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Thread: Widescreen

  1. #1
    Flabooble! ilovetheusers's Avatar
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    Widescreen

    Hey hey, long time since I posted. Question about widescreen monitors.

    Someone bought my mother a flatpannel, widscreen monitor for x-mas and her integrated nforce2 video card only supports the normal format 1024x768, etc. I'm upgrading her drivers tonight but have a distinct feeling this is not going to give her widescreen support and the latest drivers are from 2003. Trying to find the monitor under devices is not working and of course the monitor's maker didn't provide a driver nor do they have on on the internet.

    Further she's using XP with service pack 1 and can't update (think dial up and 250mb of updates and she can't tie phone up for more than 2 hours at a pop).

    Anyone know of any free apps or have a suggestion that might help me a bit here?


    EDIT: I found better drivers on nvidias website that are from 2004 so maybe. But still, anyone know anything that might help should they not work? I go over to her home tonight.
    Last edited by ilovetheusers; January 11th, 2007 at 10:54 AM.

  2. #2
    Registered User Stalemate's Avatar
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    I was working on a similar issue here at work in the store yesterday.

    Some display PCs are using widescreen LCDs and the onboard graphics cards simply do not permit widescreen formats which the 19" LCDs require (1440x900).

    I did finally find some tweaks where you could "force" the onboard Intel 965 chip to do it, but it required more time/effort than I cared to invest in this.

    Some nForce2 boards had the integrated GF4 card, like this one seems to have, but this GPU doesn't offer the required resolution, unless you're ready to roll it at one of the following*:

    1024x768 (5:3)
    1024x800 (16:10)

    or if you're really lucky, and the IGP has enough memory, perhaps even:

    1600:900 (16:9) - which would be ideal.

    * http://download.nvidia.com/Windows/9...ease_Notes.pdf lists off the epected resolutions for that GPU on page 115. This latest driverset is applicable for the integrated GF4 model.


    This all depends on whether or not the monitor can support non-native modes decently without too much garble/fuzziness.



    More info about widescreen formats: http://www.prismo.ch/comparisons/desktop.php
    Last edited by Stalemate; January 11th, 2007 at 11:56 AM.
    Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -Douglas Adams

  3. #3
    Registered User Archer's Avatar
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    Cant you cheat a little and set the best fit the card will comfortably provide then use the monitors settings to widen the screen to the edges?

  4. #4
    Flabooble! ilovetheusers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stalemate
    I was working on a similar issue here at work in the store yesterday.

    Some display PCs are using widescreen LCDs and the onboard graphics cards simply do not permit widescreen formats which the 19" LCDs require (1440x900).

    I did finally find some tweaks where you could "force" the onboard Intel 965 chip to do it, but it required more time/effort than I cared to invest in this.

    Some nForce2 boards had the integrated GF4 card, like this one seems to have, but this GPU doesn't offer the required resolution, unless you're ready to roll it at one of the following*:

    1024x768 (5:3)
    1024x800 (16:10)

    or if you're really lucky, and the IGP has enough memory, perhaps even:

    1600:900 (16:9) - which would be ideal.

    * http://download.nvidia.com/Windows/9...ease_Notes.pdf lists off the epected resolutions for that GPU on page 115. This latest driverset is applicable for the integrated GF4 model.


    This all depends on whether or not the monitor can support non-native modes decently without too much garble/fuzziness.



    More info about widescreen formats: http://www.prismo.ch/comparisons/desktop.php

    It's an asus A7N266-VM (ain't newegg records awesome?). I'll have to see how much ram I've dedicated to the GPU. I think it's 32mb now but I do need to verify that as I had her at 8mb when she only had 256mb of ram and might not have changed it (though I think I did). Good call.

    Looking on page 115 looks like I can do it with the latest driver. Cool, TY.



    Quote Originally Posted by Archer
    Cant you cheat a little and set the best fit the card will comfortably provide then use the monitors settings to widen the screen to the edges?
    I can get it to stretch using the 1024x768 but it looks teh funky.
    Last edited by ilovetheusers; January 11th, 2007 at 01:55 PM.

  5. #5
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    Ya know you can download SP2 as an .exe file and save to cd and then go to Mamma's place and install it for here.

  6. #6
    Flabooble! ilovetheusers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCT
    Ya know you can download SP2 as an .exe file and save to cd and then go to Mamma's place and install it for here.
    Yeah there is that. Prolly do that sometime in the future.

    Anyway, the video driver upgrade alowed for a widescreen resolution. She was impressed with it after she saw how lots of web pages resize to fill the whole screen.

    Odd thing - the driver from nvidia listed under video drivers for geforce 1/2 cards is not a video driver but an all in one package, that doesn't contain a video driver. Sigh. Luckily Asus had an update.
    Last edited by ilovetheusers; January 12th, 2007 at 08:02 AM.

  7. #7
    Registered User Stalemate's Avatar
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    The IGP was a GF1 or 2?

    My bad for proposing the Forceware then - I was sure it was a GF4 given the nForce2 chipset.

    Glad it worked out.
    Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -Douglas Adams

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by CCT
    Ya know you can download SP2 as an .exe file and save to cd and then go to Mamma's place and install it for here.
    This is a nice solution to get her partially updated. If you are willing to put a little more time into this, take her entire computer over to your house and update it there.
    "Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I'll remember. Involve me, and I'll learn." -- Marla Jones

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