When the Power Macintosh 8500 is using a television as its only display, The Sound & Displays control panel offers screen resolution options of 640 x 480, 512 x 384, 320 x 240, and 256 x 192. At the 256 x 192 resolution, you are not able to reopen the Sound & Displays control panel to return to a larger screen size. Resetting the PRAM will not return the resolution to a standard setting either.
The way to set your monitor back to a larger screen size is to use the Control Strip software that comes with the Power Macintosh 8500. Use the Resolution Control Strip module (the second module from the left) to switch to a larger screen resolution.
If you have removed the Control Strip software or cannot see the Control Strip, you can follow these steps to reset the display settings:
1. Reset PRAM by holding down the Command-Option-P-R keys simultaneously from a cold startup (that is, you must turn off or shut down the computer, then turn it back on again; you cannot choose Restart from the Special menu).
2. After the second startup sound, release all of the keys and startup with the extensions off by holding down the Shift key until you see the message that says "Welcome to Macintosh Extensions Off". Then you can release the Shift key.
3. Once the computer has started up, go to the Preferences Folder, which is inside the System Folder, and throw away the Display Preferences file.