Configuring Display in Windows XP Home

   Microsoft Windows XP Home stores configuration information in the registry. Modifications to the registry changes the configuration of the Windows XP Home environment. You use the following tools to modify the registry.
  • Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
  • Control Panel
  • Registry Editor

    •    Users can configure and clean up the icons that appear on their computer's desktop. Users with permission to load and unload device drivers can also install and test video drivers. Windows XP Home can change video resolutions dynamically without restarting the system and also supports multiple display configurations.

       To view or modify the display or the Desktop properties, in Control Panel, click Appearance And Themes, and then click Display. The tabs in the Display Properties dialog box are described in the table below.

    Tab Description
    Themes Allows you to chose a theme. A theme is a background, plus a set of sounds, icons, and other elements to help you personalize your computer.
    Desktop Allows you to choose a background and color for your desktop. The Customize Desktop button allows you to add or remove some Windows program icons and determine what icons represent those programs. You can also include Web content on your Desktop.
    Screen Saver Allows you to choose a screen saver. A screen saver is a moving picture or pattern that appears on your screen after the keyboard or mouse has not been used for a specific period of time that you configure. The default is 15 minutes. Screen savers prevent damage to monitors by preventing an image from becoming burned into the monitor. You can use your own picture as a screen saver by uploading it from a digital camera or scanner, copying it from the Internet, or copying it from an e-mail attachment. You can also click Power to adjust monitor power settings and save energy.
    Appearance Allows you to configure the windows and buttons style, the color scheme, and font size. Click Effects to configure the following options:
  • Use The Following Transition Effect For Menus And Tooltips
  • Use The Following Method To Smooth Edges For Screen Fonts
  • Use Large Icons
  • Show Shadows Under Menus
  • Show Windows Contents While Dragging
  • Hide Underlined Letters For Keyboard Navigation Until I Press The Alt Key If you select Windows Classic as your theme, you can click Advanced to customize the look of windows, menus, fonts, and icons.
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    Setting Allows you to configure display options including the number of colors, video resolution, font size, and refresh frequency, and explained in the table below.

    Option Description
    Color Quality Displays the current color settings for the monitor attached to the video adapter listed under Display. This option allows you to change the color quality for the display adapter.
    Screen Resolution Displays the current screen resolution settings for the monitor attached to the video adapter listed under Display. This option allows you to set the resolution for the display adapter. As you increase the number of pixels, you display more information on the screen, but you decrease the size of the information.
    Troubleshoot Opens the Video Display Troubleshooter to aid you in diagnosing display problems.
    Advanced Opens the Properties dialog box for the display adapter, as described in the next table

    Tab Option Description
    General Display Provides small, large, or other display font option. The other option lets you choose any custom font size you want.
      Compatibility Determines the action that the Windows XP operating systems should take when you make changes to display settings. After you change the color settings, you must choose one of the following options:
  • Restart The Computer Before Applying The New Display Settings
  • Apply The New Display Settings Without Restarting
  • Ask Me Before Applying The New Display Settings
    • Adapter Adapter type Provides the manufacturer and modelnumber of the installed adapter. Clicking Properties displays the Properties dialog box for your adapter. The General tab of the Properties dialog box provides additional information, including device status, resource settings, and any conflicting devices. The Driver tab of the Properties dialog box provides details about the driver and allows you to update the driver, roll back to the previously installed driver, and uninstall the driver. The Resources tab of the Properties dialog box indicates resources, such as areas of memory being used by the adapter.
      Adapter Information Provides additional information about the display adapter, such as video chip type, digital-to-analog converter (DAC) type, memory size, and basic input/output system (BIOS).
      List All Modes Displays all compatible modes for your display adapter and lets you select resolution, color depth, and refresh frequency in one step.
    Monitor Monitor Type Provides the manufacturer and model number of the monitor currently installed. The Properties button provides additional information and gives access to the Video Display Trouble-shooter to help resolve problems with this device.
      Monitor Settings Configures the refresh rate frequency. This option applies only to high-resolution drivers. Do not select a refresh rate and screen resolution combination that is unsupported by the monitor. If you are unsure, refer to your monitor documentation or select the lowest refresh rate option.
    Troubleshoot Hardware Acceleration Lets you progressively decrease your display hardware's acceleration features to help you isolate and eliminate display problems. Lets you select whether to use write combining, which improves video performance by speeding up the display of information to your screen. Increased speed can lead to screen corruption, however. If you experience trouble with your display, try clearing the Enable Write Combining check box.
    Color Management   Chooses the color profile for your monitor.

  • Using Multiple Displays

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       Windows XP Home supports multiple display configurations. Multiple displays allow you to extend your desktop across more than one monitor. Windows XP Professional supports the extension of your display across a maximum of 10 monitors.
    Note

       You must use Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) video adapters when configuring multiple displays. If one of the display adapters is built into the motherboard, note these additional considerations:

  • The motherboard adapter always becomes the secondary adapter. It must be multiple-display compatible.
  • You must set up Windows XP Home before installing another adapter. Windows XP Home Setup disables the motherboard adapter if it detects another adapter. Some systems completely disable the onboard adapter on detecting an add-in adapter. If you are unable to override this detection in the BIOS, you cannot use the motherboard adapter with multiple displays.

    •    Typically, the system BIOS selects the primary display based on PCI slot order. However, on some computers, the BIOS allows the user to select the primary display device. You cannot stop the primary display. This is an important consideration for laptop computers with docking stations. For example, some docking stations contain a display adapter; these often disable, or turn off, a laptop's built-in display. Multiple display support does not function on these configurations unless you attach multiple adapters to the docking station.

  • Configuring Multiple Displays

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       Before you can configure multiple displays, you must install them. When you configure multiple displays, you must configure each one in a multiple-display environment. To install multiple monitors, complete the following steps:

  • Turn off your computer and insert one or more additional PCI or AGP video adapters into available slots on your computer.
  • Plug an additional monitor into each PCI or AGP video adapter that you installed.
  • Turn on your computer and allow Windows XP Professional to detect the new adapters and install the appropriate device drivers.
  • In Control Panel, click Appearance And Themes, and then click Display.
  • In the Settings tab, click the monitor icon that represents the monitor you want to use in addition to your primary monitor.
  • Select the Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor check box and then click OK.

    •    To configure your display in a multiple-display environment, complete the following steps:
  • In Control Panel, click Appearance And Themes, and then click Display.
  • In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.
  • Click the monitor icon for the primary display device.
  • Select the display adapter for the primary display, and then select the color depth and resolution.
  • Click the monitor icon for the secondary display device.
  • Select the display adapter for the secondary display, and then select the Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor check box.
  • Select the color depth and resolution for the secondary display.
  • Repeat steps 5 through 7 for each additional display.

    •    Windows XP Home uses the virtual desktop concept to determine the relationship of each display. The virtual desktop uses coordinates to track the position of each individual display desktop.

       The coordinates of the top-left corner of the primary display always remain 0, 0. Windows XP Professional sets secondary display coordinates so that all the displays adjoin each other on the virtual desktop. This allows the system to maintain the illusion of a single, large desktop where users can cross from one monitor to another without losing track of the mouse.

       To change the display positions on the virtual desktop, in the Settings tab click Identify and drag the display representations to the desired position. The positions of the icons dictate the coordinates and the relative positions of the displays to one another.

  • Troubleshooting Multiple Displays

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       If you encounter problems with multiple displays, use the troubleshooting guidelines in the table below to help resolve those problems.
    Problem Solution
    You cannot see any output on the secondary displays Activate the device in the Display Properties dialog box. Confirm that you chose the correct video driver. Restart the computer to confirm that the secondary display initialized. If not, check the status of the video adapter inDevice Manager. Switch the order of the adapters in the slots. (The adapter must qualify as a secondary adapter.)
    The Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor check box is unavailable Select the secondary display rather than the primary one in the Display Properties dialog box. Confirm that the secondary display adapter is supported. Confirm that Windows XP Professional can detect the secondary display.
    An application fails to display on the secondary display. Run the application on the primary display. Run the application in full-screen mode (Microsoft MS-DOS) or maximized (Microsoft Windows). Disable the secondary display to determine whether the problem is specific to multiple-display support.
     
     
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