Increasing size of items and text for poor vision

CritterCreek

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I have poor vision and am struggling to customize Windows 8.1 so I can see it. My eyesight is corrected by glasses, but I see everything about 30% smaller than it is in real life (glasses prescription -9.5). I use a laptop all day for my work.

Specifically, I need to increase the size of the text on Windows menus and the in-box and folder headers in Windows Live Mail. Larger icons and text on the task bar would be great as well.

I have installed Classic Shell for the start menu etc and selected Windows 7 as the display type.

When I set the item size to larger through the display menu, the font size in my Live Mail inbox does increase, although not significantly. BUT: I can no longer adjust the size of the e-mail font using the mouse wheel. When I set the item size back to smaller, the mouse wheel function is restored. So I can't get both a larger font and larger icons in Live Mail.

Under "change only the text size" on the display menu I have set all of the fonts to 14 pts, which is working well on the desktop but not on the quick launch task bar.

I don't want to use the magnifier---I need to be able to see a whole page at once, not small parts of it.

I'm really surprised that under Ease of Access there is no way to make everything on the screen larger, since that is probably a function that many people need.

Any tips?

P.S. I'm terrible with technology so if you have a tip please include clear instructions. Thanks for your help!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Larger icons and text on the task bar would be great as well.

I have installed Classic Shell for the start menu etc ......

A picture:

screenshot_37.png

If you need more help with the instructions in the picture, just ask. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
I have no idea what those numbers represent, but I had them set at small 40 and large 60 and they're tiny.

Sorry it didn't help. :(

I'll do more research.

DPI= dots per inch
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Here is a way to get BIG icons to look at. :)

I will show how mainly with pictures.

Screenshot (48).png

Screenshot (49).png

Screenshot (50).png

Screenshot (47).png

Screenshot (45).png

Screenshot (46).png


This is the best I can come up with.
I hope it helps. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
David, thank you, that was beautiful but a bit complicated. Unfortunately my "This computer" doesn't resemble your screen shot, so I can't even find the right starting point (the user button).

In any case, my problem is that EVERYTHING on the taskbar needs to be larger, including the open windows text. I can't read anything on the taskbar. I usually have a lot of windows open at once (MS Word and IE windows), so this is a problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hit Start > type DPI > Enter > Make text larger > set it to 150% (or at least to 125% if you have a small screen) > reboot.

I have the same problem - only 40% vision. But that works well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
Have you tried..........

Capture.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4790
    Motherboard
    GA-Z87X-D3H
    Memory
    G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire ATI Radeon R7 250
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC892
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD5003AZEX
    WD10EZEX
    Samsung HD103SJ
    Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
    PSU
    SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
    Case
    Fractal Design Define R4
    Cooling
    Zalman CNPS9900ALED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    16 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Avast
    Other Info
    Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
This can make things really big.
I tested it.

screenshot_38.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    AMD K140 Cores 2 Threads 2 Name AMD K140 Package Socket FT1 BGA Technology 40nm
    Motherboard
    Manufacturer Gateway Model SX2110G (P0)
    Memory
    Type DDR3 Size 8192 MBytes DRAM Frequency 532.3 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    AMD High Definition Audio Device Realtek High Definition Audio USB Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Name 1950W on AMD Radeon HD 7310 Graphics Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x76
    Screen Resolution
    Current Resolution 1366x768 pixels Work Resolution 1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    AMD K140
    Cores 2
    Threads 2
    Name AMD K140
    Package Socket FT1 BGA
    Technology 40nm
    Specification AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon HD Graphics
    Family F
    Extended Family 14
    Model 2
    Extended Model 2
    Stepping 0
    Revision ON-C0
    Instruction
    Browser
    Opera 24.0
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security
Hit Start > type DPI > Enter > Make text larger > set it to 150% (or at least to 125% if you have a small screen) > reboot.

I have the same problem - only 40% vision. But that works well.

When I try that I get the message "Can't change the size of items on this display."
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
This can make things really big.
I tested it.

View attachment 35028

That screen is not available to me in Windows 8.1. The only options are smaller and medium (125%). If I set it to medium, the mouse wheel stops functioning in Windows Live Mail and I can no longer read my e-mail.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Keep them coming as I'm really struggling to customize my laptop for my low vision, and I totally depend on it for my work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hit Start > type DPI > Enter > Make text larger > set it to 150% (or at least to 125% if you have a small screen) > reboot.

I have the same problem - only 40% vision. But that works well.

When I try that I get the message "Can't change the size of items on this display."

That is really strange. I can set it to 150% for my 22" screen and 125% for the 15" screen. Did you try the "Custom sizing options" on the same screen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
That is really strange. I can set it to 150% for my 22" screen and 125% for the 15" screen. Did you try the "Custom sizing options" on the same screen.

There is no customize size on that screen, only three choices: 100%, 125%, or increase text size only.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Your system may be different than mine. But this is what I have.

2014-01-12_1148.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
My picture is from 8.1. I don;t really know what to tell you and how to help you further.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
That's what I find so strange. I've had two laptops in the last month, both with Windows 8.1, but they were not identical in these details that are important to me. I didn't have difficulty customizing the first one for my low vision. I can't figure out if the problem is the hardware, software, or the OS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Yeah you are right. Not all editions of 8.1 seem to be identical. I just got an Asus Transformer with 8.1 and I cannot even find the same info in Event Viewer that I find on this system. That is very confusing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Vista and Win7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    2xHP, 2xGateway, 1xDell, 1xSony
    Hard Drives
    5 SSDs and 12 HDs
I find the use of the magnifier is awesome.

screenshot21a.jpg

______________________

Screenshot (17).jpg
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Server 2012 / 8.0
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7 QuadCore 3770k
    Motherboard
    Asrock Extreme 4
    Memory
    16GB Crucial Ballistix
    Graphics Card(s)
    intel embedded gpu
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC / Westinghouse
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Plextor pcie msata
    PSU
    Rosewill Silent Night 500W Fanless / PicoPSU
    Case
    open bench - no case enclosure
    Cooling
    Silverstone HEO2 Passive Silent
    Keyboard
    logitech washable K310
    Mouse
    logitech wired
    Browser
    ie / maxthon
    Other Info
    Totally silent. No fans at all.
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