First, let’s dig into a little background on screen resolution. The pixel is the basic unite of monitors. Like the four-colored dots that are used to make up the color in the newspaper you’re reading, a computer screen is a series of colored dots (or pixels) that create the illusion of continuous images. “Aspect ratio” refers to the comparison of screen width to height. Computer monitors have an aspect ration of 4:3. By comparison, HDTV has an aspect ratio of 16:9. Resolution, then, is the actual number of pixels used to compose a screen image. For example, 800 by 600 pixels is a common resolution setting for many computers manufactured in the last several years. Some recent units are now shipping at 1024 by 768 pixels.
Traditional monitors, or CRTs, let you set different resolutions on the same screen. To see your current resolution in Windows XP, right click on the desktop, choose Properties, then Settings. The slidebar shows you the current and available resolutions for your computer and monitor combination. Higher values mean more stuff fits on the screen, but also means that text and screen items may appear to be smaller physically on the screen.
LCD flat-panels deal with resolution a little differently. They have a fixed or native resolution, often set at 1280 by 1024 pixels. If a computer is set to send a lower resolution, LCDs will stretch the desktop image to fit their fixed size. This stretching can make a flat-panel monitor look fuzzy and unclear. I had one flat-panel that I thought was defective until I reset the computer’s resolution.
There are a couple ways to check your set up. First, check your computer’s resolution by using the steps detailed earlier. Next, you can walk through your monitor’s menus. This is a little difficult to detail as each monitor is different. Use the Menu button on the front of you monitor to access the on-screen display. Look for a control that lets you change the way the screen is displayed. There should be an item that says “zoom” or similar label. Set the control to read “native” or “normal”. In other words, set your flat-panel to stop stretching the image and display only what the computer is sending it.
If your resolution is set below the native resolution of the flat-panel, the screen will appear smaller on the screen. Set your desktop resolution higher and watch how it fill up the screen. It should also appear to be a little clearer.
If you’ve done all that and the text seems smaller, don’t fret. You can set your font to display larger by right clicking on your desktop, choosing Properties, then Appearance. Under the Font Size pull down, set the font to Large Fonts or Extra Large. You can also change the size of icons by first clicking the Advanced button on the Appearance tab, then selecting Icon from the Item list. Use the up and down arrows on the Size section to change the appearance of icons.
Wireless Mouse Gone Blind
Wireless mice are great for controlling your computer without extra wires hanging over the back of your desk or table. However, it’s important to keep a supply of batteries on-hand if you have a non-rechargeable optical model. These mice use power to “see” the surface that they sit on, even when the computer is not powered up. Double check the size of battery you need, and keep an extra pair handy.
