Resolution issue with smaller and larger monitor

Question

My system (win 10, dell xps 8900, invidia 970) has two monitors, one 1600x900 (large) and another 1360x768 (small). When i originally installed Xplane 10 i was using the small monitor as the 'primary'. Full screen worked perfectly, Switched the primary to the large monitor and now Xplane will only render at the smaller resolution on the large monitor, and only the small monitor resolution options are available in the resolution drop down box.However when i disable the small monitor then Xplane runs in full screen on the large monitor, no problem. Suggestions? Next step is to reinstall Xplane from scratch using the large monitor as primary.

Comments

Hi island-flyer,

This is not an official answer but a comment that may go a long way to solve your problem. Personally I don't think it is a X-plane problem.

Unsure about WIN10 but in WIN7 under Control Panel then Display then Screen Resolution (side bar) you have the ability to, in your case, set the primary and secondary screens and then the resolution for each screen.  When saved the configuration holds.  I have done it and it works.

Alternatively as you are using a nvidia card, nvidia also has the abilty to do the same as WIN7.  Go Control Panel then NVIDIA Control Panel then Display (side bar) and in the first instance setup multiple displays.  Here you can nominate your primary and secondary screens.  Once done then select Change Resolution (same side bar under Dispaly).  From there setup the specs for each screen.  I have not ventured or used this method myself but I have seen it done.  It works.

You don't need to reinstall X-plane.  Have a look at the following You-tube video by Wycliffe Barrett at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9wubukUlxI  Others in this forum have raised the issue of reinstalling X-plane.  Official answers have been given in using the same priciple ie place a X-plane recover icon on your desktop.  I tried it after watching the video and it works.  It is particularly helpful for those who do not have a CD/DVD drive in their computer.

Hope this helps.

Glenn 

---

Hi Glenn,

Thanks very much for the information. I watched the video and it was extremely helpful, especially about the 'don't have to reinstall' part. I have used both Windows 10's monitor control app and the Nvidia Control Panel to set the monitor resolutions to their native values and they do stick. The problem seems to be that X-plane 'remembers' that it was originally installed on the smaller monitor and won't recognize the higher resolutions available on the large monitor unless the smaller monitor is disabled. Off to CA for a short vacation but will return to debugging (what fun!) next week. Again, thanks much for the suggestions! 

daveS

---

Hi Dave,

Good to hear that progress has been made.  Hopefully the reinstall will replace the faulty file.

Enjoy the few days away.

Glenn

Answer 1

Hi Dave,

Have you tried moving or deleting your preference files? I wonder if something is saved in there that causes X-Plane to use the smaller sizes. Restoring the default preferences files in this manner can often act like a "fresh" install without all the time taken to do a real one.

One other thing to check is if your monitor has drivers and if they're up to date.

Comments

And of course, if none of this works in the end, please file us a bug report here with as much information (screenshots, logs, step by step tests you've run, etc) as possible.  :)