Help please, error "ATI control panel failed to initialize.."

Just a guess, but have you downloaded and installed Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1 from Microsoft's update site (it's listed under optional updates, not critical ones)?  Its required for ATI Control panel to function.

Thanks, I had noticed this and was doing so when I got your message. Many thanks.
I downloaded .NET 1.1 updates and their seurity updates and NET 2 as Windows installer said 'option' for NET 2.
After all loaded and installed, error still shows at start up, but now there is a ATI update specified in hardware sectionof windows update system, this downloads but does not install. 3 attemps to install give only 'unsuccessful in isatalling update'.

Any comments?
All comments appreciated.

Message Edited by MennoX on 06-23-200605:08 PM

20060624 Thanks. The laptop is my son's, and I am 'finding the fault'. The screen did not work well, so at work he /or others downloaded a Dell driver - supposedly the newest. [Now from your help I know this is wrong, and it is an old driver. Thanks.] Their download gave no improvement and then they saw start up error message when viewed on an external monitor, as he was doing his college thesis at that time, they just continued on the monitor, until he had submitted thesis.

Now I am trying to sort out the laptop. Many Windows upgrades later (optional and security ones) including the NET ones. I find that there is a ‘slight ghost' of bright display on LCD of laptop for a mille-second when changing screen modes from monitor to monitor and LCD. However on start up when on monitor alone, the ATI message comes up, so this is not hardware related.

I feel hardware problem is the display inverter and I have booked into service shop to sort that out.
The software:
Current Driver is "ati2mtag.sys" dated 16 June 2006 , (Now I assume this Windows information is the date of download to machine, not date of driver ), and is shown as 'supported' in Windows. Probing device manager after your help shows details to be ATI 26/09/2002 version 6.13.10.6194. Thanks for allowing me to search beyond Windows response that "driver is working".

I will try to update driver to A07 from your link.

link to A07 M7 driver current.
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R68764&SystemID=INS_PNT_P4N_4150&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=2552&devlib=0&typecnt=2&vercnt=5&formatcnt=1&libid=6&fileid=89407

Many thanks.

Did you try Driver rollback?  It seems as if these problems arose when he downloaded the new driver; with Driver rollback it will revert back to that driver that worked well.  If you haven't downloaded the one in the link yet (if you did, you cannot rollback), you can rollback your driver by doing the following:

1) Go to Start, and select Control Panel.  Click on Performance and Maintanence, and finally select System.

2) In the new window that appears, click on the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.

3) Another window will appear; find Display Adapters and click the + sign next to it.  Your graphics card will then display underneath.  Right-click on it and select Properties.

4) Click on the Driver tab, and then click on Roll back driver.  You may hear your computer working in the background for 30-60 seconds as it reverts back to the last previous driver you had on your computer.  It may state that you have to restart before your settings take effect.

If that doesn't work either, you can try uninstalling, and then re-installing the graphics drivers.  Uninstall through Control Panel Add/Remove programs, and then install  that driver from the Dell link.

Message Edited by MennoX on 06-24-200609:36 AM

Many thanks. problem solved. However it was not with recommended driver on Dell site but with ATI Radeon 6.14.10.6378 driver, which works ok.

Thank you for all your help which put me on the right track.