I had problems with the dsiplay of an HP tc4400 laptop, which was running Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3, after updating the video driver. When I right-clicked on the desktop and selected Properties, then Settings, I found the screen resolution was 640x480. The color quality was "Lowest (4 bit)", i.e. only 16 colors. I couldn't increase either setting. I clicked on the Advanced button and then the Adapter tab. When I clicked on List All Modes, the only options were those shown below:
List of valid modes
640 by 480, 16 Colors, Default Refresh
800 by 600, 16 Colors, Default Refresh
I changed the setting to 800x600 to make it a little better. I didn't get any error messages, but the resolution remained at 800 x 600.
Under the Display adapters setting of the Device Manager, I found two adapters listed:
Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel(R) 945 Express Chipset Family
The names were exactly the same, as were the drivers:
| Entry | Driver Provider | Driver Date | Diver Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intel Corporation | 8/24/2007 | 6.14.10.4864 |
| 2 | Intel Corporation | 8/24/2007 | 6.14.10.4864 |
I right-clicked on the second one and chose Uninstall. Whem prompted to restart the system, I did so.
When the system rebooted, I saw the following error message:
| hkcmd.exe - Unable to Locate Component |
|
This application has failed to start because hccutils.DLL was not found.
Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
|
The system notified me it had found a new video adapter and suggested I reboot again, which I did.
The resolution was still at 640 x 480, but when I checked the video adapters listed in the Device Manager, I saw the following:
Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family
Though the names and drivers differed from what I had seen previously, the names of the two entries were exactly the same, as were the drivers for them:
| Entry | Driver Provider | Driver Date | Diver Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intel Corporation | 3/23/2006 | 6.14.10.4543 |
| 2 | Intel Corporation | 3/23/2006 | 6.14.10.4543 |
I right-clicked on the bottom entry and chose "uninstall". I again had to restart the computer. But, when I logged in again, I found both entries listed in the Device Manager again. I removed both of them by right-clicking on them and choosing "uninstall". I then rebooted again. This time I had a 640 x 480 resultion again, but the color quality was "Highest (32 bit)". I was able to change the resolution to 800 x 600 by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing Settings.
Shortly afterwards I saw the "Found New Hardware" balloon pop up with "Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family" listed as the new hardware found. I saw the message "Windows has finished installing new devices. The software that supports your device requires that you restart your computer. You must restart your computer before the new settings will take effect. Do you want to restart your compute now?" I chose "yes."
When the system rebooted, it was back to the 640 x 480 resolution. When I checked the Device Manager, I saw the "Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family" listed twice again with the March 23, 2006 driver listed for both again. I again uninstalled both adapters from within the Device Manager and then rebooted. I had 32-bit color and 800 x 600 resolution when I logged in. When I right-clicked on the desktop, chose Properties, Settings, Advanced, then Adapter, I didn't see an adapter listed under Adapter Type. Clicking on Properties showed VGASave under the General tab. CLicking on the Driver tab showed the following:
Service name: VGASave
Display name: VGA Display Controller
But again I was notified of a "System Settings CHange" with the message that "Windows has finished installing new devices..." I chose not to restart the system immediately. I checked what the Device Manager was showing. It showed the same duplicated "Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family" entries as before with both having the Intel March 23, 2006 driver associated with them. But the top entry had an exclamation mark in a yellow circle next to it. I right-clicked on that one and chose "disable" rather than "uninstall" this time. I then rebooted.
After rebooting, I had the 800 x 600 resolution and 32-bit color. The Device Manager still showed the duplicated Display Adapters with the same March 23, 2006 Intel driver for both, but there was a red "X" next to the top entry. Right-clicking on the Desktop and choosing Properties, Settings, Advanced, Adapter showed nothing listed under Adapter Type and the following for Adapter Information
| Chip Type: | <unavailable> |
| DAC Type: | <unavailable> |
| Memory Size: | <unavailable> |
| Adapter String: | <unavailable> |
| Bios Information: | <unavailable> |
I changed the resolution to 1024 x 768 and rebooted again, just to make sure the settings would remain and the problem wouldn't recur. The problem did not recur.
References:
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The Device Manager in Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Vista
PC Buyer Beware! - Personal Computers: How Best to Fix PC/Computer Problems, Buy, Build, Upgrade, Recover, Restore, Repair and Protect PCs
