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Thread: need advice on upgrading to larger monitor (higher res = harder to read)

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    need advice on upgrading to larger monitor (higher res = harder to read)

    I'm currently using a 19" LCD monitor (1280x1024). I want to upgrade to a 24" widescreen.

    All the 24" LCD/LED models I've seen have 1920x1280 native resolution. As I understand it, higher res means everything will appear smaller on-screen. I know how to increase desktop icons/fonts in WinXP, and I can adjust zoom level in apps like Word, Excel, and my PDF viewer. But I'm concerned that the user interface for many programs will be too small at that resolution, at least for my old eyes.

    For example, Firefox and Thunderbird have an option for "small icons"... I already have that unchecked and still find the UI to be a bit smallish even at 1280x1024. As I get older, I find I'm making more errors reading and typing in URL's in the address box. And the page Zoom feature doesn't always produce good results on web pages.

    Reading glasses (magnifiers) don't work at that distance and since I'm nearsighted, neither do my regular glasses. The thing is, I can see the screen clearly but if font is tiny, even glasses optimized for that distance won't do much of anything.

    Bottom line, I'm concerned I'll be unhappy with a higher res screen. It would be simple enough to lower the display resolution, but I read in a review somewhere that compromises image clarity/sharpness. Is this true?

    Any other suggestions or advice?
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  2. #2
    Stark Raving MOD Midknyte's Avatar
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    Here's a good read about native resolution:
    http://www.howtogeek.com/119117/htg-...-is-important/

    I read in a review somewhere that compromises image clarity/sharpness. Is this true?
    Yes. (see the link above) So you should try using the Magnifier tool instead of lowering the resolution.

    Close any open applications
    Right-click on the Desktop
    Click "Screen Resolution"
    Click "Make text and other items larger or smaller"
    Choose Medium or Larger (default=small) and click Apply
    Click Log off now
    Log back in to Windows

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    Although WinXP doesn't have that particular setting, I completely forgot that XP Display Properties includes an adjustable font setting on the Display Properties/Settings/Advanced tab. I tried increasing that and it does exactly what I need. Thanks!
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    Stark Raving MOD Midknyte's Avatar
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    You should really consider upgrading to Win7, since XP is no longer receiving security updates.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Midknyte View Post
    You should really consider upgrading to Win7, since XP is no longer receiving security updates.
    This is off topic, but since you brought it up, I'm a decidedly ardent late adopter, and will remain so. I'll upgrade to Win7 when something forces me to do so. Security updates are the least of my concerns.
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    Thumbs down

    Quote Originally Posted by ginahoy View Post

    This is off topic, but since you brought it up, I'm a decidedly ardent late adopter, and will remain so. I'll upgrade to Win7 when something forces me to do so. Security updates are the least of my concerns.
    Thanks dude. Your apparent lack of security concerns on your internet-connected computers means that they then have the potential to spread their filthy diseases to all of our computers.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpywareDr View Post
    Thanks dude. Your apparent lack of security concerns on your internet-connected computers means that they then have the potential to spread their filthy diseases to all of our computers.
    Quite the opposite. You know nothing about me or my systems and security procedures. I don't need to rely on Microsoft's security updates to keep my system clean. I'm obsessive about on that point, to a fault. I can count on one hand the number of malware attacks I've had over the past 15 years or so.
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    This is the first time I've written any of this down, so my presentation may be a bit disorganized. But since you asked...

    The main difference between my approach (and apparently everyone else) is that I don't run any TSR virus software or any other background protection. I have Windows firewall turned off as well as auto-updates (although I did grab the final XP updates before the end-of-service date). I would never advocate this approach to others for obvious reasons. But it works for me.

    I instead rely on my router firewall and regular scans using MalwareBytes, HijackThis and a freeware antivirus program (AVG). I keep them up to date. I'm not saying these are necessarily the best, but they're the ones I use.

    I never use Internet Explorer (my system still has the mandatory IE6 installed!). My browser of choice is FireFox. In the early days, Firefox wasn't a target for most malware perps because it had relatively few users. Of course, that's no longer the case. I do keep FF up to date, but mostly, I practice common sense when browsing and I'm careful about opening emails, clicking on unknown links, etc.

    I don't advocate this to others for obvious reasons, and prefer not to debate the merits of my approach. It works for me, and that's enough (and I'm not putting others at risk, as you suggested could be the case).

    I used to be more anal about windows security updates and I ran TSR protection software (Norton, then Avira). But in my experience, that strategy caused far more pain (compatibility issues, maintenance, and overall performance degradation) than it ever helped in terms of avoiding disaster. I began to slack off, although not necessarily intentionally, and eventually turned off my anti-virus TSR protection and resorted to routine scans. That was about 4 or 5 years ago. And guess what, my scans rarely turn up anything. In the last year I think I've seen maybe a couple of benign browser trackers.

    The worst attack was about 3 years ago. I had one of those FBI warnings demanding that I pay a fee to unlock my computer. I simply restored the primary partition on my HDD from the most recent image backup. Before doing so, I was able to boot to DOS from a WinXP 3.5" boot disk (remember FDD's?) and grab a handful of files that had changed since the last backup. I could have gone back further if necessary, but as I recall, I was able to determine the infection date while booted to DOS. All-in-all, relatively painless.

    That reminds me, I'm also obsessive about making regular image backups of my primary partition (I used Acronis TrueImage). And I always make a backup before installing new software (for different reasons). But those backups are my fallback in case of an attack. I can restore my drive going back as far as 2008, when I built this machine (not that I would ever need to, but since I got the drive space...) I keep my primary partition pretty lean so my backups are relatively small. In particular, I turned off a number of Windows features that I don't need, and routinely uninstall any software that I no longer use.

    As an aside, I spent some time back in 2008 researching (also thru trial-and-error) which background processes ("SERVICES") are needed and which are not. I turned off those I didn't need. When I boot my machine, I have 18 processes running. I had it down to 16 at one point but added SpeedFan and uphclean, which is an MS fix for an XP bug that caused the user profile not to unload properly at shut-down.

    I like stability and abhor adapting to a new OS, as it takes so much of my time to reinstall all the software I use, and get everything just the way I want it. I continued to use Win 3.1 until 2000, when I could no longer log into my bank or stock broker's websites. I upgraded to WinME and despite its poor reputation, I was able to tame it and was happy camper for 8 years. I'm sure that will eventually happen with XP, either some software I need to run that's not compatible with XP, or some website I need to access. At that point, I'll consider Win 7. From what I've seen of 8, I want nothing to do with it.

    BTW, I drive a 12 year old Odyssey, with an analog dash. Just the way I like it. So I'm dreading the day when I'll have to upgrade my car! Fortunately, I don't drive much so my Oddy will probably last another 10. I could go on...
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    That approach will do little or nothing to correct newly discovered fundamental vulnerabilities in the base operating system. With Microsoft now out of the picture, it's open season for hackers.

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    And the reason I now have Linux installed on this antique XP laptop.
    And yes, the built in firewall in enabled.

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    Quote Originally Posted by SpywareDr View Post
    That approach will do little or nothing to correct newly discovered fundamental vulnerabilities in the base operating system. With Microsoft now out of the picture, it's open season for hackers.
    That's a valid point, but by running up-to-date scans, I will likely uncover any exploitation of those vulnerabilities and take steps to remove the malware, or recover from a recent backup in worst case.

    I should point out that until my recent XP update, I went probably 2 years with updates turned off, with no regrets.

    If the pain of managing new attacks were ever to be become an issue (I'm not saying it won't), that would be a reason to upgrade my OS. I guess what I'm saying is that in my experience, the medicine is more harmful than the bug. I guess that means I have a pretty good innate immune system (through browsing and email screening habits). Or maybe I'm just lucky.
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    There's no way to avoid the inevitable: XP will increasingly be far less safe than any of the more modern Windows versions. XP was truly great, but its day is done.

    Also keep in mind that when a new threat or vulnerability is discovered on a Windows platform, 92 percent of the time it is cross platform.

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