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rd707Flag for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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>256 colours ?

For reasons best known to itself, my machine (IBM Aptiva P75) resolutely refuses to go above 256 colours. The "help" says that more colours are available depending on the display adapter and the monitor. I know it isn't the monitor as I've had more than 256 colours before, I also have the correct driver. I'm not sure which display adapter I should I should have as my monitor manufacturer isn't listed as a choice in the display adapter list. I tried a few display adapters at random but it made no difference - in fact in some cases, I was left with 16 colours ! I also have no driver disk. The monitor is a Tatung CM-14UHR.

Not sure if it is related, but on the Settings tab of Display Properties, the advanced button has been replaced with something else - something like "change monitor".

Any ideas people?

rd707
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satwa

Post the exact model and serial number of your Aptiva and I will give you the
answer.  The Aptiva model number will be like this: xxxx-xxx

Where the first four X's are numbers and the last three X's are usually a combination of letters and numbers.
Display adapter in Windowsspeak is your graphics card not the monitor. It is likely that either you do not have the latest graphics card driver installed OR your card does not have sufficient memory to display more than 256 colours.  You may have to increase the memory in your card by adding memory chips (quite cheap and easy if you can locate the correct chips) or buy a new card (still not too expensive and much easier).

Try loking for an updated driver first, try the manufacturers website.

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dacopel.

The current hardware configuration worked fine before but stopped working while I was fixing another (unrelated) problem: thus it is not a problem with an obsolete card or lack of memory.

satwa.

I don't have that information immediately to hand but I shall post it tomorrow.

rd707
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From what I've read here and what I've found on the web, I need to find out what my display adapter is. How can I find this out?

Is this a removable plug-in board or is it part of the motherboard?

rd707
Post the model number for your Aptiva as I asked and I can get you exactly
what your display adapter is.  I have all this on database, but there are many
Aptivas, I need to Aptiva Model number to correctly advise you.
To answer rd707's latest question directly, it could be either. Sometimes the display adaptor is integrated into the mother board, sometimes it is a separate card. Do as satwa asks and give us the model number of your Aptiva.

It would be useful to know if you are the original purchaser of that computer as well (just to eliminate the small chance that someone else before you changed the adapter that came with the computer).
rd,
right click on "my Computer" and select properties.  Click on the device manager Tab.  Click on the + next to display adapters.  There you will find out what type of display adapter you have.  Please post it here.
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Model: 141 (SL-1)
S/N: 7455HB4KY
Machine Type: 2144
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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satwa

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I've got a nasty feeling that this isn't going to be entirely straightforward. I think my machine may well be a hybrid of different IBM machines.

On the setup screen, it says that the display type is a Trident TGUI196XX with 1024k and also the spec of my machine differs from that shown on the 2144-141 web site.

On the web site it states the following spec...

P100 MHz(0KB) 8MB 1.2GB HDD IDE ISA/PCI Desktop(3X4) Trident 4X CD Win95.

While mine is a P75 with 4MB (with 4MB added) .8GB hard drive.

I seem also to recall having already tried the Trident display adapters.

I'll try the video upgrade and have a look through the hardware manual and let you know how I faired.

I had a look inside the machine for a display adapter and couldn't find it so it must be on-board.

rd707.

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I tell a lie.

Mine is a P75 which HAD 8MB and another 8MB has been added.

rd707
rd707

Some of the earlier 2144-141 Aptivas were sold with a Pentium 75 by IBM,
the only reason that they list pentium 100 on the web site is this is the last
configuration for this machine.  If you download their manual and look in there
it will show you that yours is upgradeable to Pentium 100 by moving jumpers
on the motherboard and installing a Pentium 100 CPU.

The correct display adapter for your machine is: the Trident 9680.  If you open
your case and look at the Trident Chip on your motherboard you will see that it
is a Trident 9680.

The listing on your setup screen is what was chosen by either you or some else
that was guessing at the Trident Chip.  the only way that you could have a
Trident TGUI196xxx is if you had an add-on board and the Trident 9680 chip
on the motherboard had been disabled.

While you have the cover off check to see if your monitor is attached to the
VGA port on the Motherboard, or to a Graphics Card that has been inserted
into a Slot on your motherboard.

DOWNLOAD THE DRIVER FROM IBM LIKE I SUGGESTED.

if you are connected to the VGA Port on your motherboard, remove all your
present Trident drivers, set your display for "STANDARD VGA" 16 COLORS,
640 X 480,

Shut down the computer, re-boot and install the IBM Driver.

If you have not installed an add-on VGA card all will be OK.

There are many configurations for the 2144-141 from Pentium 75 to Pentium 100,
download the manual and you will be able to see all of them, plus get valuable
information on how to upgrade your Aptiva.  
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satwa.

Thanks for your continued help.

I've got the driver and the manual - I'll give it a whirl tonight.

rd707.
Go slowly and follow the instructions carefully, especially about remvoing your
old Trident drivers, setting the display to Standard VGA and 640X480 and 16
colors, before re-booting and installing the IBM Driver for Windows 95.
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ASKER

Yep - that cured it a treat.

Nice one satwa.

rd707
Good luck