Have an old game that works only in 640x480 with 256 colors. Is there a way to programatically switch to this mode and back to a higher resolution, say in a batch file? The OS is Win98. I don't want my kids messing around with the video settings :)

is this game one that runs from a cd like Quake for example or one that is only a MB or 2 and doesn't have any registry entries? The reason I ask is if it is a typical program you should be able to setup video settings within the game config and windows should not be affected (and revert to the appropriate settings when you close the game).

Good point. It runs off cd and has no reg entries. Unfortunately the game is so old that it does not recognise the higher resolutions. It does not have any user configurable settings. The game checks the resolution before it runs and will not run if it is not 640x480. As long as it is launched while the res is 640x480 life is good, if not it quits with the message use 640x480 256 colors..