Member Avatar for Jokz

Good day/evening/morning to any of you that reads this :)

My problem is actually quite simple and i did believe i'll find an easy google answer for it, but as you can deduce, I did not.

I had to change screens a few days ago because of an unfortunate crash (actual hardware crash :p). So i threw away my screen that worked with a resolution of 1280x720 and bought a new one that works on a 1280x1024 basis.
But now the problem is each time i try to boot, i get up to the windows loading screen, but as soon as it reaches the user selection, my screens stays black and displays an error message (that's not in english, but that basically means that the resolution isn't supported by the screen).

Now i need to find a way to change that resolution so i'll be able to boot the PC.
My first reaction was to boot in safe mode, which worked perfectly, and change the resolution there. I tried every resolution that works in safe mode, but for some reason it won't apply to the normal mode. Then, i opened the BIOS while booting to restore factory settings, hoping it might set it back to a good old 800x600 and that from there on, i would be able to change it manually since it would be booted. But none of these option worked.

It might be because I can't find the right key words, but on google, i just found posts that explains how to change your screen resolution from the desktop. And as you can guess this is not of any help to me since i can't even access the desktop.

I really hope there is some very simple manipulation that I just didn't think about (or didn't know about) that would solve my problem.

Thanks in advance, even if nothing is to be done :)

-Ferdinand

quick edit to specify, my exploitation system is windows XP.

Edited by Jokz because: n/a
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Good catch by — forcing Windows to stop using the vendor video driver let the system fall back to a generic driver so could reach the desktop. Safe Mode and the “low‑resolution” boot option load minimal/default display drivers, while the normal boot loads the GPU vendor driver that can reapply an out‑of‑range resolution or refresh rate; that explains why changing settings in Safe Mode sometimes doesn’t carry over to regular Windows. (support.microsoft.com)

For anyone hitting the same symptom (logo/loader appears but the monitor shows “resolution not supported” at the welcome/user screen), there are a few non-destructive recovery options before a full reinstall: use the Advanced Boot Options (F8) to pick “Enable low‑resolution video” or try “Last Known Good Configuration” to roll back the registry/driver state saved at the last successful boot. Both are intended exactly for driver/setting problems that block the desktop. (support.microsoft.com)

After getting the desktop back, the follow‑up should be: remove any stale monitor/device entries and make sure the graphics driver installed matches the card (vendor download, not an automatic generic package). Device Manager’s “Show hidden devices” + Uninstall (and the “Delete the driver software for this device” checkbox where available) will remove old monitor/driver remnants so Windows redetects the display correctly. If drivers are stubborn or corrupted, a careful clean with a specialist tool is an option (DDU is widely used — run it from Safe Mode and back up first). Also check the monitor cable/connection and set refresh to a common safe value (60 Hz); many monitors report “Input signal out of range” when resolution or refresh is unsupported. (learn.microsoft.com)

Quick checklist (summary):

  1. Try F8 → Enable low‑resolution video or Last Known Good.
  2. If desktop appears, use Device Manager → Show hidden devices → remove old monitor entries.
  3. Install the correct GPU driver (vendor site), set native resolution + 60 Hz.
  4. Make a restore point once stable; use DDU only if ordinary uninstall/reinstall fails. (support.microsoft.com)

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Member Avatar for caperjack

hi ,i would try uninstalling my video drivers in safe mode then boot to regular mode ,and of course then you will be prompt to reinstall the drivers ,i think it should get you in anyway to where you may be able to set the res lower

Member Avatar for Jokz

And that worked :)
Thanks a huge lot caperjack =)

-Ferdinand

Member Avatar for caperjack

your welcome ,you can mark post as solved ,and add to my reputation if you wish

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