When changing the display settings through the “Display” control panel “Settings” tab I am not asked whether I would like to keep the settings. How can I fix this problem?

From the description of the problem I assume that you are going into the Display control panel and using the Settings tab to change a setting such as the screen resolution or the colour quality. When you change these settings Windows prompts for confirmation that you wish to keep these settings, which requires you to click OK in a confirmation window. The rationale behind this step is to ensure the settings are correct. If you mis-configure the screen resolution or colour quality settings then this may result in your computer display becoming unusable (e.g. if the screen resolution is set higher than your display supports). In such a situation, nothing will be displayed on the screen (because your display does not support the chosen settings). In this case, you cannot click the confirmation box that you wish to keep the settings and the display will revert back to the original settings after a timeout of 15 seconds. As you can see, the confirmation box is designed as a failsafe.

In the case you have described, it seems that no confirmation box is displayed. Without more specific information on your situation, I can imagine that one of two possible scenarios is at play. First, you change the settings and no confirmation box is displayed – the computer simply accepts the settings and they stick. Second, you change the settings and then they revert back after 15 seconds, without giving you the opportunity to click a button within a confirmation box to indicate you wish to keep the settings.

Dealing with the first scenario, where no confirmation box is displayed but the settings stick, I assume you are concerned about the possibility that you may mis-configure the settings and then your computer will be unusable because there is no failsafe confirmation box displayed. There should not be a concern, as the confirmation box is not necessarily always displayed when changing the settings. When I have changed these settings in the past I have seen instances where the confirmation box does not appear. I am unsure under which conditions the confirmation box does not appear, but it seems that when Windows is certain that your computer supports the specified display settings it does not deem it necessary to display the confirmation. On the other hand, when Windows is uncertain whether your hardware does support the settings it seems to produce the message. As such, if this message does not appear every time you change the settings I would not be alarmed by this behaviour.

The next scenario, whereby the confirmation box is not displayed and the settings revert after the timeout has expired, is a more problematic situation. The first possible explanation for this problem is that the confirmation window does appear, but it does not have focus (in other words, the Window is being hidden behind another window). To test this theory, once you have changed the settings (and you would expect the confirmation window to appear) press ALT-TAB. This will switch between active windows. Continue pressing ALT-TAB until either the confirmation window appears, or you return back to the original window where you started.

Should you return to the original window, after ALT-TABing through the other active windows without seeing the confirmation box, this indicates that the confirmation box is not displaying at all. This is obviously not right, as there is no way to change the display settings and have them stick. As such, there seems to be a problem with Windows itself. As the first step in resolving this problem, we will try running the System File Checker (SFC) utility. This will scan the computer for any missing or corrupt Windows system files and replace any such files with known good copies. To run the SFC utility, go to the “Start” menu > “Run” and type “sfc /scannow” (without the quotes, and note the space between “sfc” and “/scannow”). The SFC will begin operation immediately. It may prompt you for your Windows XP CD during the process, in order to extract new copies of system files, so make sure you have the CD handy. Once the SFC has finished operations it will exit silently with no user feedback and you can assume it has finished its operation. At this point, restart the computer and check whether the problem persists.

Should the problem continue, you may need to take some more drastic action by attempting a repair installation of Windows XP. The repair installation replaces all Windows system files with their original copies from the Windows XP CD, unlike the SFC which only replaces files which are identified as missing or corrupt. In theory, this should not affect any of your personal data on the computer as only Windows system files are being replaced. However, I have seen things go awry with this procedure before so I strongly recommend that you backup all your important data (which you need to keep) prior to attempting this process. Once you have a backup of all your data, locate your Windows XP CD and then follow the excellent instructions at www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm for completing the repair installation.

Beyond this, should the problem persist, your options are more limited and you will need to complete a full clean reinstallation of Windows. This is a destructive procedure, which will result in all data on your computer being lost. As such, it is imperative that you backup all data you wish to keep on your computer before commencing this procedure. Once you are ready to proceed follow the instructions at www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html for completing a clean reinstallation of Windows XP.