On 15 Sep 98 at 11:31, LANICE GREEN wrote:

> Hi, I wonder if anyone could answer my question: Can a Amptron 15"
> AV6S monitor be used with an older PC...486 IBM, WIN 3.1, that the
> originial monitor only supported the 16 color and not the 256
> color?

  That 16-colour limitation is more likely a symptom of the video
card/driver ("vanilla" VGA) than of the monitor.  Odds are good that
it will "work", but that either replacing the video card, adding
memory to the existing card (may be possible) or installing a
new/improved driver will be necessary in order to see any
improvement.

> I don't understand much of the puter lingo about spec's etc.  I
> did find a web site for the Amptron moniotrs though..maybe someone
> who understands this kind of thing can tell if it will work with
> the older PC.

  Running Win 3.1, it's just possible that the machine has an EGA
rather than VGA card installed.  EGA outputs are digital rather than
analog, and I'm not certain whether a modern multi-frequency VGA
monitor can work with that.  I wouldn't expect to find an EGA in a
486, but it's possible.

> And would new drivers be needed and where would they be found.

  Drivers are really separate from monitors -- they provide an
interface between Windows and the video card, and are generally
provided by the card's manufacturer.  Most SVGA (Super VGA) cards
will work with the "Standard VGA" driver provided with Windows, but
this limits them to 640x480 pixels in 16 colours.  Win 95 includes a
generic SVGA driver that provides a few more options on some popular
cards, but I don't think it was in 3.1.

> The IBM is my daughters and just wondered if she could use this
> monitor...I can find out more about her puter if needed.

  The IBM monitors that I have owned have been much less flexible
than any multi-frequency monitor.  It's possible that her existing
monitor really is the limiting factor.

David G

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