Solved Form "Losing colours" - nVidia Card Installed

[RaptorRaptur]

I am using Access 2003 on an old desktop running Windows XP. I have an application that requires extensive use of colours. This was running perfectly until:
I had an nVidia card installed to allow me to use 2 monitors at the same time.
After tweaking the appearance, I went back to my Access program and found that all my colours had disappeared.
Anyone have a similar problem and how to solve it?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

First thing I would do is visit web pages that offer "color test" pages to verify that a non-Access utility (the web browser) does or doesn't retain normal coloration. Or play with Paint, Word, PowerPoint, or Excel - all of which have the ability to assert a color from an app-based palette but which use different methods for implicit colors. OR - depending on your PC's original vendor - there might be some program diagnostics that include a screen color test, which would likely bypass system themes completely.

I mention System Theme because a common "gotcha" is using System Theme as a color choice, because a change of System Theme affects everything. Essentially, one choice at the system level changes every color in any of your controls.

How to solve it, like many old Bugs Bunny cartoons, requires us to first CATCH the rabbit that has run off with your colors. After that, the fix might be easier.

 

[Mark_]

To add to Doc's comment, in the video settings you can also select number of colours. I remember this because one user had set theirs to (iirc) 16, then wondered why all pictures looked horrid. Could be a very quick first check.

 

[RaptorRaptur]

First thing I would do is visit web pages that offer "color test" pages to verify that a non-Access utility (the web browser) does or doesn't retain normal coloration. Or play with Paint, Word, PowerPoint, or Excel - all of which have the ability to assert a color from an app-based palette but which use different methods for implicit colors. OR - depending on your PC's original vendor - there might be some program diagnostics that include a screen color test, which would likely bypass system themes completely.

I mention System Theme because a common "gotcha" is using System Theme as a color choice, because a change of System Theme affects everything. Essentially, one choice at the system level changes every color in any of your controls.

How to solve it, like many old Bugs Bunny cartoons, requires us to first CATCH the rabbit that has run off with your colors. After that, the fix might be easier.

I've done what you suggested. There is nothing wrong with the colours in terms of the PC, Windows, Paint etc.
Someone suggested that Access 2003 does not react well to "scaling".
However, nothing I could find in either the XP screen and themes settings or thed nVidia settings where there was an option to affect scaling.

So short of throwing away my PC and starting again I have NO idea of what to do next

 

[The_Doc_Man]

If you can open a form's control's Format property sheet, you can see a hexadecimal number OR a long integer number for the forecolor, backcolor, or bordercolor. For any control that SHOULD have shown colors other than black or white, what do the numbers look like? And what SHOULD the color be (in common language)?

I'm asking questions like this to help me find where the problem lies. The fact that other programs show "normal" colors means it isn't likely to be the video card. I would have bet against it being the card anyway, because nVidia is a reputable company that doesn't put out cards. I doubt that the card's advanced features are getting more than minimally involved in Ac2003 screen painting. Access is good but that isn't in its wheelhouse and unless you are using some complex API function or an animated ActiveX function, static color display is done in a display's VGA mode, one of the oldest known modes, one that was around as long as or longer than Windows was a factor.

 

[Jason Lee Hayes]

To resolve this issue we need to know the following from the outset otherwise you will be chasing your tail.

Specific display card make & model (Are you referring to Nvidea as the make or chipset) (Many Rebranded)
The current driver version and where from (From MS or NVidia direct)
How are you connecting to the 2 monitors (SVGA/HDMI etc)

Provide the above any we can help

 

[The_Doc_Man]

@Jason Lee Hayes , if other utilities have normal color behavior, that takes this out of the realm of device or driver settings - though see my question at the bottom. The OP is using Ac2003 on WinXP. In that context, Access isn't smart enough to use non-VGA graphics without an explicit API call. This is some kind of setting.

@RaptorRaptur - when you tested other colors, without getting down to bits-n-bytes level, what utilities did you use to verify color ability? A browser? Word (which can use color for text)? Paint? Excel? Powerpoint? And in that context, if you DID use another Office member in your test, is that ALSO from Office 2003?

When you tested this, did you test that things work correctly for BOTH screens?

 

[Jason Lee Hayes]

@Jason Lee Hayes , if other utilities have normal color behavior, that takes this out of the realm of device or driver settings - though see my question at the bottom. The OP is using Ac2003 on WinXP. In that context, Access isn't smart enough to use non-VGA graphics without an explicit API call. This is some kind of setting.

@RaptorRaptur - when you tested other colors, without getting down to bits-n-bytes level, what utilities did you use to verify color ability? A browser? Word (which can use color for text)? Paint? Excel? Powerpoint? And in that context, if you DID use another Office member in your test, is that ALSO from Office 2003?

When you tested this, did you test that things work correctly for BOTH screens?

Ideally we need to know exactly what change has been done before attempting to change any settings BUT if we don't know then:

Right‑click the desktop → Properties

Go to Settings

Look for Color quality

Make sure it’s set to Highest (32 bit)

If it’s at 16‑bit or lower, Access will lose colour rendering.

2. Disable nVidia Colour Overrides
Sometimes the nVidia Control Panel forces its own colour scheme.

Open nVidia Control Panel

Look for Display → Adjust desktop color settings

Select Use NVIDIA settings → turn it OFF

Or switch to Use default color settings

Restart Access afterward.

3. Reset Windows Theme
Access uses system theme colours for many UI elements.

Right‑click desktop → Properties

Go to Appearance

Choose Windows XP Style

Apply

If it was set to Windows Classic or High Contrast, Access colours often disappear.

4. Check Dual‑Monitor Colour Settings
XP sometimes assigns different colour depths to each monitor.

In Display → Settings, click each monitor

Ensure both are set to 32‑bit colour

If one monitor is at 16‑bit, Access may default to the lowest common denominator.

5. Update or Roll Back the nVidia Driver
Older Access versions can be picky about drivers.

If you installed a new driver, try rolling back

If XP installed a generic driver, try installing the official nVidia XP driver

6. Disable Hardware Acceleration (rare but effective)
Some users report Access colours returning after this.

Display Properties → Settings → Advanced

Go to Troubleshoot

Move the Hardware acceleration slider one notch left

Test Access

 

[RaptorRaptur]

@Jason Lee Hayes , if other utilities have normal color behavior, that takes this out of the realm of device or driver settings - though see my question at the bottom. The OP is using Ac2003 on WinXP. In that context, Access isn't smart enough to use non-VGA graphics without an explicit API call. This is some kind of setting.

@RaptorRaptur - when you tested other colors, without getting down to bits-n-bytes level, what utilities did you use to verify color ability? A browser? Word (which can use color for text)? Paint? Excel? Powerpoint? And in that context, if you DID use another Office member in your test, is that ALSO from Office 2003?

When you tested this, did you test that things work correctly for BOTH screens?

Hi, there are no colour issues with browsers, word, paint and Windows itself, Funny enough, the access blues and greys etc work well, It is just where I've choses background and font colours etc. in text boxes etc that I've lost all colours. I closed Access with it all working, following morning installed nVidia and pooooof -they were gone

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Jason brings up a valid point that I had forgotten about because - let's face it - XP is a little bit older now and some of us old fogeys didn't use multiple screens much when we had nVidia controllers anyway, due to lack of a second screen. Is there a "desktop manager" or "screen manager" with your new card and does it have color override settings?

 

[RaptorRaptur]

SOLVED. I had changed my display options. In particular I selected "HIGH CONTRAST"
Access hated that and stopped showing colours. By simply un ticking that option my problem vanished. Thank you all for your assistance and support.

 

[RaptorRaptur]

Jason brings up a valid point that I had forgotten about because - let's face it - XP is a little bit older now and some of us old fogeys didn't use multiple screens much when we had nVidia controllers anyway, due to lack of a second screen. Is there a "desktop manager" or "screen manager" with your new card and does it have color override settings?

Hi, yes there is a desktop manager and I suppose it does have colour override but not any particular settings called Colour Override. However, it does in effect take over display functions from Windows.
Quite frankly I really don't care too much now. The fix was simple and now everything is perfect. Also have been using windows since it first came our and ,for particular reason, have never tried High Contrast so it is no hardship to do without it.
Added to all of this I've now got a more modern desktop with windows 10 and have upgraded my Access to 2016 so I'm pretty happy but spending time processing the changes. I transferred the nVidia card to the new machine and it's behaving itself.
Alan