Typical desktop
Typical Desktop Issues
After installing a graphics chip firmware update, new graphics card or new monitor, you may find yourself dealing with a screen size that is impractical or unusable. This is a common issue and is easily resolved by settings adjustments. The image shown is a typical desktop.
Most Common Issues
The most common symptoms are that the desktop appears larger than your physical computer monitor, thus stretching past the edges of the monitor or smaller or not centered properly. In either case, you will need to adjust your display settings in order to resolve the problem.
Options
Right-click anywhere on the desktop, then choose Graphics Properties, and go to Settings. (Note: This differs on XP and Vista. In Vista, you can click Start, go to Control Panel, then click Adjust Screen Resolution.
The primary settings responsible for size issues are screen resolution and
adapter refresh rate, though typically this may manifest itself as an out-of-focus (fuzzy) screen. An incorrect setting also can cause screen size to be off.
Examples
Here is an example of a screen size too small. Note that the resolution is 1280 x 1024, and the icons may be too small for the user to easily read. In addition, the desktop that is displayed may not be fully expanded to the edges of the computer screen.
Too Small
In this example and in most typical setups, as a troubleshooting reference, you are better served by choosing a desktop size of: 1024x768. In the Settings for your desktop, drag the selector bar to the left, until the value shows 1024x768, then click Apply. The screen may flicker for a few seconds, then it should return with a message similar to: Do you want to keep these settings, Yes or No - the display will return to the previous resolution in X seconds. If you do not choose to keep your new settings, the system automatically will revert to the previous settings. Note also that you may need to change settings on your physical computer monitor, often via a menu button on the monitor. After pressing the menu button, you will then be able to center and stretch the desktop to the edges of your physical screen.
Too Large
For the situation where the desktop and icons appear much too large, do the opposite of the above procedure. For example, your screen resolution in such a case may be 640x480. In such a case, in the Settings section of your display properties, drag the selector bar to to the right, until you reach 1024x768 screen resolution. Click Apply; then, if your resolution is now okay, choose Yes, I want to keep the new resolution; then click OK.
Bad Refresh Rate
One final factor, though rare, is that the display adapter's refresh rate may cause the screen size to be incorrect. As previously mentioned, refresh rate normally manifests itself as an out-of-focus screen and sometimes even as a blank screen. In other such cases, where the refresh rate may be set at, for example, 72Hz, and the screen is off-kilter, go to your display adapter's Advanced settings tab, choose List all modes and review the various refresh rate settings. Your physical computer monitor may not support rates higher than a certain value, such as 60Hz for some models. Double-check with the manufacturer of (or documentation for) your monitor, if you are unsure. Otherwise, adjust the refresh rate to a lower or higher value, and see if the screen size corrects itself. For example, if the refresh rate is set at 75Hz, and the display seems unstable and too small, adjust the refresh rate setting to a value of 72 or 60, click Apply and, if satisfied, click Yes, then click OK. Be warned that, in some cases, a refresh rate higher than that for which the monitor was designed, sometimes can irreparably damage the monitor; so only adjust the rate above 60Hz if you are absolutely sure your computer monitor will be able to handle the higher rates.
Tags: troubleshooting, size, desktop, computer, screen, refresh rate, screen size, computer monitor, then click, physical computer, physical computer monitor, screen resolution
