Headache (RL)

[thistlechaser]

Edit: Fixed, YAY! tersa is the bestest!

Neverending computer problems, I tell you. So the wireless keyboard and mouse came today. Keyboard is spiffy, but I need to get used to the mouse still (buttons are different and I keep right clicking everything when I don't intend to). The problem is the monitor/display! For nearly three hours now I've been trying to make this work, and all I have is a headache.

On my laptop, everything looks fine. Looks great, even. On the monitor, everything looks wrong. Pixelated, the size seems slightly off somehow. Text is slightly blurry (enough to drive my eyes crazy, but I'm having a hard time seeing how it's off).

I noticed the laptop is using only about three-fourths of the screen to display things (there's black on the left and right that even the task bar doesn't use, dead screen). On my monitor, it uses the whole thing from end to end. So I assume the image is being stretched, which is causing all my issues?

So that should be resolution, yes? But I've tried every one and none of them work right. I'm using the closest one now.

On my previous machine, I'm nearly certain I didn't have to set up a custom resolution, I picked one of the available ones.

Google is no help, or I'm not using good search terms. Arg, I want to do things tonight!

Comments

[tersa.livejournal.com]

You mention 'laptop', 'monitor', and how things look between them, but you don't mention if you're displaying on both of them simultaneously and, if so, if you're cloning the desktop (same view on both monitors) or have a dual-monitor set-up (1 and 2).

That said, I have a similar issue on my desktop machine which is set-up to display to an HDTV and a non-HD monitor. For some reason it will only display on the TV in non-HD dimensions, meaning I have black space on either side of it.

Secondarily, I recently got a new laptop at work without a docking station that I have set-up to feed through my monitor. When I had the display configured to either be dual-monitor or cloned, the resolution on my monitor was C-R-A-P, like you describe. I fixed it by turning off the monitor/display on the laptop (it's open, but the screen is black) and also updating the drivers on the laptop to work with the model of monitor I have.

But when in doubt: update drivers.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU! It was the cloning thing. So much difference with it on just one monitor!

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Belated on this, but you're welcome. :)