Help me with new screen resolution!

June 18, 2009 2:27 PM

I need to change the screen resolution to 1280x1024 for a new app on my work pc, but my eyes much prefer the lower resolution (1024x768). There are other problems, too!

I have a dual monitor setup at work (each 19 inches) and have been happily computing along using Windows XP with my screen resolution set to 1024x768. I mostly use one monitor for my work while the other serves mostly to provide some extra deskspace for Goggle Desktop Apps. In the near future, I expect to use the second one more. But I'm digressing. I like this resolution because it's easier on my eyes. It's just plain easier to see. I wear progressive lense eyeglasses.

Now we are getting a new application for which the screen resolution has to be set to 1280x1024. I have tried changing back and forth between my preferred resolution and 1280x1024 because it is not too hard to do but it jacks up certain things: icon placement and wallpaper location.

I wonder what creative ways others have solved this problem.

posted by Rad_Boy to computers & internet (4 comments total)

Usually the advice for this is to go with the native resolution of your monitor - presumably 1280x1024 in this case - and raise text size to compensate.
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:28 PM on June 18

Can you get a 1280x1024 monitor with a larger dot pitch? Flat panels are quite cheap these days and if you need it, it seems like the employer should supply it.
posted by chairface at 3:00 PM on June 18

Can't you set different resolutions for each monitor?
posted by chrisamiller at 4:38 PM on June 18

After some playing around with the Nvidia (sp?) software, I found you can indeed set different resolutions for each monitor. What's really neat is dragging a window from one monitor to the other and see it change size!
posted by Rad_Boy at 8:40 PM on June 18