Specifications

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334
VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide
Setting Screen Color Depth
in a Virtual Machine
The number of screen colors available in the guest operating system depends on the
screen color setting of the host operating system.
Virtual machines support
• 16-color (VGA) mode
• 8-bit pseudocolor
• 16 bits per pixel (16 significant bits per pixel)
• 32 bits per pixel (24 significant bits per pixel)
If the host is in 15-bit color mode, the guest operating system’s color setting controls
offer 15-bit mode in place of 16-bit mode.
If the host is in 24-bit color mode, the guest operating system’s color setting controls
offer 24-bit mode in place of 32-bit mode.
If you run a guest operating system set for a greater number of colors than your host
operating system is using, you can encounter various problems. In some cases, the
colors in the guest are not correct. In others, the guest operating system is not able to
use a graphical interface.
To fix these problems, you can either increase the number of colors available on the
host or decrease the number of colors used in the guest.
For best performance, use the same number of colors in the guest and on the host.
The following sections describe changing the color depth on the host and in a virtual
machine:
• Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host on page 334
• Changing Screen Color Depth in the Virtual Machine on page 335
Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host
If you choose to change the color settings on your host operating system, you should
first shut down all guest operating systems, power off the virtual machines and close
the console.
Follow standard procedures for changing the color settings on your host operating
system, then restart the console and the virtual machines.