Pixel aspect ratio

If you want accurate you must set the monitor to its native resolution.

Bob

Thanks Robert – I’m chasing that down now. Having a recent HP computer and adding an HP monitor I assumed they’d automatically sort each other out – not so. Even downloading the driver and installing it does not register where and as it should in Vista settings. Back to HP support. I have also found an "aspect ratio" setting in the monitor menu which gets me close to what I want with space on each side of the main display- menus can be moved off the photoshop frame to the right but not alas to the left so I may have to relearn 10 years worth of photoclicking. many thanks Derek Simpson

You just find the monitor’s native resolution from the manual and set that value in Windows > Control Panel > Display properties > Settings.

Doesn’t work John. Native resolution is 1680×1050 and that’s not available and changing the "current" setting sets Vista off on a hissy fit where the monitor goes to sleep every few minutes – like an adolescent it says "monitor is going to sleep" and it does and like an adolescent one wants to slap it awake again.. According to HP when I download the latest driver and install the required resolution should appear in > Control panel>personalisation>display settings>advanced options > modes but it doesn’t. Whether this is HP’s fault or Microsoft’s I daren’t say but from experience Mr. Gates… Worse still with Nanny Vista it seems impossible to actually ascertain with any certainty what resolution the screen is set at. Older OS had a simple settings box which gave direct access.

if it’s not listed, it’s possible your current video card doesn’t support that resolution.

Yes, you may be out of luck.

When you got the latest driver did you un-install the old one first?

Derek,
When you open control panel, personalization then display settings there is a "slider bar" there to adjust resolution from low to high. Your saying the slider bar is not there? As you adjust the slider bar the resolution will show just below it.

There is a "advance Settings" button that you click on to select the "monitor tab" to adjust the screen refresh rate. LCD’s should be set to 60 Hertz.

Call HP. They will walk you thru it.

In a word "no" – I’m awaiting answers from HP and ATI at present.

Slider bar does not have my screen’s native resolution. HP claim that if install latest driver 1680×1050 will appear under "advanced" >show all modes. It doesn’t. The computer/graphics card is less than a year old so ought not to have fallen over the outdated horizon.

You can check if it’s a video memory problem by temporarily switch the number of colours to a low value like 256 or so.

If the desired pixel dimension is now available, it’s probably memory.

Rob

download the latest drivers. read instructions for installation.

uninstall your current drivers. requires reboot.

when system comes back folow manufacturer’s instructions on installing latest drivers. many drivers require you to say "NO" when windows wants to autoload them at startup when it discovers a "new" piece of hardware. you then go and run the installer provided by the manufacturer.

When I purchased a widescreen LCD I didn’t have my new native resolution to select. My research found that I had to update the bios on my motherboard. I found the bios update for my motherboard but can’t get it to install. I am upgrading my computer shortly so I will deal with it then.

JH

Derek,
As others have pointed out you have a driver issue. Even when you google your problem the same answer comes up. Here is a website for driver sweeper. It is free and good for ATI finding and cleaning up left over ATI stuff. Hope it helps you out.

<http://www.phyxion.net/>

A year old ATI card should not be giving you so many driver problems. Maybe you should try the ATI website and download drivers there. Other then Jerry’s Bios update post HP needs to fix it for you.

Something is wrong somewhere. You most certainly should have that choice available to you with a new video card.

Bob

HP Support had my hopes high:
"I understand that you are experiencing the issue with changing the screen resolution to 1680 x1050 on your
HP Pavilion Slimline s3230.uk PC.
I will be glad to assist you.
The above issue occurs due to the graphic card driver update. I have verified the product specifications and found that the Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Media
Center was bundled with your PC.
I have also checked that the Radeon HD2350 (wildcat) graphics card was bundled with the PC and it support the
2D Display Modes 1680×1050 60 Hz(refresh rate).
I request you to download and install the ATI Radeon HD Graphics Driver Update. Please click on the below provided web link to download the update : ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softlib/software10/COL22401/pv-59174-1/ sp37436.exe ====Installation Instructions====
1. Click the Download Only button.
2. At the File Download screen, click the Save button.
3. At the Save As screen, save the file to your Desktop.
4. If a message appears stating that the file already exists, click YES to overwrite file.
5. Double-click the icon for the update downloaded to your desktop, and then click NEXT.
6. Follow on-screen instructions.
7. If prompted to restart the system upon completion of the update, click YES and allow system to restart.
The above update will resolves the issue where the proper screen resolution settings are not automatically
selected for certain monitors, including the HP w2408h, HP w2207h and Compaq v220 . I hope the above troubleshooting will help you to resolve the issue. If you need further assistance, please write back to us with PC information and we will be glad to assist you.
For information on keeping your HP and Compaq products up and running, please visit ourWeb site at: <http://www.hp.com/go/totalcare>
Have a Nice Day!
"

And then after my reply
" If the PC supports the 1680×1050 resolution, it will shown in Display settings. As you have informed that the PC is not showing the 1680×1050 resolution in the display settings it indicates that 1680×1050 resolution is not supported by your PC bundled video card.
This should resolve the issue. If you need further assistance, please reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.
"
I have since followed ATI’s removal and update routine and nothing has changed so I’ll give it a day or two as there is actual work waiting to be done here. Nagging feeling is that I’m looking at an interpolated resolution and it could be better if HP got their collective fingers out. Not impressed. I’ll check out other suggestions as and when time allows. Cheers DS

Last word from HP for the moment "Look out for an update". My breath is bated.

Sorted – after several stubborn hours today! "My Display" (HP utility) software did not recognize the hardware (Monitor) so I set about the uninstall/reinstall yet again. This time when start-up repair offered to restore to a working state (yet again) I refused to allow. A long war of attrition ended with a "welcome" screen after which came numerous clicks and reboots of the monitor. My intention was then to find the hardware driver in the "My Display" folder (read that somewhere) – but "My display" came up as working ! Re-set of resolution didn’t work but I proceeded to update the graphics card and saw different messages from before. When update was complete a check of Display Properties showed a selection of 1680×1050 screens and the difference in Photoshop viewing at 50% is remarkable – no interpolation artefacts. I’ve conveyed to HP as much detail as possible in the hope they’ll figure out where the conflicts lie. Hope this helps some other frustrated soul – thanks for all the help and suggestions – wouldn’t have persecered without your encouragement, Cheers Derek Simpson

My Display" (HP utility) software

Don’t you just love the "value added" stuff that people like HP like to add to your computer, when the main thing they add is about 15 hours of work before you realize you need to trash them to make the machine work correctly?

The Luddites weren’t wrong – just before their time ! Cheers