# Resolution trouble



## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

I am having trouble with my screen resolution for Windows 8.

I currently have it set to 1600x900. I am using a Toshiba TV as a monitor. When I try to run a game, it gives me a brief flash of the game screen then gives me a "No Video Signal" message.


I have attached dxdiag with the post.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Just to see: set the resolution to the Toshiba's native 1920x1080 resolution, and see what happens.
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

Just tried that. Aside from the words for everything getting really small, nothing else has changed.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

It sounds like the TV-monitor works fine for everything but games? Does it happen for all games, or just some? (Or perhaps mostly with one particular game?). Many games have patches and updates available that fix various problems.

The size of text on the big screen can be increased by going into the Windows 8 Display settings (in Control Panel). You also have the choice of making everything 25% larger there also.
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

It varies. Some games flicker every few seconds, others give me the blank screen.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

If you have access to another monitor, try hooking up the alternative monitor as a test. If the games output OK to that monitor, go into the settings for each game that is either flickering or going blank screen, and see if you can set the display options to resolutions that you know both your video card and your Toshiba TV-monitor can handle. I'm guessing that its most likely not the resolution exactly, but the refresh rate for either the vertical or horizontal. If that option is available as a choice in your games setup, go for the most common value (60hz is a common value for LED screens).

You could also try at a very basic resolution for Windows 8 - 1366x768. The games will display a bit huge, but it might be an interesting test.

You might have to try a few times to find a refresh rate that works on the Toshiba. Another thought would be to see if there are any instructions or specs on the Toshiba support website for your model that might point to a reason for the issues you're seeing.

And, since Windows 8 is still so new, open Windows Update to see if there are any updates that might help.

Best of luck
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

The only other monitor I have is an old one that supports 1024 max.
1366 did not work. However, 720 seems to be fine.
Would there be a reason it only supports 720 max when I could go up to 1600x900 before upgrading to Windows 8?


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## tyza (Jun 9, 2008)

Do you have native display drivers for windows 8?


Edit: from toshiba of course?

double edit : i had to reread the whole thing again to make sure it was toshiba tv you were talking about , what is the specs , brand model of your computer?


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

My computer is custom built. The specs are in the dxdiag I posted.

The native resolution for my computer is 1080.

I'm not sure about the TV, but it can support the 1080 when not running any games.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi again


Tell you what, try removing the current drivers, and installing the Windows 8 64 bit drivers from the nVidia website - they look like they were released on January 5, 2013.

Here's a link:
Drivers | GeForce

The version should be "GeForce 310.90 - WHQL"


Best of luck
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

I installed the new driver and got no changes.

Strange thing though is that when I uninstalled the old one and ran a game, it worked fine. Would an nVidia setting be interfering?


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Seems like there might be some features in the nVidia drivers that can be turned on or off, and tweaked in various ways. I don't really do any gaming, so I don't have to fiddle much with the settings unless my customers need help. And most of my customers are small businesses, dentists, lawyers, and retired folks: not exactly your typical Halo crowd.

My first impression is probably the same as yours - that it is related to the resolution of the screen --- I'd add that I think the refresh speed setting for either the horizontal or vertical (or both) is off by just enough that the TV doesn't support that exact refresh rate. It's likely that the TV supports the specified resolution, just not at the rate it is being refreshed.

If the games played OK just after uninstalling the older drivers, and just before installing the latest nVidia drivers -- it can't hurt to uninstall the nVidia drivers again [you can always reinstall them later, if you find a way to get them to work]. I'll assume that some sort of built-in generic driver was in use when you were in-between the older & the newer nVidia drivers. See if you can get the resolution you'd like with the in-between drivers, why not? 

I know that a lot of users who have ATi video in their computers prefer to use just the drivers only, and forgo using the Catalyst Control Center. 

In your case, you could try things without the nVidia Control Panel component (I believe you can install just the drivers, without the Control Panel).

Let us know if you find a solution that gets the card & your games to display the way you'd like them to. I'm sure you aren't the only one trying to figure this one out.

I'll check back & see how you're doing.
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

The game does work, however I get a very bad framerate if I go without the driver.

I tried using the custom installation, but it didn't give me the option of not installing the control panel.

Should I start a thread in the game section as well?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

CrimsonKing said:


> Should I start a thread in the game section as well?


No


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Hmm ... one thing I should have mentioned earlier -- how about looking in your Event Viewer logs? Look for errors that occur right at the times that the Toshiba would show the "No signal" message. Depending on the error message, there might be a clue in the details.

I'll get on one of my computers with an nVidia card sometime this weekend, and have a look in the nVidia Contol Panel, to see what settings are available. Something in there seems like it should make a difference.
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

Nothing is showing up on event viewer when I fire up a program that gets the no video input.

Would it matter that I'm using an HDMI cable to connect to the monitor?


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Since nothing is showing up in Event Viewer, that suggests that the computer is sending out a signal that Windows considers OK. The "No Signal" is likely not due to a lack of signal, but an incompatible setting. The setting could originate from either the nVidia output settings, or an input setting on the Toshiba.

I looked at a manual for a year and a half old 40-inch Toshiba LED TV-monitor. Your model may well have many of the same capabilities and settings. To be sure, consult the manual for your model.

Based on what I read, see if:
1) You can set the Toshiba "Picture Size" to "Native" (some Toshibas have the choices: Native, 4:3, Full, TheaterWide 1, TheaterWide 2, TheaterWide 3, Normal and Dot by Dot). 
2) Also, look for a setting, likely in a category "Picture", called "Picture Mode", and see if you can set that to "Game" mode (it's specialized for the faster frame rate that video games require). Note: The picture mode you select affects the current input only. You can select a different picture mode for each input.
3) Look for HDMI settings, especially some labeled "Content Type", "Instaport", and "RGB Range". The manual I saw recommends turning the Content Type & Instaport settings to OFF if the display isn't working properly with an HDMI device. You can try with the settings both on and off. The RGB is likely best set to Auto.
4) Also, after trying these settings on the Toshiba, see what happens if you then set the computer to 1920x1080 again.

_______________

I haven't yet had a chance to look in the nVidia Control Panel settings yet, but I'll try to get to that if I have a chance. You can take a look around in there too, if you'd like -- especially if the Toshiba setting changes don't help. Oh - one more thing... I noticed a mention in the Toshiba manuals, regarding TVs that can refresh at a rate higher than 60hz (many newer Toshibas advertise themselves as capable of 120hz) -- have a look at this quote --


> Note: If your HDMI connection is capable of 1080p and/or your TV is capable of refresh rates greater than 60 Hz, you will need a High Speed HDMI® cable. Conventional HDMI/DVI cables may not work properly with this mode.


I'll check back to see how you're doing
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

Mine has the picture size and the Game mode, but no HDMI settings

I tried changing it to native and Auto aspect on/off

I also set the resolution up to 1080

No luck so far.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Just found a bright, shiny, new copy of the nVidia Control Panel guide - dated from January 26, 2013.

Here's the link
http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/313.96/313.96-nvidia-control-panel-quick-start-guide.pdf

I hope we can find something in there.
__________

By the way -- when you upgraded to Windows-8 did you do the Custom install or did you update over your older Windows 7 installation? I've noticed a lot of weird and unhappily snarled issues on machines that had Windows 8 bounce in on top of 7.

After all, your experience fits that situation: the Toshiba TV-monitor displayed the games fine in Windows 7, but not after the computer was upgraded to Windows 8.

Thought: if you have a friend who also has Windows 8, see if they'd like to try hooking up their box to your Toshiba, to test if it plays the games OK. Might be an interesting test.
_______________

... I've got to get a cup of tea, I think. I'm working on a few computer puzzles all at once - perhaps Earl Grey will weigh in with an opinion...
. . . Gary

_______________

late note -- also found a guide with some tips for when moving from one nVidia driver to another. It is a bit old, but might have some value ---
Ultimate Nvidia Driver Guide for Uninstalling and Installing driversets


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Another quick note or two ---

-- there is a beta driver, 313.96, available for your card. Didn't see the release notes yet, but you could take a look.

-- you'd asked about using your HDMI cable: I can't imagine using anything else, since it should provide the best quality, and also provides both video and audio (usually with no muss no fuss). And I imagine that you were using your HDMI cable and Windows 7 with the Toshiba before your upgrade, and everything was working OK then.
.... Gary

That tea should be ready soon.


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

I was actually using Windows XP before I upgraded. I did a clean installation since my version of XP was 32 bit and I wanted the 64 bit of Windows 8.

I also tried using 1080i instead of 1080p. Aside from 1 game, the rest stayed the same.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Well, that does make a difference. (.. the upgrade from XP rather than Vista or 7).

If your games are a few years or more old, you could be running into incompatibility issues from a number of sources - drivers, operating system changes, and the program-compatibility of the games themselves. Most Windows-7 games run OK on Windows-8, though some might need a patch or two.
_______________

You might search the game websites for each game that doesn't work properly, and check for the latest patches to see if things improve. You could also try the beta drivers for nVidia, the release notes do mention a fair number of popular games that the new drivers are supposed to help. And you can continue to try different combinations of settings on the Toshiba and in your nVidia drivers.

_______________

I don't think using a virtual machine is much of a solution for video games, since the resource usage is so demanding, and also the virtualization of sound can be an issue. There is a free virtual program built-into Windows 8 Pro, called client HyperV - it's hardware requirements generally need quite new, and quite powerful, machines. You could have a look, just to see if its worth trying. My initial impression is that it probably wouldn't do. But I suppose it couldn't hurt to look:
Install Windows XP in Windows 8 Client Hyper-V | TechRepublic
_______________

Another option, that would require a fair amount of work, and that would require maintaining two separate operating systems --- would be to dual-boot Windows 8 and Windows XP: and run the Windows-8-incompatible games when booted into Windows XP. 

If you have a system-image backup of the Windows XP installation from just before you upgraded to Windows-8, you could restore that image, and then create a partition to install Windows-8 on, and perform a Custom install of Windows-8 to create a dual-boot. There are licensing issues to consider, but if you have an unused full retail XP license - that would do. You can also have a look at a dual-boot article --- (there's a note at the end concerning XP).
Another guide, that applies if you have the required XP license --- How to Dual Boot Windows 8 with Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP | 7 Tutorials

If you want to start with clean installs of each, limit the size of the partition for XP, which you'd install first -- and then let Windows 8 create its new partitions from the unallocated free space. The Windows-8 install would have to be a Custom install, and you'd likely need two XP licenses.
_______________

Considering that purchasing newer versions of the video games might be cheaper than having to purchase another XP license (if necessary), you might try new games.

A new operating system is always an uncertain adventure.
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

The games I'm trying to run were released 2010+

The oldest right now would be League of Legends. All the other games are stuff I bought on Steam recently.

I've searched through various sites while posting here as well, but have found no luck so far.

I did a search on the new beta driver and it seems it's still buggy right now and interferes with a lot of games.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

I don't know of too many other things left to try. A system-image restore to Windows XP would restore your former system for now, and should restore all the games & their functionality -- and you could wait to try Windows 8 at some point later in the future, if you wanted to.

One idea that I haven't mentioned before, though -- is to see if there is a "firmware update" for the Toshiba TV-monitor. Sometimes firmware is updated to help with compatibility issues. Have a look at Toshiba.com and see if anything is listed for your model. 

Best of luck
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

Oh how silly of me. I see it on their site now.

I think I see the problem now.

Toshiba Canada - home entertainment - past models - televisions - 19AV600U

1366 x 768 Panel Resolution
720p Resolution
MPEG DNR (480i/480p/720p/1080i)

Even though I can run it at 1080p for some reason, it only support 720.

Though I'm confused how I still got 1080 before I upgraded to Windows 8. 

(2) HDMI™ 1.3a 1080p Input
(2) Colorstream HD™ Input

The HDMI does support 1080 and I'm suing the HDMI port, so would there be a way to get it working in 1080 again?


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

I'm not an audio-video gadget expert by any means, but I'd imagine that if your Toshiba only supports 720 as its maximum High Definition, the rest of the time it has been scaling down the 1080 input. 

I'm a little surprised at the 1366x768 maximum resolution shown. In your DirectX diagnostics page, it listed a 1920x1080 resolution --- there is a mismatch between what DirectX Diagnostics read as the model # detected, and the specifications for your model at the Toshiba site. Sometimes electronic gadget will have two model numbers -- one is like a family name (like a last name), and the other is more specific (like your first name). DirectX displays a model ID for your Toshiba as *TSB0206* - and lists the 1080i native resolution of 1920x1080 --- while the Toshiba website lists your unit, when referred to by the model # *19AV600U*, as a 720p unit, with the native resolution of 1366x768 -- (which is interesting, since I've seen mention that 720p units often have a native resolution of 1280x720).

Regarding output from your PC displaying to the screen -- it's possible that the screen was also able to scale the higher PC resolutions (remember that we tested up to 1920x1080). 

You could try contacting Toshiba & see what they say. If you click the "Contact Us" link on the support webpage for your model, both telephone and email contact information is provided.
_______________

I wonder if the change in DirectX versions might be having a larger effect than we first expected. When using Windows XP, I believe the latest version available is DirectX 9.0c - but when using Windows 8, DirectX 11.1 is the likely version. Since the GT-240 has been out for a few years, the drivers likely are optimized for the newer cards & DirectX versions. 

I wonder if the games that played fine with DirectX 9 drivers don't do well with DirectX 11.1.

It's a fairly muddy picture. . . . I'd be interested to hear what Toshiba has to say.
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

I tried sending them an email, but their site doesn't seem to work since all it gave me was 
Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /web/contactus.frp on this server.

I will try calling them tomorrow.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Sorry to hear their email system isn't working well. I hope they have some helpful answers for you during your call. 
. . . Gary


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## CrimsonKing (Apr 19, 2009)

Wow, the weirdest thing just happened.

Somehow, my games can now run at 1080. I didn't change anything nor did I mess with any setting on my TV. it just started working.

My best guess is that a windows update fixed the problem.


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## OldGrayGary (Jun 29, 2006)

Very good to hear. Thanks for letting us know.



Not only do my computers get automatic updates (whether PC, Mac, or Linux), my Blu-Ray players and TVs also get automatic updates.

Now if I could just get an update for my old brain .... !
. . . Gary


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