Windows 7 - Force DVI/HDMI resolutions and refresh rates

I'm stuck!

When i open Phoenix and click in the registry button, it just show me an empty screen
http://i41.tinypic.com/2dmbnnn.jpg

If you have a flat panel (LCD etc.) then the refresh you need is 60. 1280x960 is not a VESA mode so you'll need the monitor timings from the display manufacturer website.

How is your monitor connected to your video card? What you're describing occurs when Windows 7 cannot read the monitor EDID. This generally happens when you have the monitor connected to the computer sub-optimally.

No answer and still not able to select resolutions higher than 85 Hz.
It's killing me.

What's your monitor make and model. I'll find a couple linux modelines for it and make you some infs to try. What resolution and refresh are you hoping for again?

Well I have 1 CRT monitor (which I use as my main monitor for gaming) and a LCD screen (using as secondary screen for browsing and stuff).

The CRT is a Viewsonic P227f and I would really love to have the following resolutions and refreshrates:

1280x1024 @ 100 Hz (or 120 Hz)
1600x1200 @ 100 Hz
1920x1200 @ 100 Hz
1920x1440 @ 85 Hz
2048x1536 @ 75 Hz

These resolutions and refreshrates are working without problems in Windows Vista x64, but not in Windows 7...

Thanks for trying to help so far!

I have always asked myself why Windows, since it's 2000 incarnation would not play nice with monitors. I've used all sorts of hacks since then to fix the refresh rate problem, and comming to Windows 7 I wanted a final fix. I almost tossed out this latest OS, with my eyes crying from the 85hz that I was not used to.

For some users, EDID hacking would not work no matter what. Some are forced read-only, some are corupted, some cannot be read properly. The only solution is to do a physical modification to block the monitor's report of optimal resolutions and refresh rates. So let's add an extra step. All you need is to remove a pin from the connector, using force, bending it slowly in one direction and then in the other until it breaks.

VGA Connector * DVI Connector * HDMI Connector

For CRT, it's imperative to use some vga-vga extender/dvi-vga dongle and to make modification on that, not on the monitor's cable directly because it's not easy to replace.
#VGA-VGA extender: Remove pin number 12
#DVI-VGA dongle: Remove pin 7
For newer displays, I guess it works the same (remove pin 7 on the DVI side of the DVI-DVI, DVI-HDMI) but I did not test it.
Some video cards have also an HDMI port, and if connected to an HDMI device this would be harder to mod but not impossible (A type HDMI pin would be 17, B type 27).

After modding, your monitor will be detected as standard and you need to change it's driver to the one you have created using guides to EDID override. If you have the original driver, you should merge in the color profile settings as it is very important for accurate colors. Sections are:
[SourceDisksFiles]
nameoforiginalicmprofile.icm=1
[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.AddReg]
HKR,,ICMProfile,0,"nameoforiginalicmprofile.icm"
[OVERRIDDEN-EDID.CopyFiles]
nameoforiginalicmprofile.icm

Nvidia cards do not sync refresh rate in games with the desktop refresh rate, you need some tool like DirectRefresh or RefreshRatePatcher

Does this really work?

And just to make sure. I will only need to remove pin 7 on the DVI connector, right?
Before I am going to make any kind of adjustments, I will order a DVI-DVI extender or something. Just to be sure.

But I don't completely understand what this will solve? Cause in Vista my refreshrates work perfectly, but only in Windows 7 it doesn't allow me to select my appropiate refreshrate. Therefor the problem would be Windows 7 and not my CRT monitor, right?

Please explain.

Yes it would work. You must have a high end CRT if it has DVI already.
And for the reasoning behind it, Windows 7 plays it safe and uses by default the settings found in the monitor's EDID (firmware).

On my CRT, recommended settings were 1024x768@85Hz, and very conservative VESA timmings on all resolutions up to 1600x1200. The manufacturer released a driver which increased the resolution up to 1792x1344 and refresh rates up to 150hz.

In previous versions of Windows, after installing the original driver and selecting "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display", the correct refresh rates were selected, based upon resolution and maximum vertical refresh rate and horizontal sync rate (pixel clock=video bandwidth).

In Windows 7, the original manufacturer driver is not allowed anymore to override the internal EDID (monitor firmware presets) so I have to physically block the EDID reporting and use my custom monitor driver with an virtual EDID.

Before any hardware modification you must create your monitor profile in Phoenix EDID Designer or other compatible software, and to modify only Standard Timings and on Detailed Timings on Block 1 you will find the default settings that Windows uses (recommended resolution). The Pixel Clk is the one responsible for the refresh rate on your selected resolution, you will have to experiment on that as not all dividers are available (Mod-lines).
Please dont exceed the monitor's range limits (Block 2).

Okay thanks for the detailed explanation. I will order a DVI-DVI extender (or something alike) and will do as you said. The only thing breakable is the extender. Which is approx. 15 Euro or something or even less.

I already tried fooling around with Phoenix EDID Designer, however I haven't achieved the results that I wanted.

Good to see someone has finally received some results with regards to refreshrates!

As soon as I have received the DVI-DVI extender I will give it a go and report back here.