dm1z won't preserve aspect ratio

[Ace_of_Sevens]

Just got a new dm1z. The option to preserve aspect ratio doesn't work in Catalyst Control Center. If I attempt to select it, it immediately changes itself to full screen. Centering works fine. I already updated drivers and nothing changed.

[Bookworm]

Hi, would you mind providing some more information please, this way it may help anyone who is on this forum to better understand your issue and perhaps assist you.

First just to explain why you now see you post separate from the flicker symptom you originally posted on, that happens if HP thinks it’s a separate issue/symptom, helps save on confusion.

Since I’m not familiar with how technical you are I’ll explain how to get any information I ask for, I apologize if you already know how to get all this information.

So you ordered a dm1z-3000 CTO (Configure to order) from HP’s on-line shopping site, if so please would you tell us when?

Next I would like to know your BIOS version, you can see this a number of places, if you are in windows you can try holding down the “fn” key and pressing the “esc” key, this can open a system Information window that should list the BIOS version and date, we don’t need that really long number after the date, if you see that.

You can also open HP Support Assistant, you’ll see when you first open it at the bottom of the window you can see your Product name, Serial number (please don’t post your serial number in an open forum like this) and your Product number; if you click on learn & More information on the right you’ll see you hardware specs and your Bios Version.

If your notebook is off you can power it on and tap the “f10 key” an it will take you into the BIOS, you can get the BIOS version from there too.

You say you updated some drivers, can you tell us which ones and to what version and how you upgraded them please?

Did you notice the issue right away when you first set it up or did it start later?

Are you connecting to a specific monitor or TV, if so can you list the make and model and how you are connected?

Have you contacted support and gone through any troubleshooting, if so do you remember what your tried and the results?

I’d like to know what Video/Graphics driver you have installed, the name and version please, and if you updated it where did you get the update from?
You can see this in several ways too, I like device Mgr, you can just type “device” (without the quotes) into start search field and then choose Device Manager from the list.

You can then look for the display adapters, you can click and it will open, that tells you the name of your Display Graphics device, please write that down, then if you double click that you will open a properties window and choose the driver tab to get the version and date of your driver.

That should work for now.

Thanks and good luck.

[Veselin]

I have the same problem with a similar laptop. I have a high degree of technical understanding of computers.

My laptop model is dm1-3110en, I bought it a week ago.

This is the info you asked for:

Product number: LE297EA#ABB

BIOS: F.12 - 04/26/2011

Graphics driver: 8.792.0.0000 - 12/31/2010

I don't use neither an external monitor nor a TV, just the laptop's monitor.

What I want the monitor to do is preserve original aspect ratio when a non-native resolution is selected. For example, if I play a game in a 800x600 resolution, which is a 4:3 resolution, I want the picture to be centered, stretched top-to-bottom with two black stripes on the sides. 

I know how to setup ATI Catalyst to do it, but it won't accept the setting. The setting is located at Desktop Management -> Desktop Properties -> Scaling Options. When I select "Preserve Aspect Ratio" and click Apply, it just switches back to "Full Screen", the default setting.

Do you have any idea how to fix this?

[Bookworm]

Thanks for all the details, should be good for anyone who sees this and is familiar to assist you.

I won't be back in front of my Dm1-300 until Friday or Monday (tomorrow or after the weekend) then I can take a look myself.

Good luck until then, BTW what country are you in, I can tell it's not North America by the Model number, of course you could have bought it somewhere else and moved I have to be careful with those assumptions.

[Veselin]

Hi, Worm!

Yeah, you're right; I'm from Europe, Serbia - and please, don't judge me for it!

Cheers! 

[Bookworm]

Technically I'm from Europe too, although I'm over in North America now, I prefer to think of us all as residents of the world.

You have a cat as an Icon, that's a something people could make assumptions about, I do love Cats. Chat at you later.

[SMichelsen]

You asked a lot of questions but did not even begin to offer a possible solution.  I am having the same problem.  This seems to be a common problem and not related to any one machine.

Again, when I select a 3x4 aspect ratio resolution on my 16x9 screen, it is stretched fullscreen, and selecting "preserve aspect ratio" in the catalyst control center / My bult in displays / Properties (built-in display) DOES NOT WORK.

HOW SHALL I FIX THIS?

[SMichelsen]

FYI, I have two dv7t laptops, both with the same 1GB or greater video cards - the other one does NOT have this problem.  On the good one, when I right-click on the desktop there is a GRAPHIC OPTIONS selection that I do not have on the bad one.  From that option I pick PANEL FIT / BUILT IN DISPLAY / MAINTAIN ASPECT RATIO, and that does the job. 

Steve

[Veselin]

You can't fix it. They deleted the option to preserve aspect ratio from new driver releases altogether. Who cares what we want, right... 

Oh, and... Download the driver from the HP website, and reinstall it on the "bad" computer. That should fix it. Write back to let me know if it worked.

Cheers,

V.

[Duke_Of_Zork]

You can't fix it. They deleted the option to preserve aspect ratio from new driver releases altogether. Who cares what we want, right...

That's what I was told.  When I called, the rep said that there was no option to do this.  I pointed out that the option was in fact there, it just didn't function, but got no clear answer to that.  Needless to say, games that run at 800x600 are too tiny to play using the Centered option, and look distorted at Full Screen.  Preserve Aspect Ratio would be great, if it worked.

One workaround I've found has been to use an external monitor.  800x600 games look fine on the TV.  I just set the computer to "Centered", and the TV to "Preserve Aspect Ratio", and it looks exactly like I want it to look on the computer.  That's not really a satisfactory long-term solution, though.

So, is there a way to get this to work right on the computer or not?  People are saying to reinstall the drivers, but this has never worked properly, from Day 1.  My system is an HPdv7t, by the way.  Is there an older (or newer) driver I need to be using?  What's the link?