Solved Cannot Set Correct Aspect Ratio / Resolution

Dogmatix

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Hello all,

I have installed Win8 on a spare PC, mainly just out of curiosity, and to see if it will eventually be worth it to upgrade my main PC (currently Windows XP). However, one setting is causing problems - Win8 seems to be convinced that my monitor is of 4:3 aspect ratio, and steadfastly only offers me three 4:3 resolutions: 1600x1200, 1024x768, and another which I can't remember right now (I'm at work). It has correctly identified my monitor as a Fujitsu Siemens Scaleoview H22-1W, so why does it not know what the aspect ratio (16:10) and native resolution (1680x1050) is? I have an .inf file which supposedly tells a computer all about the monitor, but I don't see how to tell Windows about it.

The computer is a Shuttle SD11G5, which has an on-board Intel 915GM chipset, I know there is no Windows 8 compatible driver for that, but surely there must still be some way of convincing Windows 8 to offer me other resolution settings. Maybe a registry entry I could change?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Shuttle SD11G5
    CPU
    Pentium M
    Motherboard
    Shuttle SD11G5
    Memory
    plenty
    Graphics Card(s)
    on-board (Intel 915GM)
Open device manager and then right click your monitor. Select update driver and then select the "Browse my computer for a driver" option. Then point it to the inf file. If that doesn't work open the screen resolution page and go to the advanced options. Then under the monitor tab uncheck the box for "Hide resolutions not supported by this monitor". Then see if the resolution you want is listed. Just be careful, if you select an unsupported resolution it could be a pain to undo it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Thanks for trying to help.

I tried to update the monitor driver, but Windows insists that the driver is already current. I found the .inf file that it is using, and this the same as the one I have and does contain details of the correct resolution settings. Thus Windows identifies the monitor and knows what the settings should be, and then ignores that and only offers me basic default settings.

The 'hide not supported resolutions' box is, and was, unchecked.

The 'list all modes' box in the graphics driver window (the Microsoft basic driver, as the Intel 915MG driver is not Windows 8 compatible, as reported elsewhere in this forum) only lists the 4:3 aspects, as I mentioned.

I wonder if it is the Microsoft graphics driver, rather than the monitor driver, that is incapable of offering 16:9 resolutions, although this would be absurd, as 16:9 monitors are commonplace nowadays. Then again, it would not be Microsoft's first absurdity...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Shuttle SD11G5
    CPU
    Pentium M
    Motherboard
    Shuttle SD11G5
    Memory
    plenty
    Graphics Card(s)
    on-board (Intel 915GM)
Ah, yeah it sounds like it's because of the video driver being used. Did you try installing in compatibility mode?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
Yes I did. I have checked other threads in this forum, and it seems that Intel 915GM systems are simply excluded from Windows 8. Intel would prefer people to buy new (preferably Intel-based) PCs rather than let them upgrade old ones.

My Shuttle does have an empty PCI slot, so I'll have to see if it is worth trying to find a compatible graphics card to side-step the on-board one. I only put Windows 8 on this PC to see if, when Windows 8 is released, it will be worth installing it on my main PC (currently XP). At the moment, I doubt it, even with the excellent Classic Start Menu app.

Anyway, thanks again for your help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Shuttle SD11G5
    CPU
    Pentium M
    Motherboard
    Shuttle SD11G5
    Memory
    plenty
    Graphics Card(s)
    on-board (Intel 915GM)
Running Intel 915GM with Windows 8 quite a trouble as Intel site itself has no more support for the driver, even for windows 7. Have done research at Intel site, no avail.
Better stick it to XP :( but you can try some workarounds by updating driver but "choose from my computer" and "let me pick" and randomly choosing any close matches brand or resolution. Just a trial and error thing. Who knows you got something from there.

Kevin.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built system
    CPU
    Core i5
    Motherboard
    Intel DH55PJ
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI 4650
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Flatron L1742S; LG Flatron 19"; Samsung TV 48"
    Screen Resolution
    1280:1024; 1366:768;1920:1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 256 GB
    Seagate Barracuda 500 GB
    WDC 1 TB
    PSU
    Power
    Case
    Simbadda
    Cooling
    Conventional
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.4 MBPS
    Other Info
    External HDD WDC 2 TB
    Dial Up Modem Huawei
    Home-made Home Theater

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.5GHz
    Motherboard
    Asus Maximus Hero VII
    Memory
    32GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX970
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Hard Drives
    1x Samsung 250GB SSD
    4x WD RE 2TB (RAIDZ)
    PSU
    Corsair AX760i
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15
Problem now solved by fitting a cheap GeForce graphics card. Windows spotted it immediately and installed suitable drivers and set the correct resolution with the correct aspect ratio.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Shuttle SD11G5
    CPU
    Pentium M
    Motherboard
    Shuttle SD11G5
    Memory
    plenty
    Graphics Card(s)
    on-board (Intel 915GM)
Good to know you solved it. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built system
    CPU
    Core i5
    Motherboard
    Intel DH55PJ
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI 4650
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Flatron L1742S; LG Flatron 19"; Samsung TV 48"
    Screen Resolution
    1280:1024; 1366:768;1920:1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 256 GB
    Seagate Barracuda 500 GB
    WDC 1 TB
    PSU
    Power
    Case
    Simbadda
    Cooling
    Conventional
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.4 MBPS
    Other Info
    External HDD WDC 2 TB
    Dial Up Modem Huawei
    Home-made Home Theater
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