Windows 7 - Force DVI/HDMI resolutions and refresh rates

Phoenix can't find any EDID on my machine. Nvidia GTX295/Viewsonic VX2240w LCD monitor in Windows 7 x64.

I have a Soniq 27" LCD TV with a bad EDID so when I install video drivers it defaults to a mode it cannot display. I have two monitors so I can get around it but I would like to fix it with an EDID Override. I made a new Monitor.inf with the Entech software but my Windows 7 x64 RTM does not want to install it. How can I get that inf to install or edit the registry to add the information contained in the inf? I tried but I could not work out how to add the binary data needed in the EDID_OVERRIDE key.

Hi, I'm so happy to read this tutorial!

First of all, Please excuse me for my poor english, but you are my last hope and i've registered only for this post. (even if I read your forum often)

My configuration: HTPC with nvidia 9800GTX+ and a panasonic video-projector PTAX-200 (HD-ready native resolution of 1280x720)

My story: I was having a panasonic PTAE-900 video-projector wich was the previous model, it was a HD-ready projector too and picture quality under windows was excellent. The picture was really clear, and the fonts was perfectly readeable. For sure it was a perfect 1:1 pixel mapping when displayed in his native resolution of 1280x720.

Then I changed it for the new model panasonic PTAX-200, and it was a drama! I never managed to have the same picture quality as my previous projector. The fonts are not clear, and it's obvious that the display is not in a good 1:1 pixel mapping.

After a lot of research, I figured it was an EDID/driver problem.
It seem's that PTAX-200 EDID is really messed up!

For example, in the nvidia control panel, you can see that the driver think his native resolution is 1920x1080 (wich is not, even if it can be displayed)

I really think that I can solve my problem by doing a good inf driver, but this is out of my capability. When I open the EDID, every information seems to be wrong, and I don't know what I should write to make a good INF.

By searchng the web I have found usefull EDID informations about the previous panasonic projector (PTAE-900 and PTAX-100) but nothing about my PTAX-200. Maybe this informations could help to make the good *.inf, because the three projector are pretty much the same.

I really need your help, I can provide you every information I have, I can make screen shot of everything. just tell me what you need to help me.

thank a lot,
Gus.

I've told baarod some time ago that I've summed up a more detailed procedure, sent him the drafts, but I guess he is again very busy. This is mostly geared towards CRT's or other displays with analog connection (VGA) as it's the most affected hardware but the guidelines can be used for digital connection too. So here it is folks:

I. Choose the monitor to hack.
Leave only the monitor that you want to hack connected to your card. Reboot.
Open an elevated command prompt. Enter there:
> set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
> devmgmt.msc
In the now opened Device Manager, View->Show Hidden Devices.
Remove all on Monitors. Reboot.

II. Dump the monitor's EDID (extended display identification data).
Get softMCCS from entech. Select your monitor's name. File -> Save EDID as... and choose Save as type Raylar EDID file (*.dat).

III. Customize the EDID with PED.
Get Phoenix EDID Designer from tucows.com:
Open your Raylar EDID file (*.dat) into it. File -> uncheck Read only.
On the Detailed Timings Tab, select the Descriptor Block featuring Monitor Range Limits.Use this modeline generator (PED Helper) to create presets for your EDID that do not exceed the hardware limits. It's a simple excel file with no macros (safe). Preview here.

• Input in the colored cells from the left area, the data found in the Monitor Range Limits block.
• Input a safety margin (defaults to 2.0%) to prevent Out of Range.
• Input the horizontal resolution (the vertical one is self-generated) and choose the aspect ratio (from 5:4,4:3,16:9 and 16:10).
• The excel sheet will return a range of safe refresh rates for both the Phoenix Edid Designer and the Create Custom Resolution tool in Windows, for the selected resolution.

On the Standard Timings Tab, choose your presets starting from the lowest resolution:

• Input H. Active pixels = resolution's width. Common values are 720, 1024, 1280, 1440...
• Select Aspect Ratio, used to calculate the resolution's height, Height = H. Active pixels/Aspect Ratio. Example: 1280/4x3=960 or 1280/5x4=1024
• Input Refresh = Use the PED Helper with the selected resolution, and choose a value (integer) between the limits for the EDID.
• Repeat the above (eight user presets possible in PED).

Setup your native resolution and refresh rate:
On the Detailed Timings Tab, select the Descriptor Block featuring Timings, Stereo Display and Sync Scheme.
Use the PED Helper again, with the resolution you want to be selected by Windows as default (native). Input the generated values in the Timings Descriptor Block:

• The excel sheet will generate values for the maximum safe VESA GTF refresh rate, while retaining a round pixel clock (some sort of GTF/CVT hybrid), providing better compatibility with various graphics card's.
• You can choose your own refresh rate by typing in the colored cell from the Timings area in PED Helper, as long as it is in the recommended range (not limited up to 123 here).
• Hints are available to determine a refresh rate with a round pixel, too (recommended).

From the File menu -> Save EDID As... EDID DAT File (*.dat).

Create the new monitor INF modded driver:
Open this tool (moninfo from EnTech). File -> Open -> your EDID DAT File (*.dat). File -> Create INF...

Update the monitor's driver with your new INF, ignoring the non-whql driver prompt. Reboot and enjoy.

At least on nVidia with the latest driver, by using the Create Custom Resolution inside the driver's control panel you are now able to fix this issue. From a previous post:
- Change your desktop to the resolution you want modded. REQUIRED (or not, seems that latest cpl from nvidia is more stable)
This means that if you are on 1024x768 and want to add a custom resolution for 800x600, you first have to change your desktop resolution to 800x600.
UPDATE:
- Modify the "Refresh rate (Hz):" in the Create Custom Resolution dialog and "timings standard" (found in the same dialog, click on the drop-down button named "Timing" and then choose instead of Automatic:
* GTF for CRTs and plasmas.
* CVT for LCDs when you have selected a higher than 60Hz vertical frequency.
* CVT-reduced blanking for LCDs when you have selected 60Hz (recommended by VESA only on 60Hz) useful in higher resolutions, most of the time the only standard that works.
* Manual if you want to input the data supplied by PED Helper in the "Add Custom Resolution..." section.
- Press Test, and then repeat the procedure (change desktop res, open nvcpl, add res, close nvcpl) for all your custom resolutions.
- Some low resolutions are not available in nVidia CPL, use the Windows Screen Resolution - Advanced Settings - List All Modes to change to them (take care to choose the right bitrate - 32bit recommended).

If it's not working for you, and you cannot update the EDID using PowerStrip, the hardware pin breaking mode (to block EDID) is still a choice but then again, not recommended anymore.

You can use Powerstrip from EnTech (the purchased version only) to update your monitor's EDID, but chances are your's could be read-only (many manufacturers opted for a cheap memory that is not software flash-able to store the EDID).

A workaround for this would be to block your monitor from reporting the EDID profile to Windows - it will no longer be seen as a Plug and Play Monitor featuring auto-configuration. Windows would need a driver for it to describe it's capabilities, and lucky you, you have just created one using part one of this guide.

There is no generic software way of doing this under Windows, Ati had (still has it?) "ignore DDC" settings for this, nVidia had nothing, so one solution is to physically alter your hardware, which involves breaking a pin on the connector that goes from your monitor into your graphics card.

Before any hardware modification, you must create your modded INF driver using the guide above, because once done, Windows will no longer have access to the EDID reported by your monitor.

To prevent permanent damage, do not apply the mod directly to your monitor's cable, use a suitable adaptor, suggested below.

While you work on your mod, keep your monitor unplugged from the mains AC power line and from your computer graphics card, same applies for the external adaptor, it should be unplugged on both ends, too.

Common CRT monitors have their VGA cable fixed on the back, very hard to replace (only by a technician) if anything goes wrong. You must do your modification on:

• a VGA extender cable (female-male) if you use the VGA port of your graphics card.

• a DVI-VGA adaptor if you use the DVI port of your graphics card.

Some high-end CRT monitors, Plasma TVs and few LCD monitors without DVI interface have replaceable VGA(male)-VGA(male) cable. You must do your modification on:

• a extra VGA(male)-VGA(male) cable if you use the VGA port of your graphics card.

• a DVI-VGA cable for the DVI port of your graphics card.

Modding the cable for the VGA port of your graphics card.
A picture is worth a thousand words:
Full-size

Pin number 12, marked in red+white, must be removed.

Modding the cable for the DVI port of your graphics card.
Two pictures are worth a thousand words:
Full-size Full-size

Pin number 7, marked in red+white, must be removed.

Now connect your monitor to the modded VGA extender/ DVI-VGA adaptor/DVI-VGA cable and further connect it to your graphics card VGA/DVI port. Power on.

Windows should detect a Generic Non-PnP Monitor if the mod succeeded. Update the driver with the one you've created. Reboot and enjoy.

I just wanted to say this was a kick ass tutorial and the tool you developed made is easy as pie. In XP I could ignore the EDID stuff easily to get 1366x768 on my old Sharp LCD. Windows 7 didn't let me off the bat, I followed your instructions and had it working within 10 minutes!

First of all, many thanks to you guys that tweak things and come up with such solutions... This all make me see how much i still gotta learn about computers xD

Hmmm, to the problem now... I just got a PC with the new windows 7 build and i was using the RC before, up to the RC all the configurations worked, i mean i never even got past the first post...
But now i can't see to config my monitor(Samsung T220) in any way listed here, i learned from the beggining the monitor EDID is junk file, but configuring new EDID's were working... till now =x

I was doing the last procedures and got stuck on the PED file, since it didn't calculate the clocks and thingies, every formula cell got a #DIV/0 error(i use Excel 2007)...

any idea on how to proceed?

I've used Office XP, OpenOffice, Kingsoft Office 2009 and it works fine. I took another look now and opened it in spread32 (which is less than 1MB!) and found a problem - the dropdown aspect thinghy was getting calculated (4:3 becomes 1.3333). It works correctly if you manually input the Aspect ratio as pointed. Maybe it's the same problem in Office 2007, I cannot test it.

I've done a small hotfix by adding extra space near ":" and now it works fine in spread32 also.
Please re-download it.

ok I'm not too sure how to do this and I was hoping someone can make an INF for me if I give all the details as im scared to do it and burn my lcd tv! ok here goes! I have vista64x and nvidia 9800gtx video card which is connected via DVI to a 46" sharp aqous 120mhz.

When I saw this tutorial I thought... this is it ! But it seems my TV is more problematic than expected... (although the tutorial is great ^^)

I've tried many things, i've removed the pin from my DVI/VGA adapter, but still my TV won't show 1920x1080 (while it works perfectly with XP)

When I input "1920" in the excel file you provide, it shows "Decrease the horizontal resolution" and numerous DIV/0.
I found out it is because my "Min V Rate" is 60 in PED... If I input 56 in the spreadsheet, it works, but is it good ?
With these settings, the spreadsheet does not recommend something as "high" as 60hz... but it's suppose to work @ 60Hz...

Furthermore, I've got a description block featuring timing for 1920 and they are really different from the one calculated by the spreadsheet...

So... Is my EDID file corrupted ?
I'm begging you to take a look on my file... I'm desperate...

2shared - download SAM046F.dat
(link "Save file to your PC: click here" at the bottom)