Large CRT screen needs drivers for higher resolution

[eisanm]

Hello,

I have been looking around to buy a new CRT monitor since my current one only lets me have 1280x1024 resolution.

Then, however, a friend comes by and tells me
"If you only get correct drivers for it, you'll be able to use 1600x1200 on pretty much any monitor".

Since this is a 19' or 20' monitor I believe it should actually be able to handle a much higher resolution.

I don't know how to get those drivers though. Right now I only have the winxp standard "plug and play monitor" drivers which might be the reason I can't get high res.

The monitor is a HP A4331D CRT monitor, 3-4 years old (maybe a little more), and I like it very much so I'd love to be able to keep it. But then I need those drivers for a good resolution.

I checked on the HP website with no success. There are drivers but not for this one. I thought maybe you can use drivers for some other monitor and have them work with this one too, but I don't know very much about this so I don't know where to start looking and how to install them.

I would greatly appreciate any help, since it might save me loads of money if I don't have to buy a new monitor.

A quick bit of googling turned up this result:

http://www.monitor-drivers.com/drivers/112/112757.htm

No resolution beyond 1280x1024 is supported on your monitor, so be careful.

[Nomad84]

Go to Display Properties-->Settings-->Advanced-->monitor tab (I think...going by memory here) You should be able to change your driver here. I am using the driver included with windows called "Super VGA 1600x1200" or something like that. I don't remember if it was on my hard drive already or if it came off of a Windows CD. Either way, it works fine for me. If your monitor does not support that resolution, it will just go black when you try to set the resolution. After a few seconds, your old settings will be restored and the screen image will come back.

[eisanm]

Thanks a lot for this information. I'll look it up once I get home and try it.

The poster of the drivers, as I understand it, claims that it works with 1600x1200 resolution. Then I suppose it does /images/graemlins/smile.gif

However, I don't know very much about hardware, so if it doesn't work, what could happen? I've read a little about hardware damage, how serious can that be?

It shouldn't normally be a good thing to "force" the monitor to do something it isn't supposed to do, but then I think it's very beautiful if it can be done.

[FouTight]

This is nuts, you can't just make a monitor run at a higher resolution.

Usually the only thing stopping you from running higher resolutions is your graphics card driver, if that driver is installed properly, you are probably getting the highest resolution possible out of your monitor.

If you try to push it higher then that, there IS a good chance you will fry the monitor.

[MyMindIsGoing]

[ QUOTE ]
Usually the only thing stopping you from running higher resolutions is your graphics card driver

[/ QUOTE ]

This is not true, it is the monitor driver that lets you use diffrent resolutions and refreshrates.

This particular monitor is not made for higher resolitons than 1280*1024. So even if you could push it to higher (by disabling the current monitordriver or modifying it) it will not be good for the monitor.

If you have the correct driver installed, it will not let you chose a "bad" resolution, and since 1600*1200 is not in that driver, you should not try to run it at that resolution.

[FouTight]

I think you missunderstanding what I'm saying as in...

if you would be capable of running a higher resolution, but aren't, it would be the graphics driver, the default monitor drivers would handle it okay.

[MyMindIsGoing]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you missunderstanding what I'm saying as in...

if you would be capable of running a higher resolution, but aren't, it would be the graphics driver, the default monitor drivers would handle it okay.

[/ QUOTE ]

My english sucks before I drink coffie, those sentences are like those batman riddles /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[eisanm]

[ QUOTE ]

This particular monitor is not made for higher resolitons than 1280*1024. So even if you could push it to higher (by disabling the current monitordriver or modifying it) it will not be good for the monitor.


[/ QUOTE ]
Agree

[ QUOTE ]

If you have the correct driver installed, it will not let you chose a "bad" resolution, and since 1600*1200 is not in that driver, you should not try to run it at that resolution.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know it's not made for it, but the guy posting the driver says it works fine at 1600.
However I do not currently have the correct driver, just some standard thing from windows.

Also, if I cannot get high res with this monitor, I will have to buy a new one anyway and this one will be of no use for me, so trying it is sort of a win-win situation, whether it fries or not.

[MyMindIsGoing]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, if I cannot get high res with this monitor, I will have to buy a new one anyway and this one will be of no use for me, so trying it is sort of a win-win situation, whether it fries or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sell it and use the money to pay part of the new one.

[eisanm]

I'm about to try the new driver right now but I feel a bit stupid. What if it does destroy the monitor? I mean, what can actually happen? Could it possibly hurt my laptop since it's connected to the monitor? Could it explode or start leaking dangerous chemicals? Or will it just die simply and fade out and never be useful again?

[eisanm]

I tried the driver posted but it doesn't allow me to go beyond 1280x1024.

I cannot find the SUPER VGA 1600x1200 driver mentioned. Maybe that is because I don't have the windows install cd.

So to sum it up I haven't got anywhere.
I have also realised that if I had spent all this time casino-whoring I would have easily earned what a new monitor costs ($250 something) instead of posting in this and other forums.
Kind of stupid... better value buying a new one and spending my time getting the money instead of trying to use my old monitor.

[FouTight]

To sum it up, we've been saying you can't do this, and you shouldn't try.

If you want higher resolution, you have to get a better monitor. (<<< thats a period, as in, PERIOD)

I agree that the best solution is simply to buy a new monitor that will support higher resolutions out of the box. I also agree that it is not at all a good idea to go beyond the stated max supported resolution of the monitor.

However, the HP forums do indicate that some people have had success at running this model at 1600x1200. See here (http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=81164&admit=-682735245+1130346329162+28353475)
(for linux) and here (http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/parseCurl.do?CURL=%2Fcm%2FQuestionAnswer%2F1%2C%2C 0x1cfe5f260cafd4118fef0090279cd0f9%2C00.html&admit =-682735245+1130346619346+28353475)

To expand on my original post, it *may* be possible to do this, but I certainly wouldn't try it. Of course, having never tried it, I certainly wouldn't know.

[MyMindIsGoing]

[ QUOTE ]
it *may* be possible to do this, but I certainly wouldn't try it

[/ QUOTE ]

My point also. IF it works, it will be very low refreshrate and picture quality far from optimal.

[Nomad84]

In my case, web searches indicated that my monitor was capable of 1600x1200 and I knew that my video card supported it also, but I did not have the option available. I installed a couple of different video drivers with no success. Everything I had was old since it's an old video card that hasn't been supported for a while. I also didn't have the correct monitor drivers and could not locate them online, so I followed advice I read somewhere and used the drivers included with Windows. As I said before, I don't remember where they were located, but I think they were on my Windows CD. Can't say this will work for everyone, but like I said before, it worked for me.

[MyMindIsGoing]

Again, installing diffrent video card drivers won't do the trick. Here is how to do if anyone [stupud] wants to try:

*I take no responsibility what will happen!*

Right click on desktop, chose properties, click settings, then advanced, press monitor, then properties. Press driver, update driver, next, display list..., show all. Click (standard monitor types), chose SVGA 1600*1200. Next, next, finish. Close.

Could not try it properly on my TFT but I done it on CRTs before. Instructions above are in w2k, should be very similar in XP. Your monitor will now be treated as a generic 1600*1200. No extra drivers needed.

[eisanm]

I've done this and it doesn't work.

I've tried the sony drivers from the otehr post and that doesn't help me either.

Next step probably is to buy a new monitor.

[MyMindIsGoing]

It does work, maybe not for you.

[Nomad84]

[ QUOTE ]
Again, installing diffrent video card drivers won't do the trick.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wasn't clear. After realizing that the video card drivers weren't the problem, I did exactly what you just posted to change to a generic monitor driver. It worked for me. YMMV.

[eisanm]

I believe you.. what I meant was that it does not work for me.

Could this have any relation to the fact that I'm using it on a laptop?

On my laptop when using its own screen, the max resolution is 1024x768. However I can choose up to 1600x1200 and using that with the laptop's own monitor means that I have to "scroll" the desktop by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen, just the same way it works in any RTS game.

So when I use only the laptop I can choose up to 1600x1200. However that mode is pretty much useless.

When connecting the A4331D monitor I'm limited to choosing up to 1280x1024 and it seems that no matter what drivers I install I cannot go higher.

Maybe I should try doing the same driver thing on my stationary PC to see if there's a difference.