Screen Resolution - Display Settings

hey there mr.brink,

I've just changed from windows XP to windows 7 and the 1st thing I noticed was the resolution problem ;(
I have a 37" LCD TV and I want to get a resolution of 1920x1080 on it but when ever I choose that, windows just takes it to 1600x1200...
I have an evga 8800 Ultra and I use to get 1920x1080 on winxp without any problems.
I tried the steps you posted but they did not work for me

plz help meh,
thanks !

Yesterday I installed Windows 7 on my mother's computer which was running XP with service pack 2. The computer is Dell which about 5 years old, currently with a 80GB HDD and 1 GB of RAM. The monitor she is using is also a Dell 15" which came with the computer. She cannot afford another monitor or computer.

When setting up Windows 7 I couldn't get the screen resolution to change from anything but 640x480. When she was running XP it was at 1024x768. The graphics card in the computer is whatever Dell stuck in there. The only upgrades it has recieved is 512MB of RAM and Windows 7.

Any thoughts on what to do to get the resolution to at least something better tha 640x480?

Thanks.

Brink said:

Hello SpyderGirl, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You may just need to install the latest video drivers if you haven't already.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks Shawn. I can't remember if I did that or not while I was there.

I will have her try that and see what happens.

Alright, so I come to find out that the video graphics card in her Dell is an Intel AGP 845G for which Intel does not offer a Win7 driver for.... SOO.... time to upgrade the graphics card (on a budget).

I am looking at having her install a GeForce FX5200 256MB PCI Graphics Card. The online reviews indicate that it works good with Win7, especially on older computers. I found the card for $39.99 on Amazon and NewEgg with a $10 mail in rebate.

Any thoughts or other recommendations? She has a Dell Dimension 2400 series.

Thanks.

Brink said:

I show that it has Vista drivers below, but not any for Windows 7. You might be able to install the Vista drivers though, but may need to use Compatibility Mode with the driver installation file.

32-bit Vista driver: ForceWare Release 95

64-bit Vista driver: ForceWare Release 95

Great, thanks for the links and the information!

Do you know of any other PCI video cards that would work in her PC and also work with Win7?

I figured as much. Thanks. She went ahead and purchased that GeForce FX5200.