widescreen monitor

Wig

A friend has a computer at work, wanted a bigger screen, has ended up with a new 21 or 22" widescreen being delivered. She actually wanted a bigger 4:3 screen -looking on PC world the only monitors they sell are 4:3 19" (what she had originally) and all the rest are widescreen, can you get 21 or 22" 4:3 monitors?

We were trying this new screen tonight, Windows XP, we maximised it to 1920 x 1080 (as the screen instructed us to do. The software was displaying ok in correct resolution and when 'maximised' it filled the widescreen completely and looked as it should.

Problem is when we open an application within this software it opens a new window (it is supposed to open a new window) but the new window is in 4:3 format displayed on the widescreen and when maximised remains in 4:3 when the window is 'restored down' and dragged out to try to fill the screen it will not drag beyond the 4:3 dimensions. Also it does not even fill the height of the screen it remains tucked up in the top left corner of the screen.

Thus the new screen which was supposed to make things better is not making things better.

Anything we can do?

fitshase

What "application within this software" are you opening?

It may be that the application limits the ratio to 4:3. If Windows XP displays correctly then I would say it is a problem with the application.

Wig

It's software that you won't be familiar with, and it opens another window which looks similar to a spreadsheet but it's not. One thing I did notice is that the main application window has a normal "Win XP" look to it i.e. the bar across the top of the window was an XP bar with a red 'X' in the top right hand corner. but the application within the application did not have a normal Win XP look to it. It, and its bar across the top, looked more like a Win 98 window and 'X' button.

I have likened the effect to be similar when you change your monitor resolution you will know that at a lower resolution the icons on desktop are bigger and with high resolution they get smaller - this also happens to the "system settings" control panel for example the desktop window where you change screen resolution will get smaller in higher resolution. It is the same with this secondary application, it remains in 4:3 format and the size of the window decreases as you increase the screen resolution.

I imagine nothing can be done about this it must be something to do with the programming of the software.

kwikbreaks

I'd say you are correct in pointing your finger at the software as being the problem.

I imagine that the days of 4:3 monitors are limited - the TFT panels for monitors also get used (and probably in much greater volumes) for making TVs and who would buy a new 4:3 TV these days?