Help with new LCD monitor

[rogerg (Roger)]

Ok, I might be a bit of a computer geek normally, but I have to admit relatively little experience with LCD monitors (only one I've ever used is my laptop's 14").

I have a new LCD screen in my observatory which has a native resolution of 1680 x 1050. But if I set the resolution to anything higher than 1480 x 1050 it scrolls, it doesn't resize down.

Ideas????

Windows seems to only reconsize it as a "default monitor" ... I'm surprised it doesn't know it as the actual model etc. I can't find specific drivers for it though, via the ASUS website.

The NVIDIA graphics card knows it by it's proper name, and it's capable resolutions, but windows System -> Devices -> Monitors doesn't. And the fact NVIDIA knows the capable resolutions doesn't seem to help.

Thanks

[skeltz (Rob)]

Don,t know if i can help but are you using the dvi-d cable it is best if you use that cable ,and not the one you use for crts
my systems device just shows mine as a plug and play moniter it doesnt know what it is either,as long as nvidia knoes thats all that matters
I am running a 24 inch wide screen dell and it doe not require any drivers and did not come with a cd.
nvidia knows whats going on and i think thats all that matters
cheers rob

[rogerg (Roger)]

Thanks Rob.

I went with the new style plug from the start actually, thought it the best idea. Perhaps I should try the simple old VGA one I didn't think of that

Good to hear it's not just my setup which has windows knowing it only as a default display. That rules out that as being a problem.

Hmm..

Oh, and I have recently (just last week) updated my NVIDIA drivers, so they are up to date. Which matches what's hapenning as they seem to fully reconise the display and know what it's capabilities are.

[CoombellKid]

Make sure you have the most recent update for Nvidia too, they dont always keep the cd up to date.

regards,CS

[rogerg (Roger)]

Originally Posted by CoombellKid

Make sure you have the most recent update for Nvidia too, they dont always keep the cd up to date.

regards,CS

Done, still the same problem

[Satchmo]

Originally Posted by rogerg

But if I set the resolution to anything higher than 1480 x 1050 it scrolls, it doesn't resize down.

I've got a reasonable handle on using NVidea drivers over DVI connection. Can you be a bit more specific about the resolutions. Do you mean `higher than 1400 X 1050' ? That is a 4:3 ratio resolution, or `higher than 1680 X1050 ' ( correct 16:10 apect ) . If you set a resolution higher than 1680 X 1050 ( native for your monitor ) it would be normal that you would have to scroll the screen around to see the whole thing.

[rogerg (Roger)]

Originally Posted by Satchmo

Can you be a bit more specific about the resolutions.

Sure, no problem..

The screen is a ASUS MW221u (22" widescreen), which according to what I read on the web has a native resolution of 1680 x 1050. There's no useful documentation with the monitor at all, to tell me different.

At 1480 x 1050 the desktop fits the physical screen with no scrolling. The desktop does look stretched in the horizontal.

If I set the resolution to anything higher than 1480 x 1050 scrolling occurs, just as I would expect if i set my laptop to 1280x1024 which has a native resolution of 1024x768.

Setting the MW221u to 1680x1050 (supposedly it's native resolution) there is considerable scrolling in the horizontal and no scrolling in the vertical.

NVIDIA on the computer has 1680x1050 listed as it's highest resolution that I can set, so I haven't been able to try going beyond that.

I can't remember what happens if I set it to 1400 x 1050 right now (and am at work so can't give it a shot).

When I was trying it last night I went through the resolutions incrementally and found 1480 x 1050 was the highest I could go without scrolling occurring.

The NVIDIA card is a FX5200.

Thanks,
Roger.

[Satchmo]

Hi Roger

1480 X 1050 isn't an official VESA resolution but neverthless, the problem probably may lie with your videocard. Its very old model chip and although the latest drivers should support it , they can often be buggy for the old cards. It sounds like a problem of mis-matching horizontal sync. Do you have a 'manual sync' button on the monitor? You may have to press that when you boot up into 1680 mode to get it to scale correctly in the horizontal axis.

Otherwise I'd recommend getting a much newer video card . Now that everything NVidea is going 8000 series for Windows Vista ( using Direct X 10 for gaming ) , you can get a very good card like an NVidea 7600GS ( still Vista compatable ) for under $100 now, and that is bound to solve your problems. I don't think 16: 10 ratio monitors were around when the 5200 series came out.

Hope this helps, perhaps someone else has some suggestions too.

Originally Posted by rogerg

Sure, no problem..

The screen is a ASUS MW221u (22" widescreen), which according to what I read on the web has a native resolution of 1680 x 1050. There's no useful documentation with the monitor at all, to tell me different.

At 1480 x 1050 the desktop fits the physical screen with no scrolling. The desktop does look stretched in the horizontal.

If I set the resolution to anything higher than 1480 x 1050 scrolling occurs, just as I would expect if i set my laptop to 1280x1024 which has a native resolution of 1024x768.

Setting the MW221u to 1680x1050 (supposedly it's native resolution) there is considerable scrolling in the horizontal and no scrolling in the vertical.

NVIDIA on the computer has 1680x1050 listed as it's highest resolution that I can set, so I haven't been able to try going beyond that.

I can't remember what happens if I set it to 1400 x 1050 right now (and am at work so can't give it a shot).

When I was trying it last night I went through the resolutions incrementally and found 1480 x 1050 was the highest I could go without scrolling occurring.

The NVIDIA card is a FX5200.

Thanks,
Roger.

[joe_smith]

Did you try the changing the screen refresh rates? if the refresh rate is out you get the scrolling.

[rogerg (Roger)]

Thanks for the continuing input.

I haven't tried different refresh rates, from what I remember at a glance 60 was the only one.

I'm hoping my graphics card isn't too old, the cost of the graphics card wouldn't be so bad, but I think then I'd find the rest of my PC is too slow

I've done some more googling this morning and found that this might be a software fault in the latest version of the NVIDIA drivers that I recently downloaded: http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t42195.html

So I am going to try an older version when I get home, and perhaps the new beta version.

Roger.

[mnm]

I noticed in one of your other recent posts here that you were using 2 monitors in clone mode (or trying to), do you still have 2 monitors hooked up, as that may cause problems.

[rogerg (Roger)]

Originally Posted by mnm

I noticed in one of your other recent posts here that you were using 2 monitors in clone mode (or trying to), do you still have 2 monitors hooked up, as that may cause problems.

I will eventually (hopefully) have the 2 hooked up again, but right now I have unplugged the other to remove any unnecessary complications.

Roger.

[mnm]

Originally Posted by rogerg

I will eventually (hopefully) have the 2 hooked up again, but right now I have unplugged the other to remove any unnecessary complications.
Roger.

Make sure you also have windows set to one monitor in the display properties, not just unplugging the monitor. I have an Nvidia 5600 working at 1680 x 1050 with the latest drivers. I don't have a 5200 lying around here at work, otherwise I would try it for you.

[rogerg (Roger)]

Originally Posted by mnm

Make sure you also have windows set to one monitor in the display properties, not just unplugging the monitor.

Yeap, I did that too, thanks.

Something I haven't tried doing is fully removing all the detected monitors via System -> Device Manager. I might give that a shot if the different version of Nvidia software doesn't work.

[joe_smith]

I still think its a refresh rate problem. I get the scrolling effect with some resolutions and have to change the refresh rate to make them work.

[DJDD]

From the nVidia forum:
http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion...hp?t42645.html

The solution did not work but you could give it a go.

also, a linux-related site lists a similar problem on an Intel video-chipset but nVidia worked (newer card than yours, however).

Reading both, especially the linux-related discussion, I would suggest that it is a driver problem with your old card. Probably the best bet would be to buy a new nVidia card for less than $100.

of course, I cannot guarantee it will work.

cheers,
DJDD

[Satchmo]

You might want to try using POWERSTRIP to run the custom resolution, I hear its great with getting odd resolutions running with old video cards .

http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

By the sounds its syncing vertically and not horizontally: Powerstrip will allow you to force a horizontal sync rate but the Nvidea drivers won't.

[rogerg (Roger)]

OK, good news, it's working.

Bad news, I don't know what it was that I did to make it work!

Second bad news, it was working last night, I turned off the PC, turned it on today and it wasn't working!

Third bad news, after much fiddling it is working again but again I don't know how I did it!

It seems I just keep messing with settings - custom resolutions, resizing type (graphics card or LCD built-in), normal resolutions, single display & dual display, etc... nothing works for ages and then it suddenly works.

Anoying!

But good to have it working in the mean time. After enough times of getting it working I'm sure I'll work out what the actual solution is.

[Portmac]

I have a 22" widescreen LCD connected to two computers via a KVM switch and had a lot of problems at the start with Windows not wanting to run 1680x1050 and Device Manager would only list it as "Default Monitor".
After some poking I worked out what was causing the problem, it was the fact I was using a KVM switch, if I turned on the computer that was not active in the KVM switch Windows could not see the monitor when it started.
So to get around the problem I have to make sure the computer I want to turn on is the active one in the KVM switch.

And to get the computers to use it happily I had to go into Device Manager and delete the monitor and reboot, after the reboot Vista shows the name of the monitor but XP just has Plug and Play monitor listed but works.

So I would suggest you go into Device Manager and delete yout moniter then reboot, it may help in your case.

Also on the side of my monitor (Benq) is a button to have the monitor re-adjust itself (recenter and resize display), check on yours for a similar button.

Sorry for rambling on so long......

[rogerg (Roger)]

After another frustrating 5 hours today trying to get my LCD in to the correct resolution I again tried the standard VGA plug instead of the fancy digital one. It works!

I think I mustn't have rebooted or something last time I tried it. Seems with the Nvidia FX 5200 it needs to be connected on the VGA port to use 1600x1050 without major drama's.

Thought I'd post this so that anyone searching who finds this actually gets a solution (that worked for me).

Roger.