problem with 640x480 4bit on Mobile Intel Graphics

[alexsupra]

i have the problem with 640x480 4bit on Mobile Intel 945 and 965 Graphics chipset family adapters.

driver is being installed correctly with no error messages during installation. but after the first reboot (or after other device drivers installation and reboot, sometimes it takes place after several reboots) screen mode switches to 640x480 4 bit (16 colors) with no possibility to enable higher screen resolution or color depth.

there are no exlamation marks in device manager, no failures or errors in drivers installation log.

trying to setup normal video mode manually or automatically via wizard (system tray notification in case of low-res) is useless too. 640x480 4bit stays unchangable. it may look like it is able to apply 1280x800 32bit or another common video mode via screen control applet but nothing happens after pressing apply button.

in case of removing original device drivers and using standard vga everything is ok. also in case of booting in safe mode vga driver normally works at standard 1024x768 32bit with no problems.

various versions of compatible Intel Graphics drivers were tested (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) with no effect.

IEGD drivers is impossible to use cause they are mixing video outputs on notebooks and netbooks.

now we got the problem on Toshiba notebook, earlier there were HP/Compaq, Asus and other notebooks and netbooks with on-board graphics of 9-series.

in all cases Windows XP Pro SP3 was used with no antivirus software.

any ideas?

[ildottore]

I have the same problem.
Everything worked fine until one day when the driver wouldn't work.The OS isWin XP SP3, updated with all patches. I tried reinstalling the OS but the problem stays the same even if the kit for the OS and the drivers used are still the ones used to install intially the system about 2 years ago. The only difference is that I made a BIOS update in the mean time.
I changed the OS to Windows 7 Ultimateand the driver looks ok except that the performance is worst than on XP. I've searched the internet and tried all I could try but nothing worked. I also tried the last versions of all the drivers but nothing worked.
Who found any solution please put them online.

[alexsupra]

one possible solution was found by our team but it is not tested enough on various Intel Mobile Graphics adapters. you coluld help your self and other people with the same problem by testing the following Windows XP configuration changed via system registry (reg-file):

^{Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; igfxpatch
[hkey_local_machine\system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management]
"largesystemcache"=dword:00000000
"disablepagingexecutive"=dword:00000000}

its evident that system works slower with these settings but the problem with video adapter can be solved. check this out on your machine. it seems to me that its better to apply settings before the driver installation or during the driver setup to be activated on the next system boot. its also possible by including settings inside the driver inf-file e.g.:

^{; igfxpatch
[igfxpatch.AddReg]
HKLM,"system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management","largesystemcache",0x10001,00,00,00,00
HKLM,"system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management","disablepagingexecutive",0x10001,00,00,00,00}

[ildottore]

Hi.

I tested both solutions. It worked fine on XP. I've put the text into a .reg file and then started installing the driver and during the installation I executed the .reg file. After the restart, the resolution was the one expected.

On windows 7 I've added the header of the file that was missing. The .reg file was this one:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; igfxpatch
[igfxpatch.AddReg]
HKLM,"system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management","largesystemcache",0x10001,00,00,00,00
HKLM,"system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management","disablepagingexecutive",0x10001,00,00,00,00

I've tried the same method (while installing the driver, I've ran the .reg). After the restart, I've tried to refresh the Computer rating, but the result was still the same.

If you have other solutions I have images for the 2 OS and I cand switch to the one I need fast enough and test.

Thanks for your help.

[alexsupra]

would you mind to create empty text file, call it igfxpatch.reg, add the following strings:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; igfxpatch
[hkey_local_machine\system\currentcontrolset\control\session manager\memory management]
"largesystemcache"=dword:00000000
"disablepagingexecutive"=dword:00000000
;

and save it?
please, apply this reg-file (via double click) before the first driver installation procedure.

as to your previous test as i understood you had mixed strings given for inf-file with reg-file syntax thus it couldnt influence at all. thank you a lot for your interest to problem and help in its investigation.

[ildottore]

I did that. I can't apply the reg file before the first driver installation because Win7 has the driver for the video card and the driver is already there and all I can do is uninstall it apply the reg-file and then install the driver. The performance of the card got a little better I could say, but I think there's place for more. My test is a 720p mkv movie (in full screen) that runs just fine on XP but on 7 it isn't able to process it at the speed it should.

[alexsupra]

thank you again for information but the problem with low screen resolution 640x480 and low color depth 4bit occured in Windows XP. thus we are trying to find the solution of problem for Windows XP not for Windows 7. so Windows XP doesnt include by default device drivers for Mobile Intel Graphics of 9-series and its possible to apply settings via reg-file before the drivers installation procedure.

[ildottore]

Hi there.

Did you miss me? Well, I'm back, with the same problem. Everything worked fine until today when the problem reappeared, even if this morning I used my laptop and it was working fine. Now, even if I try to install the latest driver from the Intel download site and even if adding the registry suggested, it doesn't work :(
... any other ideas or suggestions?

[alexsupra]

hi bro. i'm happy to say that with using of Windows XP Service Pack 3 and chosen versions of device drivers i got the fully working variant tested on many desktops and laptops by the project team and myself. everything is ok. please try USETOOLS GENERIC device drivers installer (for Windows XP and 2003 only):

usetools.net/softpacks/drivers

[ildottore]

I will try and return with a feedback.
Thanks.

[alexsupra]

before trying this driver installer please remove the current video adapter device driver and reboot machine. optionally you can backup your current system settings via built-in system restore function or another utility.
please note that you must have full administrator rights in your system for running and using it.
now i have uploaded the most recent video drivers package which is available via GENERIC drivers installer.
as allways your feedback is appreciated very much for the following investigations and development.

[ildottore]

Hello.

I tried the GENERIC drivers, that were installed successfully, but they didn't solve the problem. At this moment I only think I can solve this problem if I find someone with an identical laptop that didn't make any BIOS updates and extract the original BIOS and recover the original version, that I think won't make any problems. But that would be quite hard. :(
Yet, if you have any other suggestions, I'm here :)
I'll give you some details regarding the laptop, maybe it'll be useful:
Toshiba Satellite L40-18W, PSL4CE
Motherboard: Intel Crestline
BIOS: AMIBIOS ver 5.50 / 14.05.2008
64-0100-009999-00101111-051408-CRESTLINE-TOSASU00-Y2KC
Chipset: Intel Mobile 965 Express

[alexsupra]

did you try to make fresh installation of operating system (XP) without any graphics drivers and to install GENERIC after that? experiments show that if the problem allready appeared its difficult to fix it but in case of new installation with using of that drivers package its possible to get stable working system without appearing of that problem in future.
by the way i had this problem on Toshiba notebooks with Intel Mobile 965 Express and bios updates changed nothing in situation with graphics. but new system installation with fixed driver solved the problem as in many other cases.

[ildottore]

I'll try today a clean installation and I'll come back with feedback.
Thanks.

[ildottore]

Hi there.

I made a clean installation of WinXP and install the recommended driver, but after the reboot, the problem reappears :(

[alexsupra]

would you mind to press start -> run and type there: winver
than press ok.
whats the full system version designation?

[ildottore]

Windows Xp Proff v 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.100427-1636 : Service Pack 3)

[ildottore]

Believe it or not, but on a clean installation, with the first solution you gave me (adding that registry info while installing the latest Intel driver) worked.
What's the weirdest thing is that with the image I made at the moment when I tried first this solution, didn't work ... why? ... I have no idea.
For the moment, as it worked, I think I'll leave it like this, but if you have any news, just post it and I'll try it.

[alexsupra]

yes of course. dont forget to make the current system state backup via built-in system restore fuction or external tool like ERUNT

[ildottore]

Hi there.

I'm comming back with news. I found what caused the problems. :)
After I connect the laptop to my TV through a VGA cable, after I switch back to the laptop ... BANG ... I see the image in 640x480 :)
After this I remembered that I've done this thing the moment before I came back and told that my problem came back and maybe the first time the same (that is too far from now and I don't remember). I have no idea why is this happening cause I've done everything the I did all the times. I'll give you every step I've done, maybe it'll be useful:
1. while having the image on the TV, I pressed FN+F5 to switch back to the laptop
2. when the image came only on the laptop, I closed the lid to stand by
3. unplugged the VGA cable
4. open the lid and at this moment I had no image on the laptop
5. I pressed shortly the power button to shutdown the system
6. started the system back and then I came back on 640x480 ...
Now I'll try to solve it back :)
I'm inspecting now to see if it works at the end the solution that someone posted onto other forum: after a couple of restarts of the system (he told that after 12-15 restarts) the resolution came back. I've done a script to restart himself and I'm looking sometimes to see if it's solved :)
I'm trying this as the last way I solved the problem was very strange because I haven't done any changes to the system and the image I have for the OS partition didn't work the first time, but after some days and lots of attempts and reastarts, with the same image it worked.
I hope I'll solve it at the end and I hope it will be useful for you this informations.
PS: could it be a conflict between the display driver and the Hotkeys Utility as the display driver is quite recent but that software is the same one from when I bought the laptop ????

[alexsupra]

tv-out allways has resolution of 640x480, its quite normal. did you have 4bit color?
hotkeys utility is permanently switched off and its executable is absent in our drivers package.