Please help a damsel in distress. Windows 8 install

Kenpoguru1965

New Member
Messages
4
Can somebody please help me with this one. When Windows 8 first came out installed it on my Dell Dimension 9200, which has an ATi Radeon 1300/1550 series video card and a Dell 22in monitor. Don't remember any issues, all worked fine. However didn't like Windows 8 and deleted it from my system. Now 8.1 is out thought I would give it a go again. I have now purchased a win 8.1 pro license but when i try to boot from disc to install the OS I get the Windows 8 logo for a minute then "Cannot display this video mode - maximum resolution 1280x1024, 60hz on the screen.

Have tried various things from the google searches I've done including going into safe mode and uninstalling the graphics drivers and also turning the monitor off for 15 seconds when it displys the message and turning back on again, but nothing works. Have also tried installing from within Windows 7, but get the same message as soon as the PC reboots.

Is my video card and monitor not compatible with 8.1? I know it's too old for some functions such as snap display but seems strange that it wouldn't be able to run, seen as though Windows 8 ran fine.

Please help a damsel in distreess,
Nicki
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Dimension 9200
Windows 8.1 is not happy using older monitors.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Many thanks. Is there any way round it without having to buy a new monitor?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Dimension 9200
If 8 ran fine, you might wanna get/extract the driver from there and manually install it in 8.1.

This might get a bit advanced and the result may not be a success. But it's worth a try because there is a slight chance for it to work (if you still have all the install media of Win8.0) If the device worked well on Win7 then those drivers are worth a try too.
If it fails than it means all support for that particular (legacy) driver/mode was taken out in the new system (not just the older drivers).

To begin,
Install 8.0 again if the display and graphics worked well. (the reinstallls are the only drawback of the method: you'll need your gfx card on your pc with the drivers from 8.0 to be saved first).

In Windows 8.0:
You can use a program like DriverMax (free version is enough) that can save the installed drivers from the OS.
Select the graphics and save a zip/folder from the needed files.

Reinstall 8.1... Backup the saved drivers.

In Windows 8.1:
Extract the previously created zip driver backup and install those through Device Manager. Try the Autodetect (right click -> browse to folder) and if it doesn't detect anything:
Action -> Add Legacy Hardware -> (Advanced -> Display Adapters) and pick the inf file (click have disk button) from the extracted folder.

That's all I can think of.
Without any supported drivers, the older hardware will not work in Windows 8.1. :think:

Good luck
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Go to Dell support here and follow along through the pages to find an updated monitor driver. I found the one for a Dell 2201 monitor here if that is the correct model number. If not you should be able to find one for your monitor. Better than re-installing 8 and trying to find it. The list of monitors is here. Good luck.
EDIT: The one I found is for Windows 8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ultimate and win 8 Pro dual boot on two desktops and 3 laptops
Back
Top