IBM Aptiva Handbook page 99

Step 3 Is anything displayed on the monitor?
Yes
10-4 Chapter 10: Diagnosing and recovering from problems
There may be a problem with the system unit if:
•
An error message appears. Find the error message in the section "Error codes and messages" on
page 10-16 and take the action listed.
•
A box containing an error code and message appears. Follow the instructions in the message. For
instructions on using Setup, see "Entering Setup" on page 6-3.
•
The image on the screen is unreadable (the image is scrolling, blinking, or flashing).
1. The monitor you attached may not be an SVGA monitor or you may have selected a monitor
setting that your monitor does not support. Follow these steps to reconfigure your monitor:
a. Restart the computer. If necessary, turn the system unit off, pause for 15 seconds, and then
turn the system unit back on.
b. When you see "Starting Windows 98" appear on the screen during startup, press F8. This
opens the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu.
c. Select Choice 3 for Safe Mode and press Enter. This starts your computer using the factory
configuration settings.
d. When your computer has completed startup, double-click on the My Computer desktop icon.
e. In the My Computer window, double-click on the Control Panel icon.
f. In the Control Panel window, double-click on the Display icon.
g. In the Display Properties window, click on the Settings tab.
h. See "Customizing display properties" on page 4-3 for instructions on selecting new monitor
settings. If using a VGA monitor, select 640 x 480 pixels in the Screen area and 16 colors in
the palette.
i. Restart the computer. Your computer may take a little longer than usual to restart.
2. If the monitor you attached is a VGA monitor and not an SVGA monitor (older monitors may be
VGA), detach the VGA monitor and attach an SVGA monitor. Using an SVGA monitor allows
your computer system to take full advantage of Windows video function.
a.
b. (Steps continued on the next page.)