Display Properties - The [Settings] Tab

    I mentioned at the beginning of this article it bothered me that Microsoft chose not to arrange the tabs for the [Display Properties] dialog box in alphabetical order. Granted, it’s not a big issue, but when you are dealing with display options that can be impacted by screen resolution and color quality it seems to me the [Settings] (Fig. UI-54) tab should rate the first position. That said, the first thing I do after a clean install is set the [Screen Resolution] slider. The slider makes it easy to change it to whatever you are most comfortable using. Use the drop down box to select your [Color Quality] and click [Apply] button. It should be noted that the options you will have available for resolution and color quality are directly related to the installed monitor and graphics card. Just because you ‘want’ to run at 1600 x 1200 in 32 bit color doesn’t mean your hardware will make it a reality. On the bright side, if you make a selection that isn’t supported by your hardware, XP gives you the option to revert to your old settings with no harm done. (Fig. UI-55) If there is a problem with the settings you’ve selected, click [Troubleshoot...] and the [Video Display Troubleshooter] (Fig. UI-56) will open. Use the radio buttons to work your way through the troubleshooter until a solution is found.

Fig. UI-54	Fig. UI-55	Fig. UI-56

    Once the initial settings are in place for the screen resolution and color depth, move on to the [Advanced] button. The screens are shown in Figs. UI-57 through UI-61 below. A detailed description of these screens is being prepared for a different guide. Notes on the items which impact the user interface are below.

Fig. UI-57	Fig. UI-58	Fig. UI-59	Fig. UI-60	Fig. UI-61

    The General tab (Fig. UI-57) contains the [Compatibility] section. If you want to restart automatically after making display changes, this is the place to set the default behavior.
    The Adapter tab (Fig. UI-58) provides information relative to the installed graphics card and access to its properties via the [Properties] button. The [List All Modes...] button provides a drop down listing of all the graphic modes supported by the graphics card. It’s very important to understand that just because the adapter supports a graphic mode it’s no indication that the installed monitor will display all of the supported modes.
    The Monitor tab (Fig. UI-59) provides information relative to the installed monitor and access to its properties via the [Properties] button. Under [Monitor Settings] a drop down box is available that lists screen refresh rates. Beneath the refresh rates is a check box called [Hide the Modes That This Monitor Cannot Display]. Make sure this box is checked. Selecting a refresh rate that isn’t supported can permanently damage the monitor or render the display unreadable. By hiding the refresh modes that can’t be displayed on the Monitor tab, it also hides all the graphic modes on the Adapter tab under [List All Modes] which use an unsupported and potentially damaging refresh rate.
    The Troubleshoot tab (Fig. UI-60) controls [Hardware Acceleration] via a slider and a feature called [Enable Write Combining] via a check box. If the display experiences any corruption this is the place to look. The default settings should suffice for most circumstances.
    The Color Management tab (Fig. UI-61) displays a list of the color management profiles associated with the current monitor. Color Management tries to deal with the variations in color that users experience across different hardware peripherals and software applications. Click Color Management and Windows: An Introduction for a discussion of this topic.

    It’s likely that Windows XP will detect your monitor and graphics adapter on installation and have a driver that will provide basic functionality. However, it’s unlikely this default driver will access all the features your adapter has available. As a case in point, look at the two images below. Both images show the General tab. Figure 62 is the system immediately following the XP installation with no modifications and using the default XP graphics adapter drivers. Figure 63 is the same system with no modifications other than the ATI supplied drivers installed and the color scheme changed to silver because the default blue hurts my old eyes. The point is, check with the hardware supplier for the latest drivers for the hardware. The XP defaults may work fine but might not deliver full functionality.

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