Window Cropping: Theme-related?

[Guest]

I've had my laptop running XP since 2001 and it's been pretty good to me. However, there's always been one problem: in certain programs, certain windows have too much information in them, so a lot of options get cropped out (you can't see them)

I thought it might be that my fonts were too big, but changing fonts in Display Properties didn't change the fonts in these particular windows. Then when I switched back from the Windows Classic theme to the Windows XP theme, I noticed that these particular windows weren't even using the XP theme!

I know for a fact that the programs aren't to blame, because I've seen them working on others' computers running XP. Here's a link to an image that will illustrate the problem: on the left, the way someone else's computer displays the window; on the right, the way my computer displays it

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2453/WTF.GI

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. I'm at the end of my rope here!

 

[roger]

Hi Ligature,

It may be that you need the latest drivers for your video card.
Download them from the manufacturer's website, create a restore point
and install them.

If you do not know exactly the details of your graphics card, go to
Start > Run > dxdiag
you will find them in the display tab.

Good luck

 

[Guest]

My video drivers are fully updated, so that's not the problem. Thanks for the suggestion though

Incidentally I'm using a Dell Inspiron 4100 which has a nVidia GeForce2 Go graphics card.

 

[roger]

Hi,

Resources for troubleshooting display problems in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307960

Try booting in safe mode (F8) and going to the same window. Does the
problem persist?
If no, it may be caused by third-party programs starting upon boot.

Hope this helps

 

[Guest]

Problem persists in safe mode

None of Microsoft's troubleshooters has a solution..

Thanks for all your help - this looks kind of hopeless huh.

 

[roger]

You're welcome. Sorry it hasn't helped :-(

Have you tried changing options when right-clicking My Computer >
properties > Advanced options > performance?

Good luck.

 

[frodo]

have you selected a DPI other than 96 (in display properties | settings |
advanced)? If so that's your problem. It's a long standing windows
programming issue (since win95), if a display is set to something other
than "normal size (96 DPI)" then some "poorly written" programs don't
display properly. It's a programming error, the programmer made an
assumption about the screen size / aspect ratio when he should not have.
There is a KB artical about it, it's been an issue for 20 years now, but
programmers still make the same error. Never ASSUME!!

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;177795

one modern program that make this error: AdAware.

 

[Guest]

Problem solved. Sort of

following (e-mail address removed)'s advice, I checked that the Display was set to 96 dpi (In Display Properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> General). It was. However, when I toggled it to 120 dpi, restarted, toggled it back to 96 dpi and restarted again, I found that the window now displays all the information, neat and tidy

The only thing still wrong is this: the XP theme I'm using is still not being applied to the window contents. As this is a purely cosmetic glitch I don't care to tangle with it, but it's still bizarre, isn't it

Anyway thanks a million to roger and frodo for all the help - I can now use whole sections of interface I didn't know existed!

 

[roger]

Hi ligature,

Problem solved. Sort of.

following (e-mail address removed)'s advice, I checked that the Display was set to 96 dpi (In Display Properties -> Settings -> Advanced -> General). It was. However, when I toggled it to 120 dpi, restarted, toggled it back to 96 dpi and restarted again, I found that the window now displays all the information, neat and tidy.

The only thing still wrong is this: the XP theme I'm using is still not being applied to the window contents. As this is a purely cosmetic glitch I don't care to tangle with it, but it's still bizarre, isn't it?

Anyway thanks a million to roger and frodo for all the help - I can now use whole sections of interface I didn't know existed!

Thanks for your feedback and information.
I'm glad you can view the complete window.