by Don Hildenbrand

Created on: January 28, 2009   Last Updated: February 03, 2009

Computer monitors have come a long way since the early 1980's when all we had were small, one color screens that could barely display text, let alone graphics. Today, our monitor allows us to watch videos, view our photo collections, play realistic games, and many other graphics related tasks.

Sometimes, however, the elements on our screens just don't look right. The icons may be too large or too small; we may not be able to read the text comfortably; or not enough information may fit onto a "page" of our web browsers. Sometimes, it's simply because we have "older eyes", and although the display settings may be perfect for the person who set up the computer, it may not be right for us.

There's no need to despair, and no need to call a tech support person, because changing the display settings in Windows Vista is as easy as one, two, three! Actually, it's one, two, three, four, but hopefully, close enough!

Before we get into the actual steps of changing your display settings in Windows Vista, let's explore a little technical background, although we'll try not to get "too" technical. But, it's important to know what you're changing, and how the changes affect what is displayed on your monitor.

Monitors, although they look like they are displaying a photo, or a movie, or even a game, are actually displaying "pixels". Pixels are the most basic unit of measurement used to measure a screen; they also are what actually displays what is shown on your monitor. So, what looks like a photo is actually thousands, or even millions, of tiny pixels combining together to show that photo.

Now, here's where it may get confusing. The monitor that displays more pixels shows a larger amount of information, and a monitor that shows fewer pixels shows a lesser amount of information. Sort of.

Although having more pixels, such as having a 1280 pixels by 800 pixels display, is "larger" in the sense that it displays more information, the information displayed is actually smaller. And, having fewer pixels, such as an 800 by 600 "resolution", although it displays less information, the information displayed is larger.

How does this affect what we see? Some people enjoy running their monitor at its highest resolution, and seeing as much as they can at one glance. But for others, this may make the icons or text too small to see without reading glasses or a great deal of squinting.

Your preference for your display setting is a matter of personal taste. You should feel free to experiment; you can't

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