Member Avatar for irok

My 4yr. old played with my old pc. (win 98) During start-up I get the Windows logo, everything seems to be going fine, then the screen appears black with iterference lines. I'm sure he must have done something to the display properties, however without being able to see, I am helpless. I do not know DOS.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and would prolong my son's lifespan. :evil:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

Generated

A short expert summary and practical recovery steps for "Input signal out of range" (the thread above from , and shows the same symptom): the monitor is refusing the video signal because the graphics card is outputting a mode the display cannot sync to (too high a resolution or refresh rate, or a nonstandard timing set by a utility). The usual fix is to force Windows to use the standard VGA driver or a low/resolution/refresh mode, then change or uninstall the offending display driver or utility.

Recommended recovery workflow

  1. Try the safe/VGA boot option (the same general idea behind @caperjack's tip) and, once you have a visible desktop, set the display to a conservative mode and a standard refresh rate.
  2. If changing the settings does not stick, boot to Safe Mode and open Device Manager to roll back or uninstall the display adapter driver so Windows falls back to the generic VGA driver.
  3. If a third-party utility changed timings (for example a tweak tool), uninstall that tool from Safe Mode or use its safe-reset option before rebooting.
  4. If Safe Mode is not usable, use a known-good monitor or the motherboard's onboard VGA (remove the add-in card if possible) to get a display and make the fix.

Additional options and precautions

  • For older Windows 98 machines, the startup menu includes a VGA-start option; an emergency boot floppy or registry restore can undo registry-based tweaks.
  • For lab deployments, use an admin script or Group Policy to lock display settings after fixing them.
  • Avoid repeatedly applying very high refresh rates; pick a conservative, supported refresh rate to prevent recurrence.

If Safe Mode worked for some but not others (as seen in this thread), the next step is to remove or replace the video driver or the tweak utility — that is the most reliable way to restore a stable, visible mode.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for caperjack

reboot ,keep hitting the f8 key and go into safe mde and change the display back

Member Avatar for irok

Sorry, change it back to what? :eek:

Member Avatar for caperjack

Sorry, change it back to what? :eek:

Sorry i thought you knew what was wrong!
go to control panel and display and change the Video screen resoulotion 680x400 and apply changes and on you way out and reboot /

Member Avatar for irok

Caperjack, thanks a million for your quick response. My son lives to see another day.
Irok

Member Avatar for caperjack

Caperjack, thanks a million for your quick response. My son lives to see another day.
Irok

Your welcome ! Live on Son:)And keepa you hands of of the Puter

Member Avatar for sahennis

I have just installed several new machines in a lab and am now getting "input signal out of range." I think one of the students changed the settings but I can't get to the display properties because the screen is blank as soon as the machine boots. Any ideas and thanks in advance. :rolleyes:

Member Avatar for archy

I've got input signal out of range evertime I start my comp.I had a program called reforce,I accidently changed the screen resolution and hz to 1024x768 120hz,don't think my monitor can handle 120hz.I did change resolution to 640x480 in safe mode but it doesn't work.I've got xp,need help thanks.

Member Avatar for caperjack

I've got input signal out of range evertime I start my comp.I had a program called reforce,I accidently changed the screen resolution and hz to 1024x768 120hz,don't think my monitor can handle 120hz.I did change resolution to 640x480 in safe mode but it doesn't work.I've got xp,need help thanks.

I don't have an answer ,but a suggestion ,to get better help you should start a new thread and post you problem ,

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