Display settings changed and will not fix

[dr john gardiner]

Running YDL 3.0 on a G3/233 Powerbook. Worked fine for a few weeks, 
until one day the resolution dropped from 1024x768 to 600x400.

- Either as a user or as root, I have:

- System Settings>Display and made sure it is configured for the right 
computer moinitor...all looks well, gets the pre-1999 Powerbook from 
the list.

- There is a pop up list of resolutions - I drop down the list and 
select 1024x768 and hit OK

- Up pops a message.
"You need to log out and restart the X server.....Configuration was 
written to /etc/X11/XF86Config, original configuartion saved as 
/etc/X11/XF86Config.backup"

- I have
(i) forced the X server to restart there and then using 
ctrl+alt+bkspace. It relaunches and I log bakc in...but the resolution 
has gone back again to 600x400.
(ii) logged out first and THEN restarted X and THEN logged in again..

After several dozen repeats of this, and combinations, I have given up 
hope.

There must I guess be some trivial fix to this.

The strange things is that in the Display settings box, the e is a 
black area I guess represents available screen. EVEN at 1024x768 the 
dashed lines I guess representing effective display are much smaller 
than the whole area. Might be unrelated.

Since 600x400 is unusably blurred, is my only solution to wipe YDL 3 
and reinstall?

Thanks for any advice...I was just starting to get to like YDL!