Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

[ratdude747]

Here's a headscratcher for you all:

Installed windows 10 on an old Dell Optiplex 760 with an Nvidia GeForce 730 GT for my dad.. exercise machine #2 (running two different e-cycling apps on two machines to get points in both at the same time ).

I'm trying to get it to work with an old 720P TV over VGA (no digital support, it's that old!).

Here's the issue: it's a picky eater when it comes to resolutions. 1280x768 @ 60Hz Interlaced makes it happy. However, for some bizarre reason, things default to what I beleive is 1280x1024 &75HZ which the TV doesn't support.

I hooked in another monitor over DVI and was able to set the correct resolution... but as soon as I unplug the other monitor, windows/nvidia control panel switches the TV resolution back to the unusable setting...

If it matters, when a DVI monitor is connected, that monitor is reported as #1, and the TV is kicked down to #2. Even if I connect the DVI after starting up with VGA connected.

Is there a way to force the VGA output to the correct custom resolution?



Yeah, I know the correct solution is to baseball bat the entire setup and get something newer... but we're both cheapskates and want to see if we can make it work.

[hasefroch]

Re: Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

Looks like the VGA out of your TV does not provide a EDID or is corrupt, then ignored by windows.

Back in the day, (between win98 and xp), I used to fix it using the software Powerstrip; it would let me read directly the EDID from the monitor or the registry values for said monitor, and the most valuable for me: build your own custom drivers based on the values of your choosing (max resolution, max freq H and V, etc) and export them as a .inf file so you can install it as custom driver of your monitor.

I have no idea if Powerstrip still work under windows 10, but in a pinch you can search for a EDID dump from a monitor with the resolutions that you need, then install them to let windows override the data from the monitor.

Here you have some initial how-to from microsoft:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...-monitor-edids

And a repository of EDIDs from where you may find one compatible with your TV:
https://github.com/linuxhw/EDID
Do note that there are 38238 monitors in this repo

[momaka]

Re: Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

I don't remember the correct nVidia terminology in my head here... but if you go into the nVidia control panel, there should be an option to only allow EDID-compatible resolutions. If you uncheck that, you can set the maximum allowable resolution and refresh rate the video card can output. ATI has a similar option and that's what I'm using on my gaming PC right now to run 1152x864 @ 85 Hz on a 19" CRT that supports that resolution just fine but the ATI drivers/software for some reason doesn't allow in Windows 7.

As for Powerstrip - yeah, that one was a classic back from the Win 9x / XP days to set your monitor resolution and refresh rate correctly. These days, though, I think most version of nVidia and ATI software give you just about enough control where you don't need PS. But for an older system, PS is still handy to have.

[piernov]

Re: Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

If you can't get it to work with the drivers, you could also buy (or maybe make) an EDID emulator, you plug it in between inline with the VGA cable and it reports a bunch of common modes.

[stj]

Re: Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

if it's still there, disable the plug&play monitor option.

[prtysrss]

Re: Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

Can you set the frequency/ ignore EDID in Nvidia control panel? I was able to move the frequency of my TV up or down a few HZ without it crashing, i think when you go to custom resolution you can define a refresh rate, at least on my Lenovo P15 and P1 (Quadros)

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Windows 10 Nvidia Custom Resolution issues

IIRC, NT-based Windows is more picky than Windows 98 and ME!