Member Avatar for flipgoddess

I had my laptop recovered last week since my XP is not loading. That's done. So, when it was finally working I realized that I still had to re-install the video, graphics & modem drivers. When I tried installing the video driver, it didn't work, probably because the driver I had was the wrong one (i'm guessing it was for my desktop, which is xp home). So I tried to use the laptop for a while, without connecting to the internet, without reinstalling the drivers. Then suddenly when I was starting it up one morning, something went wrong. The desktop wasn't showing, but i can hear the start up sound of xp. All I can see in my screen is WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL. The one where the system is loading the OS. When I tried to start up using safe mode, a list of words came out, something similar to

blah...blah..mode(0)partition(1)c:system32/drivers.... blah.. blah..

I can't roll back the driver i installed because I can't even get to my desktop. My laptop is Toshiba Satellite 2400 series. The video driver is S3 SuperSavage IX, and I can't find any site where I can download it.

what's wrong? How can I fix this?
Can somebody please help me? :?: :?: :?:

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 124 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by L7JJB

Dani AI

Generated

This looks like a display-driver conflict after a recovery. described installing a non‑matching video driver on a Toshiba Satellite 2400 with an S3 SuperSavage IX; 's screen/toggle idea and 's XP‑CD suggestion point in useful directions. Below are practical, non‑destructive next steps, clarification on repair options, and safe fallback actions.

Try these diagnostics in order (easier and safer first):

  1. Use the Windows advanced boot menu (F8) and select the low‑resolution video/VGA option. If that gets you to a visible desktop you can uninstall the bad display driver from Device Manager and install the laptop‑specific driver.
  2. If VGA mode fails, try Last Known Good Configuration from the F8 menu — it can undo a driver change that prevents the GUI from loading.
  3. If you still can’t reach a usable desktop, back up user files before any repair: either remove the hard drive and attach it to another PC or boot a Linux live CD/USB to copy data to external media.

Repair vs Recovery Console (important): the Recovery Console is a command‑line tool for specific fixes; it does not reinstall Windows or preserve installed programs. A Repair Install (in‑place reinstall from the XP CD) reinstalls system files while usually keeping installed applications and data, but you will often need to reapply service packs and drivers afterward. Back up first.

Driver sourcing and final cautions: prefer the Toshiba support package for the Satellite 2400 or official S3 legacy drivers. Avoid desktop card drivers — laptop vendors build custom versions for the built‑in display. If no vendor driver is available, use the Standard VGA driver to restore visibility and then hunt a compatible S3 package. Always back up data before attempting repairs or factory restores.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for qt 3.14159

Have you tried hitting the function key that changes the screen mode? Usually this is a button at the top of the keyboard area, or perhaps, the function key +F4 (seems like that worked on one). Anyhow, you should have a key there that toggles the screen on and off so that if you were using it with a standard monitor, you can turn the screen off on the laptop. If you find the button and can't switch, you might try hooking your desktop monitor up to the laptop and see if it shows up there... if it does, then you could see to change the drivers.

Good Luck!

Member Avatar for flipgoddess

Have you tried hitting the function key that changes the screen mode? Usually this is a button at the top of the keyboard area, or perhaps, the function key +F4 (seems like that worked on one). Anyhow, you should have a key there that toggles the screen on and off so that if you were using it with a standard monitor, you can turn the screen off on the laptop. If you find the button and can't switch, you might try hooking your desktop monitor up to the laptop and see if it shows up there... if it does, then you could see to change the drivers.

Good Luck!

ok! I think this will really help. I'll let you know. THANKS!

Member Avatar for L7JJB

If you have a Xp CD

!) Put the CD into the cd drive and restart your computer
2) You have to boot using the XP CD
3) You will come to a list of three choices PRESS ENTER
4) Now there will be another list press R for Restore

This will fix your system and there will be no loss of work or programs that you may have installed.

Hope this helps :D

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.