Computer question for the experts

[AAFO_WSagar]

Ok, I know I'm breaking my own rules and this message should be posted in another section but I want answers from as many as possible here... My four year old laptop has about chugged itself into the ground in it's attempts to keep up with processing the big graphic files from my digital cameras.. disk was too small, not enough memory, processor speed, etc, etc, etc.. the answer was obvious, particularly since I have a buyer for the old lappy... I got a dell dood... Inspirion 5160 customized

I matched my desktop set as much as possible, P4 2.8Ghz, 1g memory 60gb 7200 rpm HD, Nvidea 64mb graphic processor.. in other words, a graphic processing hot rod from hell that will do the job for me for years..

Here's the problem... with this new machine, if I open a page in the version of IE that came with it 6.0.2900.2180.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158 opening a webpage with IE has ALL images looking really chunky, or jaggy would be a better description. Particularly noticable in any diagonal lines. Very much like the effect of incorrectly sizng images.

I'd thought at first that the new "toy" was going back in the box for a quick trip back to dell but I tried copying an image and then opening it up in the graphic program that came with the box and it looked not only good but VERY good... then I thoght.. hummn. Downloaded Netscape and, everything looks like it should. Really nice images as always. This is not just on this site but on all sites..

What might have Microsoft done to their IE to have it porking images like this or at least, porking them on this computer. On my desktop, laptop, my GF's desktop... in all other machines I've ever looked at, Iv'e only seen this effect when the person who designed the page took say a 1024 x 768 image and wanted it to show on his page at say.. 640 x 480 and rather than actually resizing the image, simply set the code to show it at the smaller size... browsersizing, forcing the browser to show it at a size other than what it is... This can cause huge problems and is common mistake.. However, I know what I make does not have this and so, I'm totally at a loss to figure out what in heck is going on..

Any help/adivce greatly appreciated...

Phew... I may never need heat in my partment again, this sucker is not only the heaviest laptop I've ever had in my hands, it is HOT HOT HOT.... phew!

Thanks in advance...

Wayne

PS BY EDIT: I just checked closer and I see what it's doing.. for some reason, IE is stretching the images larger by about 20 percent than they are... thus the jaggies.. ??? Wonder what to heck is up with this? I checked at all the resolutions the computer supports and it's the same thing in all of them, browser maximized, or not, it just wants to display things several pixels bigger than they really are. Does it also if I just look at an image with no html around it.

This is strange behavior and is an IE deal... maybe in settings? I've looked till I'm raw to find anything that might explain it. I'll just go to Netscape as my preferred browser if this is goingto be the case but if it's only native to this particular computer setup, then it's back to UPS and mr dell... <snif> I really like everything else about this puppy... built in everything, including DVD burner! I'm set for next year and photo work, as well as being able to work on the websites on the road... but I gotta be able to see things like they really are, or, hopefully even worse... if IE is going to be like this for everyone... web developers are in trouble, it's going to be hard to make a decent looking page!!

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Computer question for the experts

Ok, on further inspection, I see what IE is doing and it's strange. It's stretching the entire web page to fit the screen in all resolutions lower than the optimum for the machine, and in the optimum, it's stretching it to about the same ratio that you'd usually see in 1024x768... about the same amount of blank space to the right and left so it's stretching it in the optimum res 1400x1050 as well...

This is a head scratcher and one I've not seen.. maybe something dell did with this particular version of the browser.. gonna nuke it and download direct from MS and see if this solves it.. If they did this on purpose, "what were they thinking!"

Wayner

[Nick]

Re: Computer question for the experts

Hmmm....Couple of different ways to go about this...

Are you having this issue just on images viewed in IE, or in viewing anything in IE?

If it is just images I would first start by turning off the automatic resizing of images in IE. Do do this open IE and go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Advcanced. You need to scroll down to the "Multimedia" section, and uncheck the line that says "Enable Image Resizing" Usually this only has to do with making Larger images smaller to fit the screen resolution you are running, not the other way around, but it's worth a shot.

...Of course you would probably not get this problem if you were running Firefox as your browser. I just upgraded from IE to Firefox, and I love it. Way better than IE or Netscape.

Hope this helps, and please post if you find another solution to the problem.

Nick

[hattend]

Re: Computer question for the experts

Here's a guess...may or may not work

In Tools, Internet Options, click on the Advanced tab

Scroll down to Multimedia. "Enable Automatic Image Resizing" should NOT be checked

That's my input...like I said, may or may not be the problem

Don Hatten

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Computer question for the experts

Don, I wish that was it.. That's actually for images that are bigger than your chosen resolution, it automacially sizes them down so you see the entire thing. What this is doing is enlarging the entire web page to "better" fit the screen, not just the images, the whole darn thing. Or, maybe it's just doing the images and that makes the page get wider.. Strangest thing I've ever seen yet and as a developer, I've seen or thought I'd seen it all!

As I mentioned, NS is fine, shows things as they should be. I'll have to call dell to see if this is something that is machine specific or a "feature" in the very latest version of IE6... NS 7 seems pretty good but I worry what others are seeing knowing that one brand new computer is doing this, what about others? Is everyone who buys new going to start seeing what MS thinks they should and not what the developer carefully sizes to look the way the developer thinks his ART should look?

Due to NS working fine, It just about has to be a MS thing.. I tried to nuke IE6 sp2 so I could put in IE6 sp1 (what I have on my desktop) and it will not let me downgrade IE.. nice...

Gotta take a nap now! This has made me incredibly sleepy!

Wayner

[AAFO_WSagar]

The Solution!!

And I did not figure it out by myself, thanks to Google... I found it there.. Actually, found it on the Dell users forum I think...

On the desktop right click for properties, settings, then the advanced tab... within that section, under the "general" tab there is a setting for "dpi" in case people have problems seeing the stuff, other than fonts.. you can enlarge them.. I knew about this, a long time ago but have not had to mess with it in so many years! In fact, when I first started doing websites, I had my settings customized within that utility and wondered why what I was building looked so different on anyone else's computer...

Apparantly, dell's default setting for this particular display, because its native resolution is so high for only a 15" screen, I guess they figured that peeps would want it this way.. Strange that only IE had a problem with displaying without adding 20% to the size of the browser item... it works just like a zoom feature actually..

If all else was equal, and the browsers stayed the same size, it'd be pretty neat actually, does make things easier to see..

I probably goofed getting the higher end screen for this XSGA or whatever it is, its native res is 1400x something and the lesser one is 1024x768, which is what I'm used to working at and the screens are optimised to work at their native res.. it's pretty clear at 1024 but likely would be better higher.. it might be ok to keep it (have 21 days to exchange it) rather than downgrading to the native 1024 one for really looking over the large out of camera images..

Not that I use that feature on my desktop though and it goes even higher...

I used a really neat utility that I figure I'll mention to move my stuff from the desktop to the laptop, it's called MOVE ME, it moves ALL or most of your programs and settings to the new box.. no digging out all those lost CD's no hours of plugging them in once you do find them.. You establish a network connection (not easy for a dumbass like me) and then just set it up on both computers and go goof off for a couple hours... viola.. 95% of your stuff, data and proggys is moved. It'd be nice if it offered the option to select drives and programs and omit this and that, it's pretty much everything or, only C drive.. I've got something like a total of over 150gb or more used up on my desktop (need to burn a LOT of DVD's!) and the lappy only has a 60gb disk.. that'd be a problem so I only moved C but... it's still a great utility!!

Wayner