Loss of Colors in Paintbrush File

 Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
Article ID: Q59665
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.0, 3.0a

SYMPTOMS

Microsoft Windows Paintbrush can save files only up to the number of simultaneous colors the current display allows. For example, if you are using the standard Windows 16-color VGA video driver, Paintbrush can save files with 16 colors or less. If you are using a 256-color video driver, Paintbrush can save 256 color files. Even if you select a specific number of colors when saving a file, the file is saved only with the maximum number of colors that the current display supports.

Applications such as Microsoft Word for MS-DOS version 5.0 don't recognize pictures in the 256-color format and are unable to use pictures in that format.

WORKAROUND

To convert these pictures to a 16-color format, do the following:

  1. Run Windows Setup and install the standard VGA driver.

  2. Restart Windows and run the Windows Paintbrush.

  3. Load the 256-color files and then save them in the .PCX format. This will save them in a format Word 5.0 can read.

  4. Run Windows Setup again and reinstall the original 256-color video driver.

Paintbrush can load files with any number of colors. However, if you load a 256-color file on a 16-color VGA and immediately save it, the file is irrevocably converted to 16 colors.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows Paintbrush versions 3.0 and 3.0a. This problem was corrected in later versions of Paintbrush.

KBCategory: kbtool kbdisplay
KBSubcategory: win30
Additional reference words: 3.0 3.00 3.0a 3.00a 5 5.0 5.00

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Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
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