monitor question

[Troy McClure]

vista ultimate 64bit rtm... (but this is just a general question)

how important is it to use the right driver for your monitor? I just built a
new system and the driver that came with the monitor (a Dell 26" widescreen
lcd) wont work with vista... so the monitor is listed as default plug n play
monitor... I installed the 100.30 nvidia drivers for my 8800GTX and I'm able
to use 1920x1200 resolution, which is the optimal resolution for the
monitor. so.... what's the deal? do I need the monitor driver or at this
point will it just allow the display to say the name of the monitor instead
of default plug n play?

 

[Conor]

vista ultimate 64bit rtm... (but this is just a general question)

how important is it to use the right driver for your monitor? I just built a
new system and the driver that came with the monitor (a Dell 26" widescreen
lcd) wont work with vista... so the monitor is listed as default plug n play
monitor... I installed the 100.30 nvidia drivers for my 8800GTX and I'm able
to use 1920x1200 resolution, which is the optimal resolution for the
monitor. so.... what's the deal? do I need the monitor driver or at this
point will it just allow the display to say the name of the monitor instead
of default plug n play?

Just use PnP as long as you can select the max resolution and refresh
rates. Using a pukka driver usually just adds nothing more than a ICM
Profile so unless you're doing DTP work where perfect colour
reproduction is an issue (in which case you'd not be using a LCD
anyway) it doesn't matter.

 

[Max]

Generally, if you are getting the resolution and color depth that you desire
with the video subsystem drivers that you are using, any specific "monitor"
driver (they are many times just simple INF files--mostly, like you assumed,
to display the manufacturer/model) is irrelevant.
There are exceptions, but in this day and age, they are rare.

 

[dirty old man]

I have a Gateway widescreen monitor. My monitor also shows up in
Device Manager as a default plug and play monitor. However, during the
initial install of Vista x86 and Vista x64, the final boot up screen was
automatically set to the native resolution and refresh rate (color depth
was set to 16-bits which I had to change to 32-bits. The monitor software
provided by Gateway only enables auto rotation, on screen input selection,
and monitor scaling selection. No .inf file was provided, nor any color
profile was provided. But everything is working terrifically.


| vista ultimate 64bit rtm... (but this is just a general question)
|
| how important is it to use the right driver for your monitor? I just built a
| new system and the driver that came with the monitor (a Dell 26" widescreen
| lcd) wont work with vista... so the monitor is listed as default plug n play
| monitor... I installed the 100.30 nvidia drivers for my 8800GTX and I'm able
| to use 1920x1200 resolution, which is the optimal resolution for the
| monitor. so.... what's the deal? do I need the monitor driver or at this
| point will it just allow the display to say the name of the monitor instead
| of default plug n play?
|

 

[HDFatBoy2003]

The resolution is controlled by the driver. I have a 8800 GTS and I have
the 1920x1200 available to me, so it is available as part of 100.30 drivers.
Can't understand why it isn't there for you. I'm also running Vista x64.

I've got the Dell 30" and was able to install the monitor inf, I had to do
it manually if I remember correctly. Select the monitor through Device
Manager, right click and select update driver, select browse my computer,
the let me pick, then have disk. Point to the directory where the 64 bit
version of the inf file is located (Dell normally has it in a separate
directory labeled 64 bit). The let Vista install the "driver".

Surprisingly, Windows Update also had a new driver for my 3007WFP, so you
might want to check there also.

 

[Gene fitzpatrick]

As long as your video card allows optimal resolution for your monitor, it
doesn't matter.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

vista ultimate 64bit rtm... (but this is just a general question)

how important is it to use the right driver for your monitor? I just built
a new system and the driver that came with the monitor (a Dell 26"
widescreen lcd) wont work with vista... so the monitor is listed as
default plug n play monitor... I installed the 100.30 nvidia drivers for
my 8800GTX and I'm able to use 1920x1200 resolution, which is the optimal
resolution for the monitor. so.... what's the deal? do I need the monitor
driver or at this point will it just allow the display to say the name of
the monitor instead of default plug n play?

It is mainly to tell the OS what resolutions and refresh rates the monitor
is capable of displaying. The drivers also include an ICC profile and makes
it the default for the device (for the Iiyama, Eizo and LaCie monitors that
I have had).

With multi-monitor systems it also makes it easier to manage the monitors
when they are correctly named devices, as when you are calibrating them, and
making/applying ICC profiles.

ss.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Hi,
I'm indeed interrested to know if anyone knows how to get the right
named device as I have two Lacie monitor (no .inf for them) and both are
named as PnP monitors which makes it difficult to identify them for icc
assignement.

Thanks

Use the identify monitors button in the graphics properties. It displays a
big "1" on one and a big "2" on the other.