PDA

View Full Version : Computer Monitor Resolution Help



Scott Shepherd
10-30-2012, 11:02 AM
Hello All! I need some computer monitor help. I had a Win7 box hooked to a ViewSonic monitor. Everything was fine. However, I switched computers (running various equipment around the shop), and I put that monitor on a WinXP machine. I downloaded the driver from ViewSonic's site, ran it, but when I go to my properties for the monitor and I click on the display resolutions, no matter what I pick, it looks horrible, all clunky and the text looks unclear and bunched up. Surely a sign of not having the right resolution. When I pick a couple of them, the screen goes black and never displays it, so it reverts back to the last setting. When I look at the manual for it, it tells me the resolutions that are supported, but picking them doesn't seem to work well either.

I've had this problem in the past but I have no idea how I resolved it.

Any suggestions on getting my nice, sharp, clear, properly proportioned screen resolution back?

Any help would be great appreciated.

One more thing- I have go into the driver area and let Windows look for better options as well and it tells me nothing is available.

Steve Meliza
10-30-2012, 11:07 AM
Are we talking about an older CRT or a newer LCD monitor?

I don't think I've ever installed a driver for a monitor as they usually tell the OS what resolutions they support. Even if they didn't tell the OS, I know what resolutions and refresh rates it can support and can set things up accordingly. Did things look ok before you downloaded the driver? If so I'd try uninstalling the driver and letting WinXP handle the monitor.

Brian Kerley
10-30-2012, 11:12 AM
Your available resolutions are dictated by the graphics card, moreso than the monitor. In other words, the monitor may have a specific resolution, but without the proper graphics card drivers you can't have some of the more exotic resolutions, like 16:10 and some of the 16:9 ratios. I would update the graphics card driver on the computer first and your magic resolution should show up.

Jerome Stanek
10-30-2012, 11:13 AM
do you have the correct video card driver installed. Are you running in 256 color

Scott Shepherd
10-30-2012, 1:07 PM
I updated the driver on the video card, it was years old. It's a NVidia GeForce card from way back.

Uninstalled the driver from the monitor that I installed this morning. Still doesn't work right. My circles are all eggs on the screen.

It's not running 256 colors, it's showing it's at it's highest color setting.

It's an LCD screen. It worked fine on the other LCD screen, but that was a Dell, and it's a Dell computer, now it's a ViewSonic on a Dell Computer. There doesn't seem to be an "auto detect" in XP.

Steve Meliza
10-30-2012, 1:53 PM
Set the resolution in Windows to be the native resolution of the LCD. After that check your LCD to make sure it isn't set to stretch the image.

Scott Shepherd
10-30-2012, 2:28 PM
1440 x 900 is what the monitor says it wants, but that's not a choice for me to pick. That's the issue, I suppose.

Dan Hintz
10-30-2012, 2:42 PM
Have you downloaded the latest monitor configuration files from Viewsonic? That should limit the card's driver to the monitor's supported resolutions and frequencies...

David Weaver
10-30-2012, 2:52 PM
1440 x 900 is what the monitor says it wants, but that's not a choice for me to pick. That's the issue, I suppose.

I had a PC with an old nvidia geforce card, and getting an updated driver from nvidia's site solved all of the problems with it. There are still goofy looking options, but the 1440x900 resolution did show up as an option with the new driver, and it clears up all of the issues.

I'd go to nvidia to find out why it's not working since they're likely to do a better job with the drivers. (As in, I'd go through their tech support, even though you've already installed their driver).