Resolution poor since upgrade of Win 7

castle

I have just installed Win 7, the issue I have is resolution is poor, i have a dell dimension 3000 that I upgraded to 2 gb .I have tried the different resolution options on the win 7 the best been 1024 x 768 but still poor can I do anything .I have Generic PNP Monitor on standard VGA graphics adator,
The sound is perfect by the way

marco_polo

You need to install the proper drivers for the onboard video card installed. If you download and install one of http://www.piriform.com/speccy or http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ and they will be able to tell you the type of display adapter you have.

A google should turn up the right drivers, if not post up the info here and someone will sort it.

castle

Thanks, when i went into those links I could not figure out what I had to do,what section do I download and how do I search for correct drivers, I went into video,sound and it stated on my PC Soundmax intergrated digital audio ,my google homepage does not have the little box you type into,I can still type but cant see the box, thanks

marco_polo wrote: »

You need to install the proper drivers for the onboard video card installed. If you download and install one of http://www.piriform.com/speccy or http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ and they will be able to tell you the type of display adapter you have.

A google should turn up the right drivers, if not post up the info here and someone will sort it.

refusetolose

heres a direct link for the gpuz file

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1781d/GPU-Z.0.4.0.exe

castle

Thanks fo rlink, it state dI have lastest,so just wondering there must be no new ones for win7, what other options do I have cheers

refusetolose wrote: »

heres a direct link for the gpuz file

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1781d/GPU-Z.0.4.0.exe

fuelinjection

I was reading a tech forum about video cards and Windows 7.
If its an older model then they may not have a Windows 7 driver on their website, and so you will be left with poor graphic resolution.

If you can't find an upgrade then maybe move back to Windows XP.

old_aussie

Windows 7
This will only work if Device Manager can detect that a Video Adapter(Card) is connected.
In Device manager under Display Adapters, if Standard VGA Adapter is shown, most likely your Video Card is not detected.
Left click the Start Button
Right click on Computer, Left click on Properties.
Left click on Device Manager.
Expand out Display Adapters.
Right click on the Display Adapter shown (Video Card name), Left click on Update Driver Software
Cick on Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software.
Make sure you're Connected to the Internet.
If new driver found, follow onscreen instructions to install.

castle

Yes done all that and it states driver up tp date, now can I get another driver to do the job, can I take driver from xp would it do ,this win 7 is great really prefer to stick with it unless no other choice, any ideas

old_aussie wrote: »

Windows 7
This will only work if Device Manager can detect that a Video Adapter(Card) is connected.
In Device manager under Display Adapters, if Standard VGA Adapter is shown, most likely your Video Card is not detected.
Left click the Start Button
Right click on Computer, Left click on Properties.
Left click on Device Manager.
Expand out Display Adapters.
Right click on the Display Adapter shown (Video Card name), Left click on Update Driver Software
Cick on Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software.
Make sure you're Connected to the Internet.
If new driver found, follow onscreen instructions to install.

marco_polo

GPU-z is just to find out what type of graphics card you have, you then have to find and install those drivers manually. Ignore the windows auto update as this feature usually only work well with fairly new drivers.

Can you post up the information that appears under the name and GPU fields in the the graphic card tab when you run GPU-Z, that should be enough for me to find them.

Please don't install the XP driver in the meantime, not a good idea.

leninbenjamin

Old computer is old. You have integrated graphics with that Dell that basically aren't compatible with Win 7 (and can't be upgraded). You might be able to get a generic Intel driver to work with it (see here), but you're likely still to have all sorts of compatibility problems with your programs afaik. Best bet is to revert back to XP imo.

marco_polo

Wow the Dimension 3100 does not even have a PCIE or an AGP slot on the motherboard so an upgrade to a cheapo graphics card with win 7 support is not an option either

ScumLord

You could find out what graphics are in your PC by putting your tag into the Dell website, they'll show you what's inside your PC. Don't bother with Dell drivers though search for a better driver. Sounds like it won't make any difference though, you might have to make do with the low res until you get a new PC.

Gurgle

castle wrote: »

Yes done all that and it states driver up tp date, now

Yes, its got the latest version of 'standard miscellaenous graphics card' driver. You need one thats specific to your card.

can I get another driver to do the job, can I take driver from xp would it do ,this win 7 is great really prefer to stick with it unless no other choice, any ideas

AFAIK, you can't use XP drivers with Win 7.

Have you tried gpu-z?
If you knew the version of graphics chip, you could probably find drivers...

castle

also in the mean time I might go back to xp do I have to unistall win 7 an dthen install xp again, what is process,

ricman

IF it has a agp slot buy a agp card ,make sure it s win7 compatible.
if theres NO AGP slot , you can buy a pci graphics card.
MAKE sure its windows 7 compatible at least 128meg vram.
pci is the standard expansion slot on even older pcs.
SAY you are buying radeon 450, google radeon 450 windows 7 drivers.
Look on the box, for windows 7 compatibility info.
SEE here http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t99742.html, if you are gonna play games get at least 200meg vram.
seems you,d need at least a nvidia 6200, from that forum info .
YOU,D get a pentium 4 2.oghz 1gig ram AGP for 100euros on adverts.ie,
OR try and get one with a pci-e grahics card slot .

Gurgle

Resolution isn't your problem, its colour depth - looks like your set to 16 colours.

They've somewhat hidden this setting under Win 7.
Right click on the desktop and click 'Screen Resolution' -> 'Advanced settings' -> 'Monitor' tab

Theres a drop-down box marked 'Colors', set it to 'High color 16-bit' or 'True color 32-bit'.

The intel i865 will be fine, as long as you have no ambitions to play recent games.

castle

No AGP slot on Dell dimension 3000, so the radeon pci 450 might do the job

ricman wrote: »

IF it has a agp slot buy a agp card ,make sure it s win7 compatible.
if theres NO AGP slot , you can buy a pci graphics card.
MAKE sure its windows 7 compatible at least 128meg vram.
pci is the standard expansion slot on even older pcs.
SAY you are buying radeon 450, google radeon 450 windows 7 drivers.
Look on the box, for windows 7 compatibility info.
SEE here http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t99742.html, if you are gonna play games get at least 200meg vram.
seems you,d need at least a nvidia 6200, from that forum info .
YOU,D get a pentium 4 2.oghz 1gig ram AGP for 100euros on adverts.ie,
OR try and get one with a pci-e grahics card slot .

marco_polo

ricman wrote: »

IF it has a agp slot buy a agp card ,make sure it s win7 compatible.
if theres NO AGP slot , you can buy a pci graphics card.
MAKE sure its windows 7 compatible at least 128meg vram.
pci is the standard expansion slot on even older pcs.
SAY you are buying radeon 450, google radeon 450 windows 7 drivers.
Look on the box, for windows 7 compatibility info.
SEE here http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t99742.html, if you are gonna play games get at least 200meg vram.
seems you,d need at least a nvidia 6200, from that forum info .
YOU,D get a pentium 4 2.oghz 1gig ram AGP for 100euros on adverts.ie,
OR try and get one with a pci-e grahics card slot .

It appears that the Dimension has neither PCIE or AGPthough, from what I have read. PCI one maybe if you can find one, quite rare though

As leninbenjamin said there are no supported win 7 drivers for the 82865G, the best you can do is try the XPDM drivers and hope you have no compatability issues.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-030907.htm

castle

The options are

1024x768 256 colour
640 x480 256 colour
800 x600 256
640 x 480 16 bit
640 x 480 16 colour, on the 800x600 at the moment any ideas od best one, ahve tried all

Gurgle wrote: »

Resolution isn't your problem, its colour depth - looks like your set to 16 colours.

They've somewhat hidden this setting under Win 7.
Right click on the desktop and click 'Screen Resolution' -> 'Advanced settings' -> 'Monitor' tab

Theres a drop-down box marked 'Colors', set it to 'High color 16-bit' or 'True color 32-bit'.

The intel i865 will be fine, as long as you have no ambitions to play recent games.

castle

any type I should be looking for model etc
, thanks
real novice here as you may have guessed

marco_polo wrote: »

It appears that the Dimension has neither PCIE or AGPthough, from what I have read. PCI one maybe if you can find one, quite rare though

As leninbenjamin said there are no supported win 7 drivers for the 82865G, the best you can do is try the XPDM drivers and hope you have no compatability issues.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/CS-030907.htm

marco_polo

The only work around that I can see others have been using appears to be to install the XP version of the drivers manually. You will not have any of the advanced UI functionality of Windows 7 (Aero) and you may run into other compatability issues so no guarantees this will work.

1) Download the win2k_xp1417.zip file from here (The exe version will not work as win7 will complain about it being an XP driver).

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=1049&DwnldID=9506&lang=eng

2) unpack the Zip file to a directory
3) In Device Manager select update drivers,
4) Navigate to the directory with the unpacked files,
5) Install
6) Reboot

Capt'n Midnight

Check the BIOS ( F2 setup etc)
some of the integrated cards could be set to as low as 1MB or 8MB which would not help things

looks like the card isn't supported - so needs new card

castle

how do I check that,

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Check the BIOS ( F2 setup etc)
some of the integrated cards could be set to as low as 1MB or 8MB which would not help things

castle

Marco downloaded that but due to win 7 been a bit messy I cant seem to find where it downloaded any suggestion, thanks

marco_polo wrote: »

The only work around that I can see others have been using appears to be to install the XP version of the drivers manually. You will not have any of the advanced UI functionality of Windows 7 (Aero) and you may run into other compatability issues so no guarantees this will work.

1) Download the win2k_xp1417.zip file from here (The exe version will not work as win7 will complain about it being an XP driver).

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=1049&DwnldID=9506&lang=eng

2) unpack the Zip file to a directory
3) In Device Manager select update drivers,
4) Navigate to the directory with the unpacked files,
5) Install
6) Reboot

The onboard VGA of the Dimension 3000 isn't supported by Windows 7, anything older than the i945 isn't. Best bet is to get a PCI video card, where I work we currently have PCI cards based on the 8400GS GPU and these would work fine with Windows 7.

castle

Can you give me name of pci video that is needed, thanks

Karsini wrote: »

The onboard VGA of the Dimension 3000 isn't supported by Windows 7, anything older than the i945 isn't. Best bet is to get a PCI video card, where I work we currently have PCI cards based on the 8400GS GPU and these would work fine with Windows 7.

marco_polo

castle wrote: »

Marco downloaded that but due to win 7 been a bit messy I cant seem to find where it downloaded any suggestion, thanks

Not on windows 7 atm but it sHould be under c: (or d: )\Users\<username>\Downloads (or something like that) can check at home this evening.


As for the alternative I am having real trouble finding PCI video cards they are every bit as expensive and hard to find as I feared . The best I have found thus far is 39 euros on misco.ie, perhaps second hand on ebay or something like that would be a better idea.

http://www.misco.ie/productinformation/~162270~WW~/Zotac%20GeForce%206200%20512MB%20PCI%20Graphics%20Card.htm

castle

Marco thanks for your help really appricated wife going crazy with the win 7, would this to the job

http://cgi.ebay.ie/1GB-NVIDIA-GEFORCE-9400GT-PCI-E-GRAPHICS-CARD-NEW_W0QQitemZ320488989954QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW?hash=item4a9ea1e502

marco_polo wrote: »

Not on windows 7 atm but it sHould be under c: (or d: )\Users\<username>\Downloads (or something like that) can check at home this evening.


As for the alternative I am having real trouble finding PCI video cards they are every bit as expensive and hard to find as I feared . The best I have found thus far is 39 euros on misco.ie, perhaps second hand on ebay or something like that would be a better idea.

http://www.misco.ie/productinformation/~162270~WW~/Zotac%20GeForce%206200%20512MB%20PCI%20Graphics%20Card.htm

yoyo

castle wrote: »

Marco thanks for your help really appricated wife going crazy with the win 7, would this to the job

http://cgi.ebay.ie/1GB-NVIDIA-GEFORCE-9400GT-PCI-E-GRAPHICS-CARD-NEW_W0QQitemZ320488989954QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW?hash=item4a9ea1e502

No, you need a pci vid card, thats a pci express one

Nick

castle

any cahnce you can tell me what one to get,really getting fed up with this win 7

yoyo wrote: »

No, you need a pci vid card, thats a pci express one

Nick

yoyo

castle wrote: »

any cahnce you can tell me what one to get,really getting fed up with this win 7

http://cgi.ebay.ie/PNY-GeForce-8400GS-512MB-PCI-TV-DVI-HDTV-Graphics-Card_W0QQitemZ270379197003QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW?hash=item3ef3db224b

Something like this would do

Nick