How do I fix the colour on my computer?

Question

I am running win.98 se the colors are screwed up and the icons on the desk top is bigger than usual. I go into the displays and change the color settings then it ask me to restart I do only to find when the computer restarts it is the same as if I didn't make any adjustments I have a driver disk for win.98 but everytime I try to run it a message saying illegel operation and program will close Hope some one can help thanks.

Answer 1

You need to divide-and-conquer here. There can be more than one culprit.
1) The monitor is failing.
2) The video card could be at fault
3) Device driver acting up.
4) Virus
5) OS corrupted

The 1st one could be the easiest. Plug the monitor to any other desktop or laptop to see if the colour still comes out naturally.

Similarly for the video card. Change places (not you, the card) with another one which you know is working.

The device driver is a bit tricky. It is made worse when you have the old Win98SE that there might be no device drivers available to support it. Anyway, go to the video card's manufacturer website(assuming you can still surf the internet either by tolerating the colour or using another machine) to download the latest one for Win98SE.

Viruses are mean. Update your virus scanning program and give your machine a thorough scan.

If all fail to dig out the culprit, well, you might need to reinstall the OS. (I'd advise not to do it on your own. Get a professional. And of course, back up all important files first).

Answer 2

Try booting 98se in Safe Mode. Hold the CTRL key and power up the machine, then select from the menu.
Make display changes and go to the Shut Down procedure to power off.
Reboot and see what happened.
Also - your refresh rate may need to be adjusted. This is a bit tricky. Usually if the screen goes all wavy it will snap back after 15 seconds by itself. IF NOT, try safe mode again or take it to a repair shop for professional setup.

Answer 3

First of all, stop spelling it "colour" - that looks like something you'd order from the barkeep, as in "colour and cream"... Ain't no "u" in it, kiddo...