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Electronics Computer Programming Q&A
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zangeena
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vga

Post by zangeena »

Is there a way to enable VGA mode without pressing F8 at the beginning? I connect my laptop to my television using my PC wire. I need to enable VGA mode. But pressing F8 is extremely cumbersome as it doesn't work sometimes.
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CeaSaR
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Re: vga

Post by CeaSaR »

zangeena,

You can right click your desktop and select Properties. This will launch the Display Properties dialog box.
Click on the settings tab and select the display you wish to modify. You should be able to set the screen
resolution all the way down to 640x480 pixels and change the color quality to whatever your TV can handle.

F8 (or any of the startup "F" keys) can be hit or miss. You have to hit it just right sometimes for it to work.

Are you connecting to the TV directly (monitor out from computer to VGA port on TV) or through a converter
(VGA/SVGA to NTSC/PAL etc.)? If directly, you should be able to adjust the set to use a higher resolution. If
you are using a converter, just set up your 2nd monitor (in the Display Properties) in VGA configuration and
leave it at that.

Whatever you do, make sure you write down your original configuration in case you need to restore to it.

CeaSaR
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haklesup
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Re: vga

Post by haklesup »

You can right click your desktop and select Properties
It's not always that simple. I checked my settings and 800x600 and 16b color was the lowest I could set it. 256 colors (AKA 8b color) and 640x480 were not even options.

This is highly dependent on the video card, video driver and monitor you have plugged in. the VGA equivelent settings may not be available.

You may be able to set this in the boot.ini file with the /BASEVIDEO option. Use MSCONFIG.exe (type msconfig in the run window under start menu) and go to the boot.ini tab. Help was sketchy, you should search online for more info about the options on this tab. You can also edit some settings in the Properties of My Computer, Advanced tab, settings button under startup and performance.

apparently you're not using an HDTV since they generally already support higher resolution modes.
desy2820
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Re: vga

Post by desy2820 »

On most laptops, there a special key sequence to toggle internal/external displays. On my Dell Inspiron, it's the blue function key "Fn" and "F8" together.
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