Can't play games on fullscreen

vorpalblade · 02 Nov 2009

Greetings,

I have an Dell Inspiron 537MT using a Dell IN1910N 768x1366 widescreen (analog) VGA monitor. I have upgraded the base system with a Nvidia GeForce GTS 250, Ultra 750 LSP PSU and a Intel E8200 Core 2 Duo 2.66 GHz processor.

I have sucessfully upgraded from Vista Home Premium 64 bit to Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit utilizing the Dell Upgrade Option and have implemented the Nvidia 191.07 Drivers.

My first problem is as follows:

When I change the resolution to anything smaller than 768x1366 the resolution does not fill in the whole screen. The display does not adapt and fill in the whole screen at the lower resolution, it simply goes to the lower resolution and leaves the unused area black. I first ran into this problem after I installed and ran an older game at 1024x768 and assumed that since at least one of my newer games (Star Wars Galaxies) was working perfectly that it must be a compatability/no support issue. I did some further testing and discovered that it was happening with almost ALL of my games, new and old.

It was then that I began to test my desktop resolutions and discovered that it was not just limited to games but the whole OS as well. I then proceeded to make sure all my drivers were up to date and went forum surfing and found a few suggestions that did not exactly apply but were worth a shot. Here is what I came up with that I thought may apply:

Since I am connected to my monitor through VGA I have no Nvidia Scaling option under Adjust Desktop Size And Position in my Nvidia control panel.

There is no way through the OS to adjust the Aspect Ratio of my Dell IN1910N 768x1366 widescreen (analog) VGA monitor nor do the adjustments on the monitor allow for this adjustment.

My second problem is as follows:

When I do go to full screen, exhibiting the above problem, Windows 7 automatically goes into basic mode and the colors are not showing correctly. I ran the Windows Aero troubleshooter and allowed the disableing of windows management to maintain 32 bit true color. While it stopped automatically going into basic mode the colors are still messed up.

I find these problems rather frustrating considering that Windows 7 has been in beta for some time and is supposed to be much more compatable with games than its predecessor. In fact I did not have these problems at all with windows Vista nor did I have these problems when I tested the monitor on an old dinosaur in the form of a Dell Dimension L800r with a GeForce Mx 400.

Please do not get me wrong, I am not trying to rant or flame in any fashion, I consider myself fairly adept and by all means I am hoping that I am not, and that I am missing something simple considering that I am working with a new OS. I am just tring to be as detailed as possible so that anyone willing can help me and/or others with these problems before I spend hours reinstalling Vista.

Regards and Thanks to anyone who can help ahead or time.

Niceonewill · 03 Nov 2009

I have some of the same problems. On some of my games when I try to play them that thy default to my monitors native resolution. I also found that there is no config file or a way in the game options to adjust the refresh rate. Those games are also ports from game console system. E.g. Spiderman Web of Shadows. Other games like NeverWinter Night, both 1 and 2. I can go into a config file, if there is no in game refresh setting, and simply change the refresh rate to match my desktop, and the problem is solved. Someone else posted that I should go into my Nvidia control panel and change the setting to Nvidia scaling. I will give that a shot and hope it doesn't still change the resolution back to native. Thanks for all the good advise that people have posted. :)

sommarblond · 03 Nov 2009

Not sure if its already been answered but you need to go inside nVIDIAS control panel and create the same resolution your using in the game. For example if your playing your game in 1280x1024 and your monitor is widescreen it will give black edges so it dont stretch. But if you go inside your nVIDIA control panel and create the resolution it will stretch out and you wont have that annoying black bars. :)

Niceonewill · 04 Nov 2009

sommarblond said:

Not sure if its already been answered but you need to go inside nVIDIAS control panel and create the same resolution your using in the game. For example if your playing your game in 1280x1024 and your monitor is widescreen it will give black edges so it dont stretch. But if you go inside your nVIDIA control panel and create the resolution it will stretch out and you wont have that annoying black bars. :)

Also when you do that make sure to set what refresh rate you want, or it will default it to 60Hz. :)

vorpalblade · 05 Nov 2009

Thanks for the input.
What I did figure out is that if you are running vista and you do an upgrade rather than a fresh install it causes quite a few problems, not with just your display. Full screen is working now since I did a fresh install of 7. Also, of note, I did do a run of driver sweeper and then installed the just released Nvidia 195.39 beta drivers and that still did not solve the full screen problem. Again, it was only after I did a fresh Windows 7 install that the full screen problem was fixed.
However, the color problem still remains when switching to full screen. I believe it is because Windows 7 automatically switches to basic mode upon entering full screen. My question is... why is that necessary? I way overkill anything close to the games I'm trying to run with a 3DMark06 rating of 12500 and it is no way taxing my system. I think it is a BLANKET ALL service integrated into the operating system that in most cases is just simply not necessary. Question now is how to turn it off. I'm going to check into it as much as my experience will allow and of course any insight is very much welcomed.

lotfee · 01 Jan 2010

hey people i got the solution for people who has ATI video card, but sorry Nvidia people cant help urs cause i have ATI and dont know about Nvidia.
Now this method worked for me.i don't say that its foolproof solution but its worth trying & befor trying this method update your ATI driver to the latest version(one which is compatible with windows 7).So here we go:

1. set your screen resolution to 1024*768 (lower than highest).to do this simply right click on your desktop,choose screen resolution and change resolution in resolution box.

2.now go to ur ATI catalyst control centre.to do this,right click on desktop and the top most choice is ATI catalyst control centre.

3.choose advanced settings.

4.choose "desktop and display".click on "graphics" on top left corner.

5.now right click on laptop picture in lower bar(in my case there is only on laptop picture in lower bar having "1" in circle on its left top corner)

6. choose "configure..."

7. Now select "Full Screen" from three options.

8. Click "Apply" & then "Ok".

9. Now change back your Screen resolution to original.

p.s:if you are unable to choose "Full Screen" in ATI catalyst control centre then change your screen resolution(first try with decreasing it,if it doesn't help try increasing it) and then try again with ATI catalyst control centre.

Bingo ,we are done!!!

Now try to run your game,it should run in full screen.atleat it did for me.

Dont forget to say thanx if this method worked for you.

Kelvin91 · 07 Feb 2010

Yeah,i fix that problem~Thanks bro!

lotfee · 11 Feb 2010

no problems im here to help

nishant08899 · 12 Feb 2010

GR8 work....LOTFEE
thnx ......

lotfee · 13 Feb 2010

thanx & my pleasure