PANIC - Can't set Windows 7 to 2560 x 1080

[ElenaXX]

Hi folks, I'm desperate, please help me if you can !!
I just bought (finally !!!) a new monitor for my digital audio workstation, tired of years and years spent working with a frustrating dual (2x 1280x1024) monitor setup.
I chose a beautiful LG 34UM 59, a 34" Ultra Wide panel with 2560x1080 native res (HDMI connectors only).
My platform is an Intel Core 2 Duo with Windows 7 Ultimate and an Nvidia Geforce 9800 GT (with both HMDI and DVI ports).
Well, I tried out everything I could figure out upto this point, but I can't have Windows recognize the 2560 resolution. It stops at 1920x1080 !
I tried to remove/reinstall the monitor driver and Nvidia drivers but that did not help, the screen preference editor keeps listing the 1920x1080 as the highest resolution. Even using the option "list all available resolutions". No way.
I already tried to google for a similar problem and honestly I found many instances but all elusive or not 100% pertinent with my setup, and not helpful at all.
I'm useing the HDMI cable supplied with the monitor, no adaptors.
Perhaps I should change my graphics card with a better/newer one ? But reading from its specs it should actually support my resolution, unless they were misleading...
What can I do ?? Thank you heartfeltly for any useful tip !!!

 

[James Mason]

If you have graphics or driver issues, one of the most common fixes is a clean uninstall and removal of your graphics drivers.

To uninstall your drivers, first download and run Display Driver Uninstaller, and follow it's recommendations of booting into safe mode and ect.
(This is a direct download link so you don't grab the wrong version)
http://www.guru3d.com/files-get/display-driver-uninstaller-download,20.html

You'll download a compressed file called "[Guru3D.com]-DDU.zip"
Right click and choose extract.
Go into the folder and run the DDU v##.##.exe
This will extract more files to this folder.
Run Display Driver Uninstaller.exe
Choose Yes when it asks you to boot into SafeMode.
After you've rebooted into safe mode.
When DDU comes up, if it hasn't selected your GPU manufacturer (Nvidia/AMD/Intel) then choose it from the drop down list
Press the Clean and Restart option
If a window comes up asking to disable the Windows automatic installation of display drivers click yes.

After (or before removing the old drivers, just put the new ones on the desktop or somewhere handy) rebooting back into Windows, manually download the latest drivers from Nvidia or AMD, don't use auto detect, choose you GPU model and OS from the drop down lists.
Nvidia: http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/112594/en-us

Set the resolution in Nvidia Control Panel once the drivers are installed:
http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/342.01/342.01-nvidia-control-panel-quick-start-guide.pdf

 

[ElenaXX]

Thanks James ! Let's say that, unbelievabely enough, the solution (for me at least) was hidden in the last part !!
Let's explain better... I followed your procedure literally, disinstalled the old stuff as you suggested with the uninstaller, reinstaled the Nvidia drivers (the version on their site was the same I had already btw), just to... end up in the very same initial situation as before: Windows does not list resolutions higher than 1920x1080.
BUT, the Nvidia Control Panel DID THE TRICK !!!! WOW, THANKS YOU A LOT !!!
I didn't even know of this control panel, and wonder why ??? Its executable was "hidden" inside Programs/Nvidia/ and something else, because the installer (neither previously not this time) did NOT create any shortcut or desktop icon for it, nor it added this control panel to the start menu !!!
Ok evidently I overlooked something but keep in mind that I have lots of PCs and stuff with different GFX boards and I can't really go mad for every one more than so and/or remember all the peculiarities for every brand etc... ALSO, I think that on my monitor's manual they SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED these possible troubles and explain how to fix them !!!

By the control panel, however, I had to create my 2560 x 1080 x 60Hz x 32 bit screen mode "by hand" !!! Now finally windows boots in this resolution, lists it in the resolution editor, my monitor works great and all is fine !!!
Thanks !!!!

 

[James Mason]

By the control panel, however, I had to create my 2560 x 1080 x 60Hz x 32 bit screen mode "by hand" !!! Now finally windows boots in this resolution, lists it in the resolution editor, my monitor works great and all is fine !!!
Thanks !!!!

I think the real problem is the extreme age of your GPU.
When it came out, 2560x1080 screens didn't exist, so it was only "theoretical" support at that time period.
That's why adding the resolution in manually worked, but it didn't have anything setup for it.
Like a modern GPUs max resolution is 7680x4320, but no screens with that exist, and it requires a lot of special software and settings to get stuff like that to work.
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthOpo5tQDk"][/video]

 

[ElenaXX]

LOL yeah makes sense... even if nowadays everything tends to get aged after so little time... for a DAW honestly I wouldn't even have used a gfx board at all, but no motherboards (AFAIK) support those resolutions (yet). Even those equipped with HDMI or DVI support only upto 1920 from what I read here and there. In fact I scavenged that 9800 from somewhere (almost for free) just to support the dual monitor setup I had previously, surely not to have any 3D acceleration of such things