Thread with no response from ANY XPforum

[Guydpb]

I've posted the following thread for nearly 2 weeks now in every XP Forum possible, without any reply so far. The thread is real and no joke. Is there perhaps someone who can tell me why this problem is so difficult and strange, so that I can assume it will never be solved ?

I have a notebook Dell with a 14.1" screen and use a resolution of 1400x1050. Long time ago I installed a new driver which gives 100% satisfaction. Playing games it resets automatically to a lower resolution. However since installing this new driver my bootscreen size is only 6.3", the logon screen is 14.1" as normal; this is absolutely no disatvantage until recently I had to delete a undeletable file in the "safe" mode. To my surprise the safe mode's screen size was no bigger than 6.3" diag., probabilly with the 1400x1050 resolution too. Seems that the "pan and scan" is not working before logon. The driver is the latest correct one for my notebook with SXGA+ screen and XPPro. How can I solve this without installing a new driver?

[Robert Moir]

Guydpb wrote:
> I've posted the following thread for nearly 2 weeks now in every XP
> Forum possible, without any reply so far. The thread is real and no
> joke. Is there perhaps someone who can tell me why this problem is so
> difficult and strange, so that I can assume it will never be solved ?

Well the problem is essentially unsolvable as it seems you are describing a
bug in the drivers you are using, and you say you don't want to change them.

Have you contacted the people who provided the driver?

--
--
Rob Moir, Microsoft MVP for servers & security
Website - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk
Virtual PC 2004 FAQ - http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html

Kazaa - Software update services for your Viruses and Spyware.

[Guydpb]

First let me thank you for your reply (the first one since 2 weeks).
The problem is that it is a Dell 4100 notebook and that the driver is the latest one for my notebook and Windows XP. Now comes the funny thing: normally Dell should give me some solution or help me with this problem, but as soon as they knew that I had changed the original operating system from Me to XP they told me they couldn't and wouldn't help me any further......
'cause all support stops from the moment you have another operating system installed. And the downloaded driver is typically for XP and my notebook type......
In the meantime I've told them of course that it was a mistake of their operator and that I have still Me installed, so I now get further support. If I would describe the problem to them they should probabily point me out to download the latest driver for Me....
I think there must be a Pan and Scan driver that isn't working correctly. In fact the "pan and scan" sets in too late (right after the bootscreen) instead of before. My logon screen is normal.
Thanks anyway.

[Quaoar]

Guydpb wrote:
> I've posted the following thread for nearly 2 weeks now in every XP
> Forum possible, without any reply so far. The thread is real and no
> joke. Is there perhaps someone who can tell me why this problem is so
> difficult and strange, so that I can assume it will never be solved ?
>
> I have a notebook Dell with a 14.1" screen and use a resolution of
> 1400x1050. Long time ago I installed a new driver which gives 100%
> satisfaction. Playing games it resets automatically to a lower
> resolution. However since installing this new driver my bootscreen
> size is only 6.3", the logon screen is 14.1" as normal; this is
> absolutely no disatvantage until recently I had to delete a
> undeletable file in the "safe" mode. To my surprise the safe mode's
> screen size was no bigger than 6.3" diag., probabilly with the
> 1400x1050 resolution too. Seems that the "pan and scan" is not
> working before logon. The driver is the latest correct one for my
> notebook with SXGA+ screen and XPPro. How can I solve this without
> installing a new driver?

Some computers have a screen expansion setting in BIOS setup to get
around this very problem. F2, Del, Esc or whatever key is appropriate
for your computer to invoke setup.

Q

[Guydpb]

No settings in my BIOS for that matter. And it is the latest version too.

[Alex Nichol]

Guydpb wrote:

>I have a notebook Dell with a 14.1" screen and use a resolution of
>1400x1050. Long time ago I installed a new driver which gives 100%
>satisfaction. Playing games it resets automatically to a lower
>resolution. However since installing this new driver my bootscreen size
>is only 6.3", the logon screen is 14.1" as normal; this is absolutely
>no disatvantage until recently I had to delete a undeletable file in
>the "safe" mode. To my surprise the safe mode's screen size was no
>bigger than 6.3" diag., probabilly with the 1400x1050 resolution too.

In the boot stage and safe mode, the machine is not using the drivers,,
but a basic access to the screen at a lower resolution, which the
hardware (on a notebook) normally then 'stretches' to use all the screen
pixels. It would seem that what that driver is doing is carrying out
such a stretching itself, so it displays one pixel as a group of four,
and in doing this is unsetting that hardware action. The machine
probably has a function key (or at least a BIOS setting) that switches
these stretch settings at low resolutions - check it out for use if you
go into safe mode.


--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (remove the D8 bit)

[Guydpb]

So, no BIOS setting, but I found out as you suggested and through the Dell support that I might try to use the Fn+F7 key combination; and yes it worked.
Now if I go into safe mode I can use this key combination to stretch out the screen.
But if I normally boot the screen remains extremely small and stretches only at demand with Fn+F7. Is there a way around so that the screen always stretches at boot ? This is because I also happen to use a "boot screen changer".

[Guydpb]

Contrary to my previous post everything seems to be sorted out now after a few restarts. Boot image now automatically fills up my whole screen as it should. Thanks and I've copied your name for future references because you seemed to be the only one that could solve this problem.
Now I can go on with some real irritating problems in a following post, like how to get rid of those start up items that won't let go nomather wat changes one applies to the registry, applications that even delete another program called "start up monitor" that was designed to avoid that some programs add themselves to the start up manager. But all this later some time....
Greetings