Screen resolution, and website size.

[Bugsy]

Hello.

 

Ok, this is mainly for my nan who's a whizz at Bridge, but I'd love to know what the solution is too!

 

I have an identical computer to her - Dell Inspiron with 22" widescreen monitor running Vista 32 Home Premium - and can't find a solution to this:

 

She plays on-line Bridge with BBO (Bridge Base Online). The program she uses has been downloaded from this site and is run from her Desktop - running it allows her to play online Bridge.

 

However, the BBO game display only takes up around 2/3rds of the screen when 'maximised', leaving a large Desktop border surrounding it. This means that the playing cards etc are much smaller than they could be. Every other website we visit fills the screen as normal.

 

Ok, BBO did actually fill the screen for the first 2 years she owned the computer, but when upgrading her graphics drivers I discovered this was only due to her screen resolution having been set to virtually its lowest setting - 1024x768 - instead of its max 1680x1050. Yes, this also meant that everything else looked big and clumsy too, and she'd much rather have the 'new' max resolution setting - BUT with BBO filling the screen!

 

Are there any solutions to this other than to lower the screen resolution every time she wants to play, and then raise it again when finished?!

 

Many thanks for any help.

[RandyL]

Hi Bugsy;

 

I thought I would check it out but it wanted me to register.

 

That program is 27 months old. They even state that it's old. If the edges won't drag larger it could be that it wasn't made to run at that resolution.

 

What resolution was it set at before the driver update?

Did you get the drivers from Dell?

 

I looked around a bit on their online version and everything seems ok at the higher resolution. Is that an option for you? It seems you don't need the software installed to play there.

[Goku]

Hello Bugsy. Try right-clicking on the BBO program, and select the Properties option. Next, switch to the compatibility tab and check the box that says Run in 640 x 480 resolution. Click on Apply and then OK. Now, try to run the program. Does it run? If it does, are the graphics rendered properly?

 

Also, you say you have a similar computer. How is BBO rendered on your computer if you do have it?

 

Please answer the above questions and we will move forward then. :)

 

-- Goku

[Bugsy]

Hi Folks - many thanks for your suggestions! Really appreciated.

 

Randyl, I suspect it's as you say - it's an old format designed for earlier systems. The original driver was Dell supplied, and the update came from the AMD ATI site.

 

It was the update - and me then setting the resolution to 'High' (what I felt was 'best'!) - that caused the 'problem'. When I 'fixed' it by rolling back the driver by restoring the computer to a pre-update time, it 'corrected' itself and I was able to check the original resolution settings, finding that it was set to a low 1024x768.

 

Both the original and updated drivers have the same resolution range; a max 1680x1050, but need to be set to 1024x768 (one step above lowest) for BBO to fill the screen. Yes, the original resolution must have been set at this for the last 2 years (!) without us being aware (we've no idea why or how this resolution was set originally; I set up the computer for her out of the box, but didn't - to my recollection - touch the screen settings; adjusting the display properties is a new one for me!)

 

Yes, I've told my nan about the new, on-line version, and also mentioned that the BBO forum suggests this is the way to go; they'll be slowly discontinuing support for the old, downloaded, version. She accepts this will likely happen, but a cursory glance at the 'new' version had her declaring "It's not the same..." Pffffttt.

 

But I know she'll come round... :)

 

Goku, I tried your suggestion - changing the resolution under the Compatibility menu of the prog. Yes, it changes the resolution to waaaay below what is needed - humungous icons! - but I'd also need to manually change my screen resolution before it would actually load the program so no saving of effort there. Also, 800x600 is too low - the BBO screen would, I think, overfill the screen as 1024x768 fills it perfectly.

 

My computer is pretty much identical to my nan's 'cept I have Intel instead of AMD and a better graphics card. However, the behaviour of BBO is exactly the same on both machines.

 

Gents (?), a million thanks for your trouble - it's been a huge, but interesting, learning curve for me! I'm pretty sure it's simply as you say - it's an old prog designed for earlier systems running at a lower resolution. What I can't get my head around is why the Dell seemed to be set at the 'correct' low resolution that suited BBO out of the box! Nan is only just beginning to believe me when I explain the likely true cause - she simply thinks I've mucked up and I'm somehow 'compensating' for the problem by messing around with the screen settings :(!

 

If you have any other thoughts, I'd love to hear them! But I suspect it's as we've pretty much concluded above. At least she does have a new, on-line, version to use - once I persuade her...

 

Thanks again - fantastic help!

[RandyL]

Bugsy you have no idea how much we appreciate your detailed reply. We thank you ever so much for that.

 

Hopefully you are on the right path now.

 

I'm sure that if anyone else has any ideas they will let you know.

 

Stick around. You might be able to help out our members or just browse and learn. Good to have you here.

[Bugsy]

That's very kind, RandyL!

 

Yep, I've been doing a bit of browsing of the forum - very limited in what I can answer tho'!

 

Great site. Thanks very much.

[Goku]

Hello Bugsy. As Randy says, your detailed reply was very accurate and just what we call an ideal response. If your nanny, doesn't have any problems, we might be able to force the application to run in 1024 x 768 resolution mode for its needs using a third-party application that will automatically restore the appropriate resolution when the program is closed. Of course, this is not usually preferred but if she is desperate, we might be able to let that program be for some more time. :)

 

There is another chance but it is very slim and might prove problematic. However, I reserve that judgement for later. Please browse to the installation directory of the game and see if there is a file with a *.ini or *.inf extension. You will probably need to unhide extensions to see the extensions.

 

If there is one, then let me know and I will move on with the next step. If there isn't, then I will think of something else.

 

Hope that helps. :)

 

-- Goku

[Bugsy]

Hi Goku.

 

Thanks for your efforts - overwhelming, really!

 

I've had a quick look at the BBO files, and found some ending with .dll, .dat and .lng - but no .ini or .inf!

 

To be honest, you've both sorted the main thing for me - an explanation and confirmation of what was 'going on'! Nan will just have to get in to the 21st Century and start BBO-ing via the web site...

 

I've shown her the procedure for changing the screen resolution via the Desktop, and she went from "I won't be able to do that!" to "Ooh - that was easy!" in around 32 seconds. Not bad for a Septuagenarian (hope I got that right...)!

 

She now switches resolution at will - Low for her BBO, and High for when my two kids come over and want to play games :)

 

Thanks again - more help than I ever imagined or expected.

[Goku]

Wow, your words humble me Bugsy. Please post back if you have any more questions or doubts. We will be more than glad to help you out.

 

-- Goku

[Bugsy]

Ha ha! Will do.

 

And I'll make sure the next Q is a blinder... :o