Windows Vista: Choosing the Best Display Resolution

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This article discusses how to get your Desktop into shape so that you can work comfortably, effectively, and enjoyably. Some of these changes are so important to working or playing ergonomically in Windows that you should perform them right away. These include choosing the best display resolution, configuring the keyboard and mouse, and setting accessibility options if you need them. This article covers these topics first. After that, it discusses changes that you don’t need to implement right away, but that you may well want to make before too long. These changes include choosing a screen saver, changing your Desktop background, customizing the Start menu, creating custom toolbars, choosing system sounds, configuring the Start menu and the Taskbar, and using the new Windows Sidebar.

Choosing the Best Display Resolution

How do you set the best display resolution for you and your computer? If you’re squinting at the screen, or if it’s flickering at you, or if the display slops over the edges of the monitor, you won’t be productive or happy. Choosing the best display resolution involves three things:

your eyesight, your monitor, and your graphics card. The first is up to you and your optometrist. The second and third are discussed below.

Resolution and Refresh Rate

The resolution is the number of pixels that the screen displays. The resolution consists of a horizontal measurement and a vertical measurement. For example, the widely used resolution 1024  768 uses 1024 pixels across the screen and 768 pixels from top to bottom. This resolution is called Extended Graphics Array, or XGA. The refresh rate is the number of times that the graphics card redraws the picture on the monitor. Typical refresh rates run from 60 times a second, or 60 hertz Hz, to more than 100 Hz. Pixel is short for picture element and means one of the elements that make up the display you see on your screen.

Your Monitor

There are two widely used types of computer monitors:

liquid crystal display LCD panels, which are thin and light in form, and cathode-ray tube CRT monitors, which are much bulkier and heavier. All laptop computers use LCDs, as do most modern desktops, now that LCD prices have dropped to within easy commuting distance of CRT prices.

LCDs Usually Display Only One Resolution Well

Most LCD panels and some other monitors are designed to deliver optimal quality at only one resolution and only one refresh rate. By contrast, almost all CRTs can display multiple resolutions at a variety of refresh rates. Some LCD panels will display lesser resolutions as well as their optimum resolution, but the result is jagged and awkward to look at. Some LCD panels - usually on laptops - can display a higher resolution than their normal resolution. This can be useful for special effects, but it means that you can’t see all of the screen at once, so you usually have to use your keyboard or mouse to scroll down and right to see the southern and eastern regions.

Your Graphics Card

The graphics card in your computer sends information to the monitor. The resolutions and refresh rates that the graphics card supports depend on the amount of video memory it contains. If you want to play games at high resolutions and fast frame rates, you need to make sure that your graph- ics card is powerful enough rather than that your processor speed is fast enough.

Choosing Video Settings

To choose video settings, you use the Display Settings dialog box. To open the Display Settings dialog box, follow these steps:

1.  Right-click the Desktop, and then choose Personalize. Windows displays the Personalization window in Control Panel .

2.  Click the Display Settings link. Windows opens the Display Settings window .

Using Multiple Monitors in Windows

Windows supports multiple monitors - you can use up to 10 monitors on a single computer so that you can see a larger amount of information at once. See the section “Setting Up and Using Multiple Monitors” in Article 13 for coverage of this feature.

Changing the Screen Resolution

To change the amount of information displayed on the screen, you change the screen resolution. The screen resolution affects the number of pixels Windows displays on the screen. The more pixels displayed, the more you can see - but the smaller everything on screen appears. For example, at1280x1024 resolution, you see more of a word processing document or a spreadsheet than you see at 1024  768 resolution.

All Users Must Use the Same Desktop Resolution

Windows Vista’s Fast User Switching feature requires that all users of the computer use the same Desktop resolution. The Welcome screen also uses this resolution. If some users of your computer have much sharper eyes than others, find a compromise resolution that won’t make anyone suffer unduly. Any user can change the resolution, but in doing so, they change it for all other users as well. To change the screen resolution, drag the Resolution slider to the left or right. The readout under the slider shows the next available resolution. To apply the screen resolution you chose, click the Apply button. If you haven’t used this reso- lution before, Windows opens the Display Settings dialog box shown next to make sure that you can see the display properly. If you have used this resolution before, Windows may apply it with- out opening the Display Settings dialog box. If you can see the Display Settings dialog box, all is probably well. Click the Yes button to apply the screen resolution. If your display becomes garbled or faded, or if you don’t like what you see, either click the No button in the Display Settings dialog box or wait the 15 seconds until Windows restores your previous video settings.

Changing the Number of Colors

The Display Settings dialog box also lets you change the number of colors that Windows uses for the display. The Windows Vista installation routine sets your system to use the highest color qual- ity that your monitor and graphics card support at a reasonable refresh rate, so you shouldn’t nor- mally need to change the number of colors. If your computer has a powerful enough graphics card and enough graphics memory, Windows automatically uses the Vista Aero user interface. Vista Aero has the graduated colors in the title bars and borders of windows as in the screens in this article and, if you turn on its Glass option, displays the desktop background through the title bars and borders. Vista Aero requires 32-bit color - so if you want to keep using Vista Aero, you can’t reduce the number of colors used. If you’re using the Vista Basic user interface with solid color in the title bars and borders of win- dows, you can change the number of colors. Click the Colors drop-down list and choose a different setting in it. For example, you might choose Medium 16 Bit instead of Highest 32 Bit if Windows is running slowly and you want to try to improve graphics performance.

Changing the Refresh Rate

When you install Windows, the installation routine tries to apply a suitable refresh rate for your monitor so that it produces a good image without flickering. But if your screen flickers noticeably, you may need to adjust the refresh rate.

LCDs Suffer Flicker Much Less Than CRTs

Flicker is produced by the video card redrawing the image on the monitor slowly enough for you to be able to notice. As a result, your eyes have to work a bit harder to decode what they’re seeing, which tends to lead to eyestrain and headaches, particularly if you don’t take those ergonomically recommended breaks from staring at the screen.

Flicker shows more on large monitors than small monitors. This is not just because there’s more of the screen to look at, but also because most people notice flicker more out of the corner of their eye than straight on, and you see more of a larger screen in your peripheral vision.

Some people are much more sensitive to flicker than others. At 60Hz 60 cycles per second most people find flicker very noticeable on CRT monitors. At 70Hz, many people don’t see it. By 75Hz, things look good to most people. At 85Hz, few people can detect flicker. Above that, you’re entering the hypochondriac zone - though if your hardware supports a very high refresh rate, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it. LCD screens flicker far less than CRTs, so they don’t need such high refresh rates. Many LCD screens are designed for optimal performance at a refresh rate of 60Hz and produce a beautifully stable picture at this rate, which would produce very pronounced flicker on a CRT. Other LCDs support refresh rates of 72Hz or 75Hz. Most LCDs don’t support refresh rates faster than 75Hz.  Which refresh rates are available to you depends on your graphics card and your monitor. For you to be able to use a refresh rate, both the graphics card and the monitor must support the rate. To set the refresh rate, take the following steps:

1.  Click the Advanced Settings button in the Display Settings dialog box. Windows displays the dialog box for the monitor and the graphics card. This dialog box’s title bar shows the name of the monitor model and the graphics card model.

2.  Click the Monitor tab.

3.  In the Screen Refresh Rate drop-down list, choose one of the settings. As long as Windows has correctly identified your monitor and graphics card, you should be safe choosing the fastest refresh rate listed.

4.  Click the Apply button. If you haven’t used this refresh rate before, Windows displays a Display Settings dialog box, as shown here, asking you whether you want to keep the set- tings. If you have used this refresh rate, Windows may simply apply the settings.

5.  If you click the Yes button, Windows keeps the settings. If you click the No button, or if you wait 15 seconds, Windows reapplies your previous settings.

Adjusting Your Monitor If Necessary

Once you’ve settled on a display resolution, color depth, and refresh rate, you may need to adjust your monitor to maximize the image area so that you’re seeing the whole image as large as possible. It’s amazing how many people leave an inchwide band of unused space at each edge of the monitor and then complain that they have to peer closely at the image. Monitor controls vary, but almost all CRTs and some LCDs let you adjust the height, width, and vertical and horizontal positions of the image. Open a program and maximize its window so that you can clearly see where the edges of the screen are. Then use the monitor controls to make your Desktop fills the display area of your monitor at the resolution you set.

Forcing Windows to Apply a Different Refresh Rate

The Monitor Settings group box on the Monitor page also contains the Hide Modes That This Monitor Cannot Display check box. Windows Vista normally makes this check box unavailable, so that you cannot select it if it is cleared or clear it if it is selected. If the Hide Modes That This Monitor Cannot Display check box is available, you can clear this check box to force Windows to list in the Screen Refresh Rate drop-down list refresh rates that Windows thinks your monitor doesn’t support. You can apply these refresh rates - but doing so may be a bad idea, because you can permanently damage a monitor by setting a refresh rate higher than it supports. The only reason to try this is if you are unable to get Windows to recognize your monitor correctly and you need to trick Windows into applying a refresh rate that you know from the monitor’s documentation is supported. If your screen settings still aren’t satisfactory, you may need to take further steps, such as changing hardware acceleration, changing the video driver, or making Windows correctly identify the monitor you’re using. Turn to Article 13 for details on how to take these actions.

Configuring the Keyboard and Mouse

Both these input devices - the keyboard and the mouse - are vital to getting information into and out of your computer. Both devices can cause you great discomfort if you don't configure them correctly.

You May Need to Use Ease-of-Access Options

If configuring the keyboard and mouse doesn’t give you the control you need, try the ease-of-access options which used to be called accessibility options in Windows XP. The section “Choosing Ease-ofAccess Options,” later in this article, discusses these options.

Configuring the Keyboard

Windows offers three keyboard configuration options:

•    The repeat delay the length of time that Windows waits before repeating a key when you hold it down

•    The repeat rate the speed with which a key repeats its character once the repeat delay is over

•    The rate at which the cursor blinks The repeat delay and repeat rate are vital to comfortable and accurate typing. The cursor blink rate is a matter of visual preference. To configure your keyboard, follow these steps:

1.  Choose Start   Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2.  If Control Panel is in Classic view, with a dot next to Classic View in the left panel, click the Control Panel Home link to switch to Control Panel Home view.

3.  Click the Hardware and Sound link. Windows displays the Hardware and Sound window.

4.  Click the Keyboard link. Windows displays the Keyboard Properties dialog box. If the Speed page  isn’t foremost, click its tab to bring it to the front.

5.  Choose settings by adjusting the Repeat Delay slider, the Repeat Rate slider, and the Cursor Blink Rate slider. Use the Click Here and Hold Down a Key to Test Repeat Rate text box for testing your repeat rate.

The Hardware page of the Keyboard Properties dialog box lets you see which type of keyboard Windows thinks you’re using. From here, you can access the Properties dialog box for this type of keyboard so that you can change the driver that it’s using.

Configuring the Mouse

To configure your mouse, follow these steps:

1.  Choose Start   Control Panel. Windows displays a Control Panel window.

2.  In Control Panel Home view, click the Mouse link in the Hardware and Sound Category. Windows displays the Mouse Properties dialog box.

Your Mouse Properties Dialog Box May Have Other Pages

The Mouse Properties dialog box in these figures has the standard controls. If your mouse has extra features or custom software, you may see other pages of options in the Mouse Properties dialog box. For example, if your mouse has a wheel, the Mouse Properties dialog box also contains a Wheel page.

3.  The Buttons page  offers these options:

Switch Primary and Secondary Buttons check box    Select this check box if you want to swap the functions of the primary and secondary mouse buttons. This setting is most useful for changing a mouse from right-hand configuration to left-hand configuration.

Double-Click Speed slider    Drag this slider toward its Fast end or its Slow end to set the double-click speed of your mouse. Double-click the box to the right to see if Windows is registering your double-clicks properly. When the area registers a double-click, the graphic changes.

Turn on ClickLock check box    Select this check box to turn on the ClickLock feature, which lets you drag without holding down the mouse button all the time. You click the mouse button again to release the locked item after dragging it. ClickLock can be useful if you get the hang of it, but it can be an annoyance if you find yourself setting the lock unin- tentionally when clicking. If you turn ClickLock on, click the Settings button and use the Settings for ClickLock dialog box shown here to specify how long you must hold down the mouse button to trigger the lock.

4.  If you want to use different pointers for your mouse, click the Pointers tab. Windows displays the Pointers page . This page offers a variety of mouse pointer schemes, some of them fun for example, the Dinosaur scheme and others more useful such as the various large, extra large, and inverted schemes, which can make the mouse pointers much easier to see.

•    In the Scheme drop-down list, select the scheme you want to use.

•    To customize the scheme, select a pointer in the Customize list box. Click the Browse button, use the resulting Browse dialog box to select the pointer you want to use instead, and then click the Open button. Windows displays the \Windows\Cursors\ folder in the Browse dialog box, but you can navigate to other folders in which you have placed custom mouse pointers. You can also click the Use Default button to use the standard Windows pointer in place of the selected pointer.

•    To turn off pointer shadows, clear the Enable Pointer Shadow check box.

•    To save your customized scheme, click the Save As button, enter the name for the scheme in the Save Scheme dialog box, and click the OK button. Custom pointer schemes are stored in the Registry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key and are not available to other users.

5.  Click the Pointer Options tab to display the Pointer Options page . This page offers the options discussed in the following list. Windows applies the settings on the Pointer Options page of the Mouse Properties dialog box immediately, so you can see them in action without needing to click the Apply button.

Select a Pointer Speed slider    Drag the slider toward its Slow end or its Fast end to adjust the speed at which the pointer moves.

Enhance Pointer Precision check box    Select this check box if you want to make the mouse pointer decelerate more quickly on screen as you stop moving the mouse. This behavior sounds strange, but many people find it helpful for controlling the mouse swiftly and accurately. To use more gradual deceleration, clear this check box.

Automatically Move Pointer to the Default Button in a Dialog Box check box    Select this check box if you want Windows to automatically position the mouse pointer over the default button in each dialog box you display. This automatic movement can save you time, but it can also be confusing because when you or Windows open a dialog box the mouse pointer is no longer where you left it.

Display Pointer Trails check box and slider    Select this check box if you want the mouse pointer to display a contrasting trail of phantom pointers when you move it. This option is most useful for low-contrast LCD screens or viewing in bright sunlight, when making out the mouse pointer can be hard. If you turn this feature on, adjust the slider to give yourself the length of pointer trails that suits you.

Hide Pointer While Typing check box    Select this check box if you want Windows to hide the mouse pointer when you’re typing, so that you can see the text more easily. In some programs, Windows hides the pointer when you’re typing even if this check box isn’t selected.

Show Location of Pointer When I Press the Ctrl Key check box    Select this check box if you want to be able to make Windows identify the mouse key by zooming in a circle on it when you press the Ctrl key. This feature is useful for LCD screens on which the mouse pointer tends to disappear.