Is it safe to extract a rar file that supposedly has drivers in it?

[j2callie]

I scanned it with my AV but would the zipped file contents be checked??

I have a monitor that's capable of 140 x 1060 but it's using the generic p-n-p driver and the max resolution I can choose is 1240 x 800. I'm cloning the display from my laptop if that makes a difference. I'm not happy with it because the display is stretched vertically so that it's distorted and circles aren't round.

The monitor is a Westinghouse L2046NV Black 20" 5ms LCD Monitor and my laptop is a Lenova ThinkPad running Windows 7 Professional.

Westinghouse doesn't offer any info. I downloaded a rar file from www.morenewmediastore.com
so I want to know if that's the right thing to do before I open the file.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I wouldn't trust that site.

Some AVs check in zip/rar files, some don't. However, AVs aren't guaranteed to pick up all malware; they generally only pick up known malware.

You generally don't need a driver for your display; it's your graphics card that matters.

Duplicate means both displays must support the same resolution; is 1280x800 the maximum of your laptop?

 

[jsmithepa]

You should pick a driver by the Mobo's vendor (ideally), or the video chipset maker (2nd choice) that has the resolution and match the closer to what you want and the monitor is capable of. So Mobo vendor website should be safe, video chipset maker's website should be safe.

As usual, is highly recommended you keep a BASELINE OS image backup, so if any troubles, just REVERT, no need to spend time figuring out what's wrong and how to fix. What's a baseline OS image? An OS image obtained after a clean OS install, updated, with most of your Apps installed, and ran for a few days/weeks without any problems.

 

[j2callie]

Thanks for your help. My laptop's maximum is indeed the 1280x800 so I guess I just live with the distortion.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Switch to 'Extended' and you'll get full resolution on both displays.

 

[j2callie]

I have the laptop closed. However, your suggestion made me think it through again and I realized that "connect to a projector" might let the resolution match the capabilities of the "projector" ie the monitor.

Lo and behold the circles are round now. I was trying to solve the wrong problem. Hooray.