Just a few ideas even though I'm not familiar with your problem:

Was there a driver CD that came with the computer? Your system may 
require a driver for the monitor as well as other drivers.

Can you right click on the screen to get to display properties and 
adjust the settings?

Can you adjust image size on your monitor (assumes a CRT monitor)? Are 
you using a CRT or LCD monitor? If the monitor is a replacement/upgrade, 
it may have its own driver CD.

As an aside, XP likes at least 512MB RAM. If you add RAM, it needs to be 
compatible with your Dell computer.

I hope this helps.

Tom Mayer

Vince Romito wrote:
> I have a Dell Inspiron, 1100, 2GHZ, 256 mb ram and recently reinstalled the op.system with the CD that came with computer.
> Now, my desktop is a small area in the middle of the screen, with the surrounding area all black.
> I cannon move a cursor in that area and i'm unable to place an icon there.
> Not sure what the problem might be that's giving me limited viewing space.
> Also, erased the entire drive and tried reinstalling a completely new operation system in Win XP.
> The operating system with the computer was win xp home edition.
>
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