# Win XP: Can I force it to change monitor type? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762 "2003-04-05T23:31:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/1 "2003-04-05T23:31:46Z")
My monitor has been doing some odd things lately, like blinking occasionally. Likely, it is beginning to fail. I noticed that Windows sees it as a generic 'Plug And Play" monitor; I’m pretty sure it recognized it in the past as a Gateway VX900. I installed Red Hat Linux 9.0 on a another HD on the same system, and it also failed to recognize it. I was however able to easily force it to treat the monitor as a GW VX900, which it has listed in its hardware choices. Likely, this failure of two separate OS’s to recognize the thing properly, when I’m fairly sure they were able to in the past (Red Hat 8.0, at least), is another sign of the monitor failing. Is there a way for me to tell Win XP that this monitor is a VX900? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/2 "2003-04-05T23:35:38Z")
Use the Device Manager and remove the installed monitor, then reboot and let Windows redetect it. This should work, but if not, you can use Add/Remove hardware to manually select the monitor type from a list. I’ll expand on that if the first method fails, if you need me to. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/3 "2003-04-05T23:40:21Z")
Yeah, I can read, really. Ok, the first method isn’t likely to succeed from what you’ve said. If you need guidance on the second one, let me know. Add Hardware is in the Control Panel. It’s mostly self-explanatory. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/4 "2003-04-05T23:52:48Z")
Thank for the info QED. Manually removing it wasn’t bad suggestion, since I hadn’t tried it before (the detecting I was referring to was what I supposed Windows XP does on startup) but it didn’t work. I tried "Add Hardware’, but I can’t find where I can force it to add a monitor. If I do “Add Hardware” after deleting the Plug 'n Play it searches for and finds a Plug N Play monitor and forces me to add it. There seems to be no way to choose another type. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/5 "2003-04-06T00:05:09Z")
Trying going into the Device Manager, right-click on the monitor and click Properties. In the Properties Window, click the Drivers tab, and then click Change driver. You can then opt to select from a list of drivers to change to. XP ought to have yours in there. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/6 "2003-04-06T00:17:07Z")
Unfortunately, I have no “Change Driver” option in the Drivers tab. I have Driver Details (I get “no driver files are required or have not been loaded for this device” when I click) Update Driver (It looks for new drivers on the web, but doesn’t find any) Roll Back Driver (“No driver files have been loaded with this device”) Uninstall (which does the same thing as uninstalling from Device Manager. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/7 "2003-04-06T00:24:08Z")
Huh. I guess Change Driver isn’t for generic hardware. Have you tried Add Hardware with the generic one still installed? You can then go and delete the generic one after the proper one is installed. I don’t know if this will work in XP, but it did in 98. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/8 "2003-04-06T00:40:01Z")
Yeah, but there didn’t seem to be an option to add a monitor, of any type, besides the Plug N’ Play one it sees as already there. ---
**Author:** ![chillihead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@chillihead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chillihead)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/9 "2003-04-06T09:24:47Z")
right click on a clear area of desktop select properties click the settings tab click advanced click monitor tab click properties click driver tab click update driver select Install from a list or specific location(Advanced) and click next select Don’t search. I will choose… Uncheck Show compatable hardware Scroll down the left list till you see gateway and select it scroll down right list to your monitor and select it click next follow remaining instructions HTH Chillihead ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/10 "2003-04-06T12:55:19Z")
That did it, thanks **chillihead**! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-can-i-force-it-to-change-monitor-type/166762/11 "2003-04-06T16:05:38Z")
Also Rev, a blinking monitor can that monitor cable connection in the back of the computer &/or monitor that’s not tight, just tighten it up.