I have a used Dell which only comes up in 16 color VGA mode. Don't see any *obvious* settings to change in the Bios, and Windows can't find anything else. Is there something I can physically change, like on the motherboard, to get "normal" SVGA mode? I find it hard to believe it was manufactured to be antiquated. (Similar issue with the sound - the normal Dell jacks are there in the back, but they don't function.)

16 color mode is the default setting that Windows uses when the correct video driver is NOT installed.

So for starters, what model Dell are we talking about?  You would want to go to Dell's site, lookup the model, and download the video driver.

Also, it would help to know what version of Windows we're working with here.

~cdogg
"Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
    For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:  FAQ219-2884: How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions?

I believe I have pretty much exhausted that it is not a software issue.
As to the model, it is a Dell Optiplex GX115.

Go to www.majorgeeks.com do search for aida32. This does not install to your machine just unzip it and run the exe. It  can give you all the exact specs. It may give you a link to the drivers you need for the video chip set.

Life is a big Roleplaying adventure.

  Wayne

It looks like Windows doesn't have the appropriate drivers for your video card:

Download and install the rivers for your PC from here.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/driverslist.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&ServiceTag=&;SystemID=PLX_PNT_P03_GX115&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=

the Audio drivers are also there.

----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Marvin,
We understand your frustration, but the "16 color" problem is one that has been around since the early versions of Windows.  99.9% of the time, it's a driver issue (Wayne reinforced this too).

Obviously, Windows sees your device, or you wouldn't have video at all.  Go to Start -> Run, type dxdiag and click OK.  On the display tab, report back what's listed.

And you still haven't said what version of Windows you're running...

~cdogg
"Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
    For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:  FAQ219-2884: How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions?

You need the correct drivers.  Get into the BIOS and look for the service tag # and write it down.
Then www.dell.com and to the download section and fill in the service tag # and download the zipped drivers from there, put them in separate directories where you can find them. Once thru downloading you click on the files, which are executable, which then unzip them into other folders. then go to the other folders and run the install.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

Thank you, fellas. I'll try your other suggestions over the weekend. Or I may just purchase a new video card. Either way, for the record, I had thought this was a "hardware" forum (ref my original post); and Dell.com's video driver downloads are all specific to specific monitors and (non-Dell) video cards, none of which they consider other than "Optional". ...

Just remember that you won't need a monitor driver, and the video cards all say "optional" because you've searched on the model number, but that doesn't say what video "option" was selected when the PC was purchased.  So obviously, none of them can be listed as "required".  The one you need will be in that list if the video card was never replaced/upgraded.

Sometimes running dxdiag as I suggested will give you a clue as to the actual video card hardware, so that you can install the right driver.  But other times, you'll need to use a more advanced 3rd-party scanning utility such as AIDA32:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html

~cdogg
"Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
    For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:  FAQ219-2884: How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions?

Dell's drivers are for whatever was supplied with the unit as sold.  If it had on-board video there would be a driver for that.  If only expanision cards were supplied then only for those cards.
You should be able to get to higher than 640*480. In the mangler try standard display types and try the SVGA stuff.
If you have a DOS available you could use debug to find out what you really have.  Displaying memory areas in the C000 block , probably C800 will give you some header info showing the manufacturer or card info.

We are hardware support.  But hardware requires software to drive it, otherwise it reverts to your problem.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

What does your computer show about the video controller in the Device Management?