I need help, but please, don't judge me!!!

[AzurePhoenix]

Okay, I downloaded that game Guild Wars and although didn't have a good enough video card to keep up with it hoped I could set it on lower qulaity setting and play without trouble (as I am able to do with such other games as Knight of the Old Republic)

 

Cutting my self-loathing rant short, my computer is now stuck in 640 by 480 pixels with 16 bit medium color quality, and it won't let me change the settings. Is there anything I can do?

 

---edit---

 

I use Windows XP home edition

[insane_alien]

tried reinstalling your graphics driver?

[Bettina]

The only way that can happen is if your graphics driver has changed. Goto Start, settings, control panel, system, then click the hardware tab.

 

Click on Device Manager, then the + sign on Display Adapters.

 

Your card should be listed. Right click on it....and select Update Driver ...follow the instructions.

 

If that fails, repeat the procedure only instead of Update, select delete and get rid of it and all other drivers in Display Adapters until nothing is left. Then reboot your computer. Windows will search for a new driver for your card and load it...

 

Hope this helps you.

 

Bettina

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

What do you mean by "it won't let me change the settings"? Are they greyed out or what?

 

Right click on your desktop->Properties->Settings

[AzurePhoenix]

What do you mean by "it won't let me change the settings"? Are they greyed out or what?

 

Right click on your desktop->Properties->Settings

When I go to properties to manually change teh resoltuion, as one would normally do, the options available are limited to the single, low grade setting I'm stuck in, which isn't normal.

 

Bettsy, thanx for the advice, trying it now.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I see.

 

That limits it to your graphics driver. Update that and see if it has its own settings panel (Right click on desktop->Properties->Settings->Advanced)

[AzurePhoenix]

I'm going to cry. I can get as far as the monitor tab, but from there, it says its set on the default monitor and it won't let me get into the properties to make te changes. Might anyone know how to fix that? Is it as simple as unplugging adn replugging the monitor to the computer itself?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Mine says default monitor as well, but I can change the settings.

 

Care to take a screenshot so I can see what's going on? I don't know which tab you need to go to, as it varies based on what sort of graphics card you have.

[AzurePhoenix]

here it is

[Bettina]

What does the "adapter" tab look like?...I don't think the default monitor is your problem.....its the adapter.

 

Bettina.

 

And, did you do what I told you before ?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I see that in the main window, you have one otehr option besides 640 by 480--can you use that?

 

Try going into the game to change the resolution.

 

edit: and what Bettina said

[AzurePhoenix]

I see that in the main window, you have one otehr option besides 640 by 480--can you use that?

If I go to adapter, I can change teh settings, to higher pixel, nothing normal and certainly not fixed

 

and what Bettina said

I can go into adapters, which is where I go to make it loook the way I did above, but it won't give me any options for updating or erasing. I'm basically locked out of every suggestion.

 

Clicking on properties on that tab takes me somewhere where no changes can be made.

[AzurePhoenix]

also, I can't even access the game because it's been claiming the video driver is insufficient ever since the "incident" that caused this whole problem

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

So in the List All Modes screen, you can't change anything? If you could, you could just set it to the right one...

 

 

I'm baffled. Try asking at Neowin. They have a lot more technical members.

[Dak]

If you installed the game, then its possible that windows automatically made a restore point.

 

You could try restoring to a point just prior to installing the game and see if that works?

[AzurePhoenix]

I can simply switch between the listed options, but none of them are right. I'll go check with Neowin though.

[AzurePhoenix]

Dak, I could kiss you; thank you for your successful advice. Cap'n, Bettsy, I appreciate your help as well.

[5614]

Restore points have their uses then!

[The Thing]

*runs to turn system restore back on*

It's a shame it wouldn't restore files though. Such as the numerous documents I accidentally deleted or changed.

[Dak]

Restore points have their uses then!

 

I am surprised and amazed that system restore actually fuctioned correctly for once

 

Dak, I could kiss you; thank you for your successful advice. Cap'n, Bettsy, I appreciate your help as well.

 

No problem

[AzurePhoenix]

Does that method usually have kinks?

[Dak]

In my experiance, system restore functions perfectly up untill the point where you need it.

 

Then, it generally either a/ doesnt fix the problem even though, logically speaking, theres absolutely no reason that it shouldnt, or more often b/ hasn't automatically made a restore point like it should have.

 

Nice that it behaved itself this time

[5614]

On top of what Dak said Restore Points make points to go back to, ie. they store data about your computer at a certain point in time. Now if at that point in time there happens to be a virus on your computer, see where this is going?

 

Some viruses are not even accidentally placed into Restore Points, some are programmed to hide within Restore Points, then when you delete the virus... well, you haven't because it's still hiding in the Restore Point.

 

Still, I have Restore Points (RP) running on my computer, but if you ever get a virus then it may be worthwhile deleteing and disabling RP until the virus is removed.

[Dak]

^ viruses cant actually run from restore points, and its better to have a dirty restore point than none atall, espescially if you have a potentially distructive virus onboard at the time.

 

After the virus is shifted, you can 'clean' system restore by turning it off, rebooting, and turning it on again, which erases all system restore points and then makes a new (hopefully clean) one.