Lesson 1: Troubleshooting Post-Installation Configuration Issues

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The reason for this is fairly straightforward. In earlier versions of Windows, this prompt did

not exist. It was possible to configure the resolution of Windows to a setting that the monitor

did not support. You changed the setting, clicked OK, and then suddenly, you could not see

anything. You had to then reset the computer and boot into safe mode to fix the problem.

Once the new change has been made, Windows now displays a prompt for 15 seconds asking

you to confirm your decision. If you do not click Yes, which is difficult if you cannot see the dia-

log box, Windows Vista reverts to your original settings after the 15-second countdown has

concluded. The dialog box is configured with the focus on the No button, saving you from

accidentally confirming an incompatible resolution should you accidentally press the Enter

key during the 15-second grace period.

Resolution

Monitor resolution is always measured by two numbers of pixels. The first number describes

the number of pixels displayed horizontally. The second number describes the number of pix-

els displayed vertically. Hence, a monitor configured with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 has a

display that is 1600 pixels wide and 1200 pixels tall. In total, a monitor configured with a res-

olution of 1600 x 1200 displays 1,920,000 pixels!

NOTE

What is a pixel?

Pixel is short for picture (pix) element. Each image on a monitor is made up of thousands (some-

times millions) of elements. These individual elements are known as pixels. The width and height of

a pixel is dependent on the size of the display device and the set resolution. Hence, the size of a

pixel on a 19-inch monitor set to a resolution of 1024 x 768 is larger than that of a pixel on the

same monitor set to a resolution of 1600 x 1200.

Microsoft recommends the resolutions based on monitor size, as shown in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1

Recommended Resolutions Based on Monitor Size

Monitor Size (Diagonal)

Recommended Resolution

15-inch monitor

1024 x 768 pixels

17-inch to 19-inch monitor

1280 x 1024 pixels

20-inch and larger monitor

1600 x 1200 pixels

Although these are recommended settings, cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors always sup-

port resolutions lower than the recommended one. Most monitors also support resolutions

that are higher than these recommended figures. In terms of post-configuration trouble-

shooting, you need to set a resolution that suits the person using the computer. You also

have to be sure that the monitor the person is using supports the resolution that you are