Troubleshooting Portable LCD Video Display Difficulties in Windows^® 95

Possible causes:

The brightness and contrast are not set for optimum viewing.
The display is not correctly configured with the video on the system.
A screen saver or power saver may be temporarily blanking the screen.
Environmental factors in the area of the computer are causing distortion.
There is a software conflict with the version or type of video that is on the system.
The video drivers are corrupt.
A newly added hardware device is conflicting with the video.
Check for environmental factors that could be affecting the computer.
The display or video adapter is damaged.

Basic video troubleshooting LCD display:

Monitor connections - Due to the Warranty for Portables systems the case should not be opened. The connections of the LCD display are unavailable, and should not be tampered with. To test a system with no video, connect an external monitor through the VGA port.
Power to the display - Consult the portableís Userís Guide for instructions on resetting the computerís internal settings to factory defaults in the CMOS to eliminate the possibility of improper settings.
Environmental distortion - Electrical interference from other devices such as televisions, radios, microwave ovens, etc. causes the display to "jump" or "shake." Interference can also make the display appear blurry or fuzzy. If the system is close to a fluorescent light, turn the light off or move the light away from the display to see if the video clears up. If the system is plugged into a surge protector, unplug the system and reconnect it to the wall outlet to see if the video improves. If you notice that the display acts up at regular intervals, see if there is a major appliance, such as a freezer, air conditioner, etc., on the same electrical circuit. If there is a major appliance on the same circuit, move the computer to a new location. If possible, move the system to another location to see if the distortion clears up.
Resolving video problems:

Confirm the monitor and display adapter type are correctly indicated - If the monitor or video type is not correctly identified in Windows 95, the display may appear distorted or you may not be able to enter Windows 95 at all.

If you are able to enter Windows 95, you can check the current video adapter and monitor selections. Click an open area on the Windows 95 desktop. Click the word Properties that appears on the menu. Across the top of this window are four tabs: Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings. Click the tab marked Settings. On the bottom right hand side of the Settings section, click the Change Display Type button to go to that window. The Adapter Type and Monitor Type are displayed here. In the Monitor Type section, click the Change button to the right of this setting. In the lower left hand corner of the Select Device window, click the circle beside Show all devices. In the Manufacturers: windows on the left hand side of the screen, scroll to the top of the window to select (Standard monitor types). In the Models: window on the right hand side of the screen choose Laptop Display Panel (640x480) (Consult the portable's User's Guide for the correct resolution for the computer). Once these changes are complete, click the OK button at the bottom of the screen to return to the Change Display Type window. Click the Close button to return to the Display Properties window. Click OK to return to the Windows 95 desktop. Restart the computer system. Windows 95 should now appear normal.
If you cannot enter Windows 95, reboot the computer. When it finishes counting the memory and displays, "Starting Windows 95 . . .", immediately press the F5 key on the keyboard. This will allow you to enter Windows 95 in Safe Mode. Follow the steps in the preceding section to check the video and monitor settings to see if this resolves your issue.

Removing a 1" border around the LCD screen - If there is a one inch border around the LCD display screen, the portable possibly has an 800x600 LCD display. Consult the portable User's Guide for information concerning the LCD display. To change the screen size to fit an 800x600 display, click on an open area on the Windows 95 desktop. Click the word Properties that appears on the menu. Across the top of this window are four tabs: Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings. Click the tab marked Settings. On the bottom right hand side of the Settings section, click the Change Display Type button. In the Change Display Type window, click on the Change button in the Monitor Type section. In the Select Type window, click on Show all devices at the bottom left hand side of the screen. Under Manufacturers, scroll to the top and choose (Standard monitor types). Under Models, choose Laptop Display Panel (800x600), and click on OK. Back at the Change Display Type screen, click on Close. In the middle of the Display Type screen on the right side is the Desktop area section. Click and move the pointer to the right until the desktop area reads 800x600 pixels. Click on OK and YES to Restart the Computer. DOS runs in 640x480 and the black border will exist until the computer is booted back into Windows 95. There are no video drivers for DOS, and unless an DOS application has its own video drivers it will not run full screen.
Disable screen savers, background wallpaper, and color schemes - Screen savers, background wallpapers, color schemes can occasionally make Windows 95 appear fuzzy, blurry, or distort the colors appearing on the screen. To disable the current screen saver, background wallpaper, and color scheme, click an open area on the Windows 95 desktop. Click the word Properties that appears on the menu. Across the top of this window are four tabs: Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings. First, click the Screen Saver tab. In the center of the window, click the down arrow beside the current screen saver selection. From the list that appears, click the word (None) to select it. Now click the Appearance tab at the top of the window. In the center, left hand side of the window, click the down arrow beside the current Scheme: selection. Scroll through the choices and select Windows Standard from the list. Click the Background tab at the top of the window. In the Wallpaper window on the right hand side of the screen, click the down arrow to scroll through the settings and select (None). Click the Apply button in the lower right hand corner of this window. If your screen appears normal, select different settings under the above choices.
Adjust the Advanced Graphics Settings slider indicator as needed - Adjusting the Advanced Graphics Settings slider can correct video problems ranging from error messages to erratic mouse movement. To get to the Advanced Graphics Settings slider indicator, right click the My Computer icon in the upper left hand corner of the Windows 95 desktop. Click the word Properties that appears on the menu. Across the top of the System Properties window are four tabs: General, Device Manager, Hardware Profiles, and Performance. Click the Performance tab to open that window. Click the Graphics button at the bottom center of the window. Use the following list to adjust the settings as desired.

Full allows full utilization of the acceleration features available to the display driver.

The 2/3 mark corrects some mouse pointer display problems.

The 1/3 mark corrects some display errors.

"None" corrects problems if the system stops responding to input or other severe problems.

Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit by Microsoft Press, page 571

Once the adjustments are made, click the OK button at the bottom of the window. Click the Close button at the bottom of the System Properties window. The System Settings Change window appears prompting you to restart the computer. Click the Yes button to restart Windows 95.
Software conflict - It is important to determine if the video problems you are having are isolated to one application or throughout the system. If the video problems are with an application that was not purchased from Gateway 2000, contact the manufacturer or vendor of the software for further assistance. If the application you are having problems with is a Windows 95 program, try the video display in VGA. This will help determine if the video drivers on your system are corrupted or conflicting with the application.
To set the video to VGA, click an open area on the Windows 95 desktop. Click the word Properties that appears on the menu. Across the top of this window are four tabs: Background, Screen Saver, Appearance, and Settings. Click the tab marked Settings. On the bottom right hand side of the Settings section, click the Change Display Type button to go to that window. The Adapter Type and Monitor Type are displayed here. Before making any changes to these settings, write down exactly what is in the Adapter Type box and the Manufacturer that is listed directly below the Adapter type box. Once you write down these settings, click the Change button on the right hand side of the Adapter type window. In the lower left hand corner of the Select Device window, click the circle beside Show all devices. In the Manufacturers: window, use the scroll bar to go to the top of the list and select (Standard display types). Make sure Standard Display Adapter (VGA) is highlighted under Models: in the box on the right hand side of the screen. Click the OK button at the bottom of this window to return to the Change Display Type window. Click the Close button at the bottom of this window. The System Settings Change window appears prompting you to restart the computer. Click the Yes button to restart Windows 95. If your video now appears normal, consult the Userís Guide for instructions on reloading the video drivers.

Newly added hardware - If you started to experience video problems after you added a new hardware device to the system, power down the system and remove the device. Once you have the device removed, power up the system to see if the video returns. Consult the manufacturer of the hardware for installation instructions.
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Troubleshooting Portable LCD Video Display Difficulties in Windows® 95

Possible causes:

Basic video troubleshooting LCD display:

Resolving video problems:

Troubleshooting Portable LCD Video Display Difficulties in Windows^® 95