Member Avatar for IndigoFirefly

Well, hey there.

I'm new here, and I've basically come here to get some help, but I like it, so I'll stick around!

So, my problem?

I have just installed Windows XP Pro over an old Windows 98 SE. My PC has high enough spec to run it, and all seems good, except it won't work! I boot up and the Windows XP Pro splash comes up with the slidey blue bar. That stretches out a bit, probably to adjust to the monitor or something (I dunno). Then it goes off. Sometimes then I got multicoloured pixels in the top, say 1/4, of the screen. OR sometimes I get some yellowey vertical lines going from the top to about a third down the screen. Then..blank. I get a grey screen. It's not completely black, the monitor is showing something, but it's just blank. Nothing. So, it doesn't work. The thing is, I can boot in Safe Mode (with networking), and it's all good. Help?

That's all the info I have...

Cheers,
I.F.

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Dani AI

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This looks like either a driver/OS-level video mismatch or a failing graphics subsystem. Because can boot to Safe Mode but normal boots show colored pixels/vertical lines and then a grey screen, 's tip to try the F8 "Enable VGA Mode" option is the right first check: it forces the basic Microsoft VGA driver and will tell you if the problem is the accelerated driver or the hardware itself.

Suggested troubleshooting (in this order):

  • Try "Enable VGA Mode" from the F8 menu. If that boots cleanly, the issue is almost certainly the installed XP display driver.
  • From Safe Mode uninstall any third‑party video driver: Control Panel → Add/Remove Programs (remove vendor driver if present), then Device Manager → Display adapters → right‑click → Uninstall. Reboot to VGA mode and then install the correct Windows XP driver for the exact GPU model (vendor site). If a current XP driver fails, try an earlier XP driver build for that card.
  • Use "Last Known Good Configuration" (F8) before installing anything else — it can sometimes restore a working driver state.

If problems persist or artifacts appear before Windows starts (during BIOS/POST or on the XP splash itself), treat it as hardware:

  • Test with a different monitor and a known good VGA/DVI cable.
  • Reseat the card, blow dust out, check the GPU fan/heatsink and PSU connections.
  • If available, try the motherboard's onboard video or another video card — persistent artifacts outside Windows point to a failing GPU or bad VRAM and usually require replacing the card.

Extra checks from Safe Mode: scan Event Viewer for display/driver errors and back up personal data before making big changes. If an upgrade install was used over Windows 98, a clean XP install (after backing up) removes leftover drivers/config issues if software fixes fail.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for nanosani

Can you get something by starting up in windows xp with vga mode ?? the option can be accessed by pressing F8 on startup.

Member Avatar for IndigoFirefly

Yea. What does that mean exactly? Is it good?

Cheers for takin an interest! ;)

Later,
I.F.

Member Avatar for nanosani

XP hasnt got the driver for your vga card ... so intall one manually.

Member Avatar for IndigoFirefly

Hmm...If you mean the graphics card, I've already done that..
And still.......nothing.
So, has anyone got any other ideas?


Cheers!
I.F.

Member Avatar for IndigoFirefly

Well, Windows just gave me an error message, sayin that the driver may need updating. The driver I got is probably wrong then..:X. Oh, well. I'll give it a try.

I.F.

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