# Question about 'puter color settings

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-puter-color-settings/56303>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 1, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-puter-color-settings/56303 "2001-03-01T01:41:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![holdenmagroin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@holdenmagroin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holdenmagroin)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-puter-color-settings/56303/1 "2001-03-01T01:41:18Z")

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When I play Scrabble on the Zone, the computer must be set to 256 colors, but I usually keep it set at 16 bit high color. I forget to change it most of the time and the game is aborted and I piss off the other players. On my computer, I have to go to the settings and manually change it where as on my friends computer, it changes the color automatically. Is there a way to set mine to do that?

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-puter-color-settings/56303/2 "2001-03-01T02:51:27Z")

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Changes to display settings require command level access to the registry by way of the control panel. I do not believe that it is possible for Windows to auto-adjust this setting without the user’s prompting & approval, because changes in display settings can often cause applications that are running to go completely stark raving mad.

Incompatability between an application & the video color settings aren’t known to the OS until you actually run the application, and by then it’s too late.

Oh, and by the way, I just _hate_ your screen name.