Dell Inspiron 1100 Video Woes

Hi.

Recently I upgraded the BIOS on my Dell Inspiron 1100. I upgraded it to A23. Now, when ever I try and use Linux (right now I'm trying SuSE 9.0, but it did the same thing with Mandrake 9.2) If I try and use 8 bit color, then it outputs at 1024x768. If I choose 16bit color it only displays at 640x480. If I choose 24bit (which I've always used in the past) I'm told that my BIOS doesn't support that mode. I read of some other people with similar problems, but couldn't find a solution. My video chipset is the i845. I would greatly appreciate advice. Until I get this solved I'm having to use Windows XP Home.

Thanks for the assistance,
Joshua Rogers