display problems in windows - can i system restore?

[latimerj]

Hi

I got a used dell optiplex PC (P4 2gHz, 1/2gig RAM, 20gigHD, windows XP pro, onboard intel graphics) and added some stuff from my old computer (bigger HD, sound card, USB card). It was all working fine, until I installed a game and was messing with the graphics setting on the game set-up. the game started and i could only hear the sound - nothing on the screen. I had to turn the computer off and on, but after the windows start-up screen came on and it went to the desktop, it looked like it was trying to revert to the dodgy graphics setting, and the monitor went to a wierd stand-by mode.

The upshot is that it seems to be working but i can't see a thing. can i restore the system to a time before i installed the game? and obviously, can i do this before windows opens, so i can see what i'm doing? what other options are available? I don't know if I can get hold of the windows disk. If i can't, what can i do?

Thanks

J

 

[Geoff]

System Restore only restores system files, so your game will still be there.

 

[latimerj]

thanks

thanks for the reply. so i can't use system restore. anything i can do?

 

[Charles_Lee]

can you try in a safety mode??

 

[m3incorp]

Try booting into safe mode, and then uninstall the graphics. Don't worry windows XP will install a generic driver upon reboot. After you are able to see again, you can then download the updated graphics drivers for your card. This put put you back where you were before fiddling with the graphics settings.