Desktop Resolution Change

[Shinsa]

I searched, and couldn't find a relative thread, please forgive me if I missed it. Also, this first started happening when I downloaded v. 8b. and now with v. 8f. The previous version was 3,346,151 bytes (sorry, only info I have on it, and that was thanks to a Download Accelerator log). That older version never had this happen, as far as i know.

I have my desktop resolution set to 1280x720x32.

I have the SS set to 1920x1080x32.

Sometimes, and it has happened about a dozen times, the desktop doesn't return to 1280x720, it stays where the SS was at, 1920x1080.

It seems to be random. It will sometimes change, when I test it, to see why it does this, but sometimes it will not. I have little success repeating it on purpose enough times track down the cause.

Easy enough to change back, but annoying.

-=-=- system specs -=-=-
Vista 64 Home Premium SP1

AMD Phenom™ 8450 Processor,
64-bit Triple Core Processor
(Gateway GT5692)
* Each core operates at 2.10 GHz
* 2 MB shared L3 cache
* 3600 MHz HT 3.0 system bus

AMD RS780 Chipset consisting of:
* Northbridge: RS780
* Southbridge: SB700

Memory
*4096 MB DDR2 667 MHz (PC-5300)

Video (Connected to Sony 40" LCD HDTV via HDMI)
*Integrated ATI® Radeon™ HD 3200 graphics
v. 8.531.0.0
*256 MB shared video memory

Audio (via HDMI)
*Integrated 8-Channel (7.1) High Definition Audio
v. 6.0.6000.16386

[Shinsa]

I've narrowed it down a bit. When the SS has been active for a long while, at least an hour or more, that's when it happens.

In the past few days since discovering this, every time I let the machine sit for a while (hours) the Desktop resolution changes to meet the SS's running resolution. So far the change has been from 1280 x 720 to 1920 x 1080. I have yet to test other screen resolutions.

So far the common factor in this problem has been the length of time the SS is running. Letting it kick on, and waiting a few minutes doesn't seem to have the same effect.

[Jim Sachs]

This one is a total mystery. Is anyone else having this problem?

Are you saying that you normally run your system at 1280 x 720, even though it can do 1920 x 1080? Why?

[Socrates]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

This one is a total mystery. Is anyone else having this problem?

Are you saying that you normally run your system at 1280 x 720, even though it can do 1920 x 1080? Why?  

This is extremely common. Especially at my business customers where maybe the boss has bought some small monitors, or people maybe have some eye trouble.

[Edgar]

Have you tried cleaning MA3 settings and let MA3 select the display automatically?

[Jim Sachs]

Soc - Even with small monitors, it would seem the best solution would be to use the maximum resolution possible, then increase the size of the text and icons for the sharpest, clearest picture.

[Rick Simon]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Soc - Even with small monitors, it would seem the best solution would be to use the maximum resolution possible, then increase the size of the text and icons for the sharpest, clearest picture.  

In my experience, the norm is just the opposite. The vast majority of systems I have seen have had their screen resolutions set to whatever makes the text/icons the right size for the user. Heck, most of the users I've run across aren't even aware of being _able_ to change the text/icon sizes from their defaults. Not to mention the oddball headaches that pop up here and there with various dialogs, menus, etc. in various software packages when you start cranking up the text size.

[cjmaddy]

Agreed, changing from the default 'Small Font' size is best avoided, (if at all possible), in my experience also.
Jim, - didn't you have 'font size' problems with lining up the text on the Fish Settings panel, before you re-designed it?

[feldon34]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Soc - Even with small monitors, it would seem the best solution would be to use the maximum resolution possible, then increase the size of the text and icons for the sharpest, clearest picture.  

Windows has ONE setting to increase the size of fonts and icons universally, and images specifically in web browsers. The result is atrocious. Images are scaled with all the refinement of a Commodore 64.

It is much better to run at a lower resolution and let the video hardware do the smooth scaling of images and fonts.

[Jim Sachs]

Ever since I've been in computing, higher resolutions have been the Holy Grail. It just seems like sacrilege to run a system at LESS resolution than it's capable of.

[feldon34]

I agree for the most part. But some laptops with small screens are capable of huge resolutions. Imagine icons with their labels in essentially 5 point type.

[Nicki]

For me , resolution is like horsepower - too much is never enough . Although for now I'm stuck with AGP .

[Shinsa]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Ever since I've been in computing, higher resolutions have been the Holy Grail. It just seems like sacrilege to run a system at LESS resolution than it's capable of.  

Two months ago I would have said the same thing. But now, even as I type this, I am sitting on my sofa, roughly eight feet away from my 40" TV. So, 1920x1080 does make a lot of text too small to read from that distance.

I'm aware I can change the Windows default sizes, but not everything follows those rules, especially on the internet, so I opted to leave the desktop resolution at 720, and when running games, videos, etc... bump it up to 1080 (Farcry 2 looks fantastic!). Most games keep the settings saved and automatically switch back and forth. So far, MA3 is the only thing that has this problem, and then only when left running for an extended period (like overnight, which I was doing for testing, but have since quit. It gets too darn hot).

I'm currently living in a small apartment, and space is a luxury I do not have. So when I connected my PC to the HDMI port, and was impressed with how well it works, I got rid of the desk, the monitor, and hid the PC in the entertainment center (media center?). I even have my printer and scanner hidden away in it. The room has really opened up, and having it hooked up this way just really seems to be the way to go.