Re: I need advice.

M. N. wrote:
> I DO have the latest motherboard BIOS.!
> ================================================== ======================================
> "M. N." <> wrote in message
> news:. ..
>> I recently completed building my new computer using a Tomcat i845GL-S2098
>> motherboard.
>>
>> Then I installed Windows XP from my CD. Everything went very well! XP
>> worked fine!
>>
>> Since the CD did NOT include SP2, I installed SP2 from another CD.
>>
>> After SP2 was installed, my problem occurred. The display resolution was
>> reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, I could not change it using Control
>> Panel/Display in the usual fashion. (Weird!) In fact XP "knew" that the
>> display was "messed up" since there was an icon and message in the lower
>> right in the notification area (systray) stating so. Also, device manager
>> had a large yellow question mark for the video controller.
>>
>> Thus my "VGA was wiped out". Since I had not installed networking (which
>> I intend to do later on), I used my other computer to go to the TYAN site
>> for a VGA driver. Since the driver info on the site was the same as that
>> on the CD that came with my motherboard, I used the latter in the hopes
>> that I could load the correct VGA driver. After I did so, I got an Icon in
>> the notification area about the driver. I right clicked on an associated
>> option and made a selection. Unfortunately, the screen went blank. Not
>> even a CTRL/ALT/DEL nor subsequent rebooting of XP would change the blank
>> screen. I was "dead in the water as far as XP was concerned".
>>
>> So, I decided to start over. I booted from a my disk utility CD and
>> deleted the (single) partition that contained XP and created a new (blank)
>> partition. It will take my less than 1 hour to reinstall XP (without SP2)
>> from the XP-install CD. However, I need to PLAN how to upgrade it to SP2
>> without the above mentioned problem (or being able to correct it). That's
>> where I need advice. I assume the same problem will occur when I install
>> SP2 from the CD. WHAT do I do to get the "display back to normal". It
>> would be nice if I could just have a floppy ready that contained the VGA
>> driver files in a format the I could appropriately input.
>>
>> Any suggestions?
>>

Install WinXP.

Install SP2 (you can even make a slipstreamed disc, for future use,
where SP2 would be included in the install).

Install motherboard drivers. Do this step after SP2, as there are
some driver installers that actually check the Service Pack
level, before they install.

Install INFINST (which are the chipset drivers). If you don't have
any, you can get them in the same place as the following.

Download a video driver from downloadcenter.intel.com . Find something
for 845GL, if you're using the built-in graphics.

845G video driver for WinXP is here.
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filt...4&submit=Go%21

The release notes show the 845G driver, covers 845GL.
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/9034/ENG/relnotes.htm

The release date of that driver, is after the release of SP2, but
the release notes don't specifically mention it.

That is the order I'd try.

If you have a monitor with "weird" native resolution, sometimes the
video driver cannot be coaxed to drive at those values. But
the hardware can actually do it, because if you were to install
Linux, the driver there can program the hardware, for more
resolution choices than comparable Windows drivers.

If you're ever dead in the water, you could boot in safe mode
and remove the video driver. If reinstalling the driver in
regular boot mode, still doesn't recover things, you'll have
to snoop around the registry, to see if something in there is
being preserved between install and uninstall. (Some video
chip companies have driver cleaner apps, for cases where
some garbage is left behind. I tested one, and in fact it
did not remove some branded files that were left after
an uninstall. Nothing, apparently, is perfect.)

HTH,
Paul