confirm that you have
the
correct driver (originally supplied with the pc - on a separate CD
perhaps?)
and re-do Mike's and my advice (at the bottom of your post) and
reinstall
your video driver.

You MUST remove the old driver(s) in Safe Mode first.

When your PC re-boots (into Normal Mode) it *should* ask you to
direct
it
to
the video driver. Be sure to point it to the correct driver - don't
let
it
guess and find a default "PCI VGA compatible display adapter". You
MUST
direct it to the correct WinMe compatible one, specifically designed
for
your card/adapter.

Good luck

Mart

"Nevans" wrote in message
...
Compaq Presario 5000 5WV254
700mhz AMD Duron
256MB Ram
Windows ME

This post is long. It begins.... I was adding one stick of RAM the
other night to increase from 256 to 512. I was not having any
problems.
I know! I know! "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

After reconnecting all cables at the back of my computer, connecting
the
electricity and powering up, my screen was blank. Thinking that ME
had
fully booted but I just couldn't see it (dumb me!) and being pretty
sure
my monitor cable wasn't completely plugged in (why didn't I
double-check
it before poweing up when I wasn't 100% sure?), I used Ctl-Alt-Del
to
try to shutdown by moving my "invisible" cursor to the "Shutdown"
position and hitting Enter. (I know. Pretty stupid.) Nothing
happened. Then I used Ctl-Alt-Del again because I realized I had
used
one of the arrow keys (to the left of the numeric keypad) instead of
the
Tab key to move my "invisible" cursor. Again nothing happened -
surprise, surprise - so I shutdown using the power key (hard
shutdown?).

Powering back up resulted in the Windows ME screen followed by a
blank
screen with a blinking cursor briefly and then no cursor. Doing
another
hard shutdown/power on took me to the screen that lets you choose
how
to
bootup. It had Safe Mode selected and the machine booted up there
into
Windows Help and Support. (The new RAM was recognized in Safe Mode;
nevertheless I decided to remove it before proceeding further.)

After many frustrating hours, including using System Restore to go
back
to a restore point from earlier in the day and going through the
steps
in a printout I had of MS article 273738 "How to Troubleshoot
Windows
Millennium Edition Startup Problems", I eventually realized I could
access my newsreader program in Safe Mode. After looking through
lots
of posts in my archive of the MS Windows ME help newsgroups, I found
a
thread from April 2005 in which the recommendation to someone having
a
similar problem was to remove all Monitor entries in the Device
Manager
(which did not fix my problem) and then suggested removing all Video
Display Adapter entries (which also did not fix my problem).

I got the "detecting new hardware" message the very first time I
rebooted (I'm not sure whether that was after removing the Monitor
entries or the Video Display Adapter entries) but I have not seen
that
message in many subsequent reboots.

There are now no Monitor entries present in Device Manager.
Whenever
I
can do what I call a "semi-successful" boot, it starts with a
message
about "PCI VGA compatible display adapter" that goes by so fast I
can't
get the whole thing and then a message about nVidia. Then a box
appears
with "To finish setting up your new hardware, restart your
computer....
Do you wish to restart now?".

If I don't restart, I can get into Windows with 640x480 and 16
colors
(a "semi-successful" boot.) That's where I am now which,
fortunately,
allows me to get online to access email, do other work and, most
importantly, do more research on this problem I'm having.

If I choose instead to restart, I get the blank screen scenario
again.
I then hard shutdown/power up and let my machine go into Safe Mode
where
I remove the nVidia Video Display Adapter entry so I can get another
semi-successful boot.

I've already checked that all cards and cables inside are secure.
I have a feeling I'm going to have to mess with the BIOS and guess I
just want some guidance (reassurance!) before proceeding.

At http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winme/r1077150248 it says
that
clearing my board's BIOS Plug and Play configuration data (DMI) may
do
the trick. although I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Some reading I've done at HP's site indicates that resetting my BIOS
back to its default configuration might fix my problem. Their site
does
tell how to do that but I'm not sure I'm ready (call it "scared")
since
this is the most complicated problem I've encountered since buying
this
machine in Nov. 2000. If necessary, I have the last BIOS update
Compaq
provided in 2002 for this computer.

Thanks,
Nevans

P.S. Just for clarification, I did use the appropriate RAM for this
machine. Several years ago I increased my ram from 64 to 256 (by
replacing Compaq's 64MB stick with two 128MB sticks of Kingston
KVR133Q/128R) and this time added one 256MB stick of Kingston
KVR133Q/256R in the last available slot.

Here's the portion of the old thread I mentioned above (which, by
the
way, fixed the OP's problem back then although he didn't say which
action(s) actually resulted in success). I can provide more of the
thread if you need it.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 00:36:08 +0100, Mike M wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
:

Follow Mart's suggestion and remove all entries in Monitor in the
Device
Manager. If that doesn't fix it then boot back into Safe Mode and
remove
all Video Display Adapter entries.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP


KenP wrote:

I forgot to include that if I boot up in the SAFE MODE, the PC
does
come up. Where do I change the monitor refresh mode, bios or ???

  #10  
Old October 5th 08, 04:58 AM
irving
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 3
Default

sometimes monitors can be a bit tricky.
__________________
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