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

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:

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.

If you choose to change the color settings in the guest operating system, the approach you use depends on the combination of host and guest you are using.

Follow the normal process for changing screen colors in your guest operating system. In a Windows guest, the Display Properties control panel offers only those settings that are supported.

In a Linux or FreeBSD guest, you must change the color depth before you start the X server, or restart the X server after you make the changes.