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General discussion

Display colors are reversed

Feb 15, 2006 9:51AM PST

My display colors are all reversed, i.e. black is white, white is black, blue is yellow, red is green, etc. I've tried reloading the video drivers, flasing the bios and adjusting the colors through control panel display settings. The images and text display, but all in the wrong colors, making it very difficult to read. I am running Windows Xp Service Pak 2.

Discussion is locked

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Display colore are reversed
Feb 21, 2006 2:46PM PST

Taylor, Did you mean in negative? Nothing is wrong with your video drivers.
Try this one out for a fix. It does work on a Mac.
Press the Control/Option/Alt keys and hold down those keys. Next press the *8 key.
Swing between the *8 key while still holding down the C/O/A keys.
That will switch you back and forth from Negative to Positive on your screen. Kind of wild isn't it to view!
You may want to do this when a screen has very little contrast and sometimes reading your screen in a negative view will help you.

Tell me if that worked for you. Maybe a PC Guru nows a better way and the combination keys.
Works for me all the time on a Mac. I am guessing here for a PC.

Will work on a Mac holding down the Control/Option/Apple keys and *8 key.
If it works for you, you owe me a beer sometime. Come to Boston.

Mouseroma, Grim, Kidpeat , EdH or Bob. Do you know how to do this on a PC??

-Kevin Smith

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display colors are reversed
Feb 23, 2006 9:12AM PST

NOt sure what the equivalent keys to option and *8 are on a pc verses a mac.

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Display colors are reversed
Feb 23, 2006 1:39PM PST

Taylor, I do not know either. Like I said before, only guessing here.
Tried on my PC also. Didn't work for me.
May also be a problem with the original monitor settings. Want to start over with the settings? You need help from a PC person to do that.
I have asked a number of very qualified experts to take a look at your post and to try to help out.
Taylor, just wait a day or so and I think these people will respond.
Please stay posted to your original post.

In the meantime, viewing everything in a the negative mode is something that few people have experienced. Kind of interesting. Does not effect anything else while operating your programs.
WOW, does everything look cool and from a different perspective.

The colors are mind-boggling, aren't they?
maybe everyone will want your settings and view the PC in a different way.
The old day of stripping film would be right at home with some. :

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I looked around a bit. Try this:
Feb 24, 2006 10:08AM PST

'Boot into the Safe Mode........there you will be using simple VGA and, although, icons and such will be much larger with less detail, the color should be about right.'

If it isn't, your video card may be bad. Try putting in a different card.

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Looking around?
Feb 24, 2006 1:07PM PST

Thank you kiddpeat for responding.
I was just guessing at what was wrong on a PC. Today, earlier, the problem was still on my mind concerning a video card problem, maybe.
Glad you can help with the original post and to his problems.

If anyone's video card is starting to go south on a PC, is there a diagnostic disk test to confirm this? What is it called?
On my Mac I have a diagnostic disk called Apple Hardware Test.
Will test most everything including the logic board and give you the results. Used it last September. Scared the heck out me when I saw a slight error on my logic board.
Kiddpeat, thanks for your input.

-Kevin

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There are test routines if they are supplied by the mfgr.
Feb 24, 2006 3:08PM PST

Remember that Mac parts are essentially one source items: Apple. PC parts may come from anywhere. That's why a PC presents a more difficult problem for the OS. My machine, for example, was built by Alienware who got the parts from Asus, ATI, and a bunch of other sources. Frequently, a PC is checked by temporarily plugging in a different part.

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This might be stupid
Feb 24, 2006 6:07PM PST

This might be stupid egnough to work.

Sign in as an Administrator(since you are using XP)

Right click on My Computer

Left click on Properties

Left click on Device Manager

Look for Monitors and/or anything that has a yellow triangle with an explanation point in it.

Click on Properties

click on drivers

Click on update driver and follow the instructions

Then restart your computer.


Or you could also try this

Go to Control Panel

Click on Add/Remove programs


Click on Starup Disk and create a startup disk on a floppy

Put the Startup Disk in and start your computer.

Do a minimal boot. At the A prompt type the letter C then hit enter. Then type in scandisk(might be chkdsk on XP)then hit enter. This will correct any errors in your Windows directory.

Then restart your computer and see what you got.


Hope this helps.


Rick

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Rick's suggestion?
Feb 27, 2006 2:24PM PST

Rick, not stupid at all. Hope that your suggestion works.
Kiddpeat's info was informative also.
Nice info.
Rick and Kiddpeat, does this original question post belong on a hardware forum instead of a graphics forum?
Just my thoughts here: The video card is heading south. MORTE!

Any more thoughts out there??

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Did you also try
Mar 1, 2006 6:16AM PST

Did you also try re-installing your operating system?

Do you have all the updates from Microsoft?


Keep on trying.


Rick