Runninga couple of (graphical) Java apps I ended up with the following error: ‘Could not get display mode’. DXDiag insisted that Netmeeting was still running (so it couldn’t test DirectDraw).
Netmeeting? I haven’t used it since, a lifetime ago. In comes a weird knowledgebase item from Microsoft:
“NetMeeting 3.01 automatically disables Direct3D functionality when it starts. When you quit NetMeeting properly, it restores Direct3D functionality.”
Solution? Start NetMeeting. Then close NetMeeting. You want to bet that NetMeeting actually sets a DirectX bit somewhere in the registry? And guess what. This also fixed my icons-appear-in-lower-colour-resolution’ problem.