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Windows 7 Out of Range

Windows 7 Installation Error: "Out of Range" or Blank Screen.

The problem: When installing Windows 7 on older machines, or machines with older monitors, you may get an error message from the monitor telling you that the simply says "Out of Range". You may also get (on CRT monitors,) a series of lines that look like they are out of sync.

The reason: Windows 7 finds the best driver for your display adaptor (video card). Windows 7 will then use the best settings it can find to give you a good screen resolution. If it does not read (or the monitor does not provide) the monitors' available screen resolutions and refresh rates, then the display setting may be too high for the monitor.

The solution: Tell Windows 7 NOT to use the display driver. The trickey bit is HOW to tell it, so here goes...

Install Windows 7, and when you can get no further, re-start and enter safe mode (kepp pressing F8 as the computer is starting up, select Safe Mode from the list).

Windows 7 will complain with dialog box saying that windows cannot run for the first time in safe mode.

Press SHIFT+F10, (sorry cannot remember which,) to open the command prompt box.

If you are not in C:\windows\system32 then go there! (where C is your installation drive.) (to go up a directory "cd.." to go into a directory "cd directory name")

Type CompMgmtLauncher press enter and wait (be patient) when the console loads, look through for Device Manager.

Find the display adaptor and disable it.

Close everything, and the machine should re-start.

Windows 7 will use a standard driver when it starts.

Once you have installed Windows 7, and you are ready for more, change your screen resolution. I use a nVidia card which gives the option for "Advanced Modes", which I use. This is because changing screen resolution also lets Windows 7 pick the refresh rate, which often is too high. Taking the advanced modes option means that I can choose the resolution and refresh together.

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