Changing Screen Settings

If you would like to change your screen resoluion, colour depth, or frequency of you screen, it is all easily controlled through the Display SettingsProperties in the Control Panel.

Simply click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. then select the Setting tab.

To change your screen resolution

Under Screen resolution, drag the slider, and then click Apply. When prompted to apply the settings, click OK. Your screen will turn black for a moment. Once your screen resolution changes, you have 15 seconds to confirm the change. Click Yes to confirm the change; click No or do nothing to revert to your previous setting.

Notes to remember about the screen resolution:

• A higher screen resolution reduces the size of items on your screen and increases the relative space on your desktop

• You can switch your screen resolution temporarily to 640 X 480 if you have games or other programs that are set to run at that resolution. To switch, right-click the game or program (on the desktop or on the Start menu), and then click Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, and then select the Run in 640x480 screen resolution check box. Your display reverts to its default resolution when you close the program.

• Only the recommended screen resolutions are listed. For additional settings, click the Advanced button on the Settings tab, click the Adapter tab, and then click List all Modes. Select the resolution, colour level, and refresh rate you want.

To change the number of colours displayed

In the colour quality list, click a different colour setting. Choose Medium to display over 65,000 colours, High to display over 16 million colours, and Highest to display over 4 billion colours. Choosing more colours provides better colour quality on your screen.

Notes to remember about the colour depth:

• Settings that display a larger number of colours normally require more computer memory and might affect performance on older computers.

• You can switch your colour quality temporarily to 256 colours if you have games or other programs that perform better or must run at that level. To switch to 256 colours, right-click the game or program (on the desktop or on the Start menu), and then click Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, and then select the Run in 256 colours check box. Your display reverts to its default colour quality when you close the program.

To change the refresh frequency for your monitor

Click Advanced. On the Monitor tab, in the Refresh Frequency list, click a new refresh rate

Notes to remember about the refresh frequency:

• The default refresh frequency setting is 100 Hertz, although your monitor may support a higher setting. Check your manufacturer's documentation for information regarding the settings your monitor supports.

• A higher refresh frequency reduces any flicker on your screen, but choosing a setting that is too high for your monitor can make your display unusable and cause damage to your hardware.

Notes to remember about General Display Settings:

• Your monitor and video adapter determine how much you can change your screen resolution, colour settings and display frequency. You may not be able to increase these settings above a certain level.

• Changes to the display settings affect all users that log on to the computer.

• Only the recommended colour settings are listed. For additional settings, click the Advanced button on the Settings tab, click the Adapter tab, and then click List all Modes. Select the resolution, colour level, and refresh rate you want.

• If you are using multiple monitors, you can specify the colour settings for each installed monitor. If you click the icon for a secondary monitor, the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box must be selected to change the settings for that monitor.

This information has been taken from the Microsoft Windows XP Online Documentation. It can be viewed here.