How to recover access to display for XP guest when VMware errors out about "monitor layout"?

[Hvergelmir]

The error message is:

The virtual machine could not be changed to the selected monitor layout.

If you just added a monitor to the host computer, you must power off and power on the virtual machine to use that monitor.

The symptom is a black screen in the guest (both windowed and full screen) as soon as the XP login screen should appear.  I did not change the monitors on the host (also didn't add, remove or replace one).

I am running VMware Workstation 10.0.3 build-1895310 on Windows 7 x64 with latest service packs and patches applied.

[Hvergelmir]

I should add that a web search didn't turn up anything and that I nevertheless tried changing the "display" settings for the VM. What I did was to switch to 1 monitor manually specified and having the maximum resolution of my (two) monitors selected. See attached screenshot. This didn't help to solve the problem.

[WoodyZ]

Having not encountered that issue the only suggestion I have is to try restarting Windows XP in Safe Mode and then restart it.  This may help clear up the issue.  Otherwise the only other thing I can think of at the moment would be to toggle 3D graphics in the VM's Settings under Display.  In other words shutdown, not suspend, and uncheck it and restart. If that works then recheck it.

[Hvergelmir]

@WoddyZ: Safe Mode was an excellent idea. I tried that and this way I can at least see _something_ and start repairing it.Toggling the 3D-acceleration option, however, had no effect whatsoever.

"Good" thing is, that I have a snapshot of the faulty state. Of course I suspect that this is a combination of host and guest state, though.