Inspiron 9100 blurry display

Question

Hi - I wonder if you can help - I have an Inspiron 9100 which recently had a hard drive problem - I managed to fix that and reinstall all the drivers and i'm back working again.   Problem is - all the fonts on my system (and some images - even the 'start' button on the taskbar) are blurry - readable - but fuzzy.   I have tried the Internet Explorer fix by changing the HRuser registry to 0 and various other simple fixes (changing font size etc) but to no avail.   I have gone to the dell site, put in my service tag and downloaded all the latest drivers - but this is where I think the problem may be. Although I have downloaded the new ATi Radeon 9700 driver and installed it (and all other drivers I can see that may help, bios etc) I have not been able to identify whcih monitor driver I would need - there appears to be about 30 in there. I'm not sure I even need a monitor driver as the monitor appears to work OK...   ANY advice and info at all would be much appreciated - I just get the feeling that either a driver is missing, a component that goes with a driver is missing, or I have installed the wrong driver that has 'taken over' the system   Thanks in advance

bacillus · Answer

you don't need any of the listed monitor drivers off the dell site as they are for external monitors.

if you are using the native resolution of your lcd screen then I suggest you try setting your dpi to 96 and enable clear type if you've not already done so.

wendystephens · Answer

Thanks - I have already tried both of those - its weird because its not just the fonts on my system - for example the 'start' menu button is blurry - as is the Google toolbar logo in IE6   Any other ideas?   Thanks   Wendy

bacillus · Answer

what resolution are you running your screen at as anything below the native value diminishes image quality.

wendystephens · Answer

hi - im  running 1280 x 768 on a 15inch monitor...   If I set it to 1680 by 1080 everything is sharper but tiny - every other resolution is either stretched and blurry, or just blurry.   I could make the font sizes larger, but it doesn't make thing like buttons on Word any bigger - I feel like a giant trying to use big clumsy fingers to pick up a pin!   Sounds like we are getting closer to the root of the problem though - any further ideas?   Many thanks for your help   Wendy

wendystephens · Answer

Also - if it helps - under 'device manager' and 'monitor' I have 5 default monitors - god knows why - as I only have 1 laptop screen!   And under 'display settings' ' settings' and 'display' I have 'Multiple monitors on ATI Mobility Radeon 9700' - there I can choose Monitor 1 or Monitor 2 - but again - I only have one monitor...   Thanks again   Wendy

wendystephens · Answer

Oh - and just went to the ATI website to check the latest drivers. Downloaded them and tried to apply the first download/driver.   I got an error message saying 'INF Error - video driver not found'. 'Try to setup your display adaptor with a standard VGA driver before running setup'.   Any ideas?   Thanks   Wendy

ayemanut · Answer

I saw an inspiron 8200 recently with a blurry display, perhaps similar to what you're describing. It was blurry all the time, including the BIOS POST screen, not just in Windows. The problem, in this case, was caused by a corrupted BIOS. Removing the CMOS battery for a few moments reset the BIOS to default settings and restored normal functionality. If you explore this option, proceed with caution, as removing the CMOS battery may involve disassembling the majority of the laptop! Also, if the display doesn't look blurry on the POST screen, or while Windows is loading, disregard this suggestion as it probably won't help. (Disassembling the system may also void your Warranty, if its still covered.)

As far as the video driver problem, you'll need to locate and install mobility radeon drivers specific to your system. ATI has some of them available, but you should be able to download them from Dell regardless.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

wendystephens · Answer

Hi - thanks for your idea - I will look into it. I wonder whether I installed the drivers in the wrong order perhaps? I also updated the bios when I reinstalled, but im betting that Bios was newer than my old one.

Is there a correct order for the installation of drivers? Can I reinstall and start again?

Thanks

Wendy

wendystephens · Answer

Thanks - I have just tried that and its all the same.   The bios is up to date with the driver that is listed on the dell website.   I have perfectly clear and sharp images and fonts on 1680 x 1050 but if I change it to anything else everything blurs and is stretched.   I can stick with the resolution I have (1680 x 1050), except that everything is tiny, even the taskbar buttons are about 3-4mm across, where as before they would have been closer to 8mm. Before I wiped the system I was prob using 1280 x 1024 and that was readable and fine. Its not a major problem - but I don't really want backpain and headaches from peering at the screen like an old lady!   I wonder whether I had an old dell driver (from when it was first shipped) and that they have updated the drivers since, and that is why  I cant get back to how it was before...

ayemanut · Answer

There is no right or wrong order to install drivers in, it shouldn't make any difference. You can check your BIOS version by going into the BIOS (probably F2, at the Dell logo screen, but I assume you know this already). It should be listed in the top right corner of the screen.

Is the display blurry *just* in Windows, or outside of Windows as well - for example, in your system's BIOS, the Windows logo while Windows is loading, have you got any bootable CDs? Try one of those too. If they are blurry, its most likely a hardware or BIOS issue (If its a BIOS issue, updating may not necessarily correct the problem). If not, then more likely its a driver issue. It is generally good practice to remove old drivers before installing new ones. ATI has a driver removal tool which you can download here:

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/cat-uninstaller.exe
(I copied the link from ATI's page)

Or search ATI's support section for 'CATALYST Uninstaller', click one of the links, and it should be the third option near the top of the page.

For best results, I recommend installing drivers downloaded from Dell. Try the latest first, if you don't get good results uninstall those and try a few older versions.

vrv · Answer

Here is the correct answer to your post. I know this for a fact and have been a tech for too many years. Your monitor has a "NATIVE" resolution of 1680 by 1080 according to your post about the clarity. On LCD monitors, it is essential that you run your operating system at the "NATIVE" resolution. Otherwise, if you choose a lower resolution the image will then be Stretched and appear blurry. Especially if you choose something way off like the equivalent wide screen resolution of 800x600. This is the behavior by design. Last year this frustrated me so much, Dell tried to increase the fonts and DPI settings but to avoid blurriness, you need to stay native so I sent it back within the 21 day return period. Just FYI as it doesn't look like you got the correct answer. Also, depending on the laptop, driver, etc you can sometimes reduce the resolution and avoid the stretching, however the image will not fill up the screen either. It will display perfectly clear but still be torture on your eyes.

Good Luck.
Scott

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