Screen Modes Help Needed

[AmigaDave]

I have one of the first batch of First Contact X1000's and I am using a Dell 20" wide screen LCD monitor which has a maximum native screen resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, instead of the 1680 x 1050 resolution of my newer Dell 20" wide screen LCD monitor that I use with my Windows PC.

When I first got my X1000, I had mistakenly connected the 1680 x 1050 monitor to it, until I realized my mistake and switched the Dell monitors back to have the correct one used with my Windows PC, as the 1600 x 1200 resolution monitor was causing problems with the Windows PC.

Now I want to choose the native 1600 x 1200 resolution as the screen mode for my Workbench display, instead of forcing it to use a display resolution it is not designed for, as I don't know if the 1680 x 1050 resolution can damage the 1600 x 1200 monitor or not. The problem I am having is that even though I can see the 1600 x 1200 resolution in the monitor driver in my Devs drawer, along with all the other resolutions it can display, and including the 1680 x 1050 resolution that it should not be able to display, the 1600 x 1200 resolution is not shown as a choice in the Prefs Screen Mode program for me to choose and save.

When I click on the Monitor tab in the Prefs Screen Mode program, all the resolutions are shown there too, including the desired 1600 x 1200 screen mode.

I don't know how to get the 1600 x 1200 resolution screen mode to show up in the Prefs Screen Mode program, so I can choose it and save that choice and don't know what to do.

When I first got my X1000 I followed someones advice here and used the detect monitor settings from the Monitor tab in the Prefs Screen Mode program and it erased all of my screen mode resolutions and defaulted to a very ugly looking and hardly readable resolution of 640 x 200, or 640 x 400, or maybe it was 1024 x 768. I can't remember, but it took some tinkering with the Monitor driver in my Devs drawer to get a 1680 x 1050 display working on that other Dell 20" monitor, so I am hesitant to use that detect monitor settings button ever again.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get the 1600 x 1200 display resolution working, since it is already in the list of resolutions in both the Devs Monitor file and the Prefs Screen Mode Monitor Tab, but will not show up in the list of screen modes that I can select and save in the other Screen Modes tab?

I hate to say this, because I really do like my X1000 and OS4.1.5, but it seems that my lack of experience with previous OS4.x systems, and the amount of time that has passed since I was proficient at tinkering with my AmigaOS1.x to 3.x systems, I am experiencing problems with almost every thing I try to do on my X1000.

I am not blaming the computer and I know that I only have myself to blame, because I have forgotten so many things from years ago and become confused with the knowledge of too many different systems between then and now, from using Windows and MacOSX, and even a little bit of Linux, so now it is hard to remember exactly how an Amiga is supposed to work, even though OS4.x is different in some ways than AmigaOS3.x.

I was just hoping that OS4.1.5 would be a little more user friendly, and my memory would be better than it obviously is.

I am sure I will catch on as soon as I am physically able to use my X1000 more often, and for longer periods of time. It is hard to learn how to use it again when I am limited to 15 to 45 minute periods of time where I can sit at the desk, once, or if I am lucky, twice a day, and usually only two, or three days each week. Does the X1000 work well with wireless keyboards and mice? Maybe I can move the X1000 into my bedroom and connect it to my 1080p LCD HD TV, so I can use it for longer periods of time?

[ChrisH]

When I click on the Monitor tab in the Prefs Screen Mode program, all the resolutions are shown there too, including the desired 1600 x 1200 screen mode.

That means you manually asked for a 1600x1200 resolution, but as it doesn't show-up as available it means OS4 thinks your monitor cannot handle that resolution. And that will be due to the Maximum VSync & HSync values you have set (or left at their defaults).

So either you need to look-up the specification for your monitor & enter the correct VSync & HSync values, or else you need to enable "Detect settings automatically" (which is supposed to find-out those settings for you).

When I first got my X1000 I followed someones advice here and used the detect monitor settings from the Monitor tab in the Prefs Screen Mode program and it erased all of my screen mode resolutions and defaulted to a very ugly looking and hardly readable resolution of 640 x 200, or 640 x 400, or maybe it was 1024 x 768.

When that happened, did you see higher resolutions listed in the "Available Modes" of Prefs/ScreenMode? If they weren't listed, then "Detect settings automatically" must have failed to work.... but it might still be worth trying again, since I think the new Radeon HD drivers may have been improved in this regard.

If it still does not work, then all you need to do is UNtick "Detect settings automatically", and then RE-tick all the listed resolutions, and then click Save Monitor.

[tonyw]

If you have a serial terminal connected to the debug output, you should see the display driver reporting what it found out from the monitor.

Do you have a direct connection between the monitor and the graphics card, or are you using an adaptor thingy? SOme of the adaptor thingies don't connect the DDC conductors from one side to the other, so DDC won't work.

As Chris said, the best thing to do is to simply switch on "Detect settings automatically", "All supported modes" and "Enable interrupts", then click "Save monitor". Let the machine do it all for you, there is nothing else you need to do.

[mechanic]

Since getting my X1000 I purchased a ViewSonic widescreen monitor. After trying many modes I've settled on 1366x768 as the best for these not-so-young eyes.
This mode is not listed in the docs that came with the monitor, however the refresh rate is well below some of the other modes listed.

I would think if the mode that works for your setup fills the screen proper and does not exceed the refresh rates of the other modes there should be no problem.

The 1680x1050 is just the number of pixels the card can pump out. As long as they all fit within the screen then the monitor should be AOK.

[Severin]

Since getting my X1000 I purchased a ViewSonic widescreen monitor. After trying many modes I've settled on 1366x768 as the best for these not-so-young eyes.
This mode is not listed in the docs that came with the monitor, however the refresh rate is well below some of the other modes listed.

Wouldn't it be better to use the monitors native mode, use bigger fonts and increase border sizes etc with gui prefs instead of using a blurry upscaled screenmode?

[mechanic]

Wouldn't it be better to use the monitors native mode, use bigger fonts and increase border sizes etc with gui prefs instead of using a blurry upscaled screenmode?

You are absolutely right, and I am absolutely lazy.

Since X1000 arrived I have been tinkering about with several projects that have kept me so busy the need for beautiful screens has taken a backseat. It's become another one of those "I'll get around to it later things." If you know what I mean.

[ChrisH]

Since X1000 arrived I have been tinkering about with several projects that have kept me so busy

I guess that's a good thing . Are any of these projects likely to be of interest to anyone else, once completed? Oh, and they hardware or software projects?

[mechanic]

I guess that's a good thing . Are any of these projects likely to be of interest to anyone else, once completed? Oh, and they hardware or software projects?

Just personal enlightenment projects at this time, but leaning toward MIDI.

Getting familiar with Xena and how to integrate her into the system, and growing more gray hair trying to learn/understand C as it pertains to AOS.

Xena is easy, C is understandable, AOS 'needs' a special IDE, and I need to be 20 years younger.

[trevordick]

I need to be 20 years younger.

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Amen to that!

Trevor

[tonyw]

Well, I am twenty years younger than I was, ten years ago, I think.

But then, maths was never my strong subject.