ARCHIVED: In Windows XP, Vista, or 7 why can't I get more than 16 or 256 colors for my display color settings?

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If you have only the option for either 16 or 256 colors in Windows 2000 or XP, your video card may not support more. If you know that your video card does support more colors, then you don't have the correct driver for your video card installed.

You may be able to solve this problem by forcing Windows to redetect your adapter and install the proper drivers. Log in as an administrator and follow the instructions below:

Note:

Security of Information Technology Resources (IT-12) requires that you normally refrain from running your Windows computer as an administrator. For more, see About the principle of least privilege.

From the Start menu, select either Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel.
Open the System icon. In Windows 7, click Device Manager from the menu at the left. For Vista/XP, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
Right-click the installed display adapter and click Uninstall. You may need to expand the Display adapters category to see this.
Click OK or Close. From the Start menu, select Shutdown or the arrow next to it, and select the option to restart the computer. Click Yes if prompted for verification.

Windows will restart and should automatically redetect the adapter. From the Start menu, select either Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel. In Windows XP/7, open the Display icon. In Vista, open the Personalization icon and select Display Settings. Click the Settings tab in Windows XP or Vista. In Windows 7, click Adjust resolution, then Advanced settings, then the Monitor tab. If you have more than 16 or 256 colors available, your driver is installed properly. Most modern displays are capable of 32-bit color, or "True Color."

If these instructions do not make available more than 16 or 256 colors, then you need to find correct device drivers for your computer's video card. Your computer or video card should have come with a CD or disks containing device drivers. You may need to contact your computer or video card's manufacturer to get the correct drivers. Often companies will make these available on their web sites; see ARCHIVED: For Windows, where can I find drivers for video cards?

To change your display drivers:

From the Start menu, select either Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel.
Open the Display icon, and then click the Settings tab in Windows XP or Vista. In Windows 7, click Adjust resolution
Click Advanced or Advanced settings. Click the Adapter tab, then Properties. Click the Driver tab, then Update Driver....
Use the Update Device Driver Wizard to update the drivers for your display adapter:
1. To see if Windows has a driver for your make and model in its list of drivers, highlight your video card manufacturer from the list of manufacturers and click OK.
2. If you have the driver on a CD or disk, click the Have Disk button, insert your driver disk when prompted, and then click OK. Highlight the proper adapter from the list of adapters and click Next.
The Update Device Driver Wizard will guide you through the rest of the process. Restart your computer when prompted.

This should properly install the driver for your display adapter, and allow you to change your settings from the Display Properties dialog box.