Safe mode display resolutions?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ykhan
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ykhan

Now ever since I could remember, going into Safe Mode on any version
of Windows meant that you were restricted to using the 640x480
VGA-only resolution. The other day I was helping a friend out with his
computer, and we needed to get into Safe Mode. I was extremely
surprised to see that he had a full 1024x768 hi-res SVGA mode running
in Safe Mode. I even had to look around a little to make sure that
were indeed in Safe Mode, and we didn't accidently enter regular mode.
The screen said "Safe Mode" in all of the corners, and there was the
usual "You are in Safe Mode" dialog box to prove it.

Now, working in a full hi-res screen is much easier than the cramped
VGA screen, so how do you modify Safe Mode to use this?

Yousuf Khan
 
ykhan said:
Now ever since I could remember, going into Safe Mode on any version
of Windows meant that you were restricted to using the 640x480
VGA-only resolution. The other day I was helping a friend out with his
computer, and we needed to get into Safe Mode. I was extremely
surprised to see that he had a full 1024x768 hi-res SVGA mode running
in Safe Mode. I even had to look around a little to make sure that
were indeed in Safe Mode, and we didn't accidently enter regular mode.
The screen said "Safe Mode" in all of the corners, and there was the
usual "You are in Safe Mode" dialog box to prove it.

Now, working in a full hi-res screen is much easier than the cramped
VGA screen, so how do you modify Safe Mode to use this?

Yousuf Khan
Click to expand...

XP safe mode (VGASAVE) is smarter than older versions
of NT, it queries the vidcard/monitor combination
to see what it's capabilities are, and acts accordingly.

Although I can't prove it, I think earlier versions of
NT didn't do this, and just defaulted to 640 x 480
which ANYTHING is capable of.

I don't think you have any control over it.
 
V Green said:
XP safe mode (VGASAVE) is smarter than older versions
of NT, it queries the vidcard/monitor combination
to see what it's capabilities are, and acts accordingly.

Although I can't prove it, I think earlier versions of
NT didn't do this, and just defaulted to 640 x 480
which ANYTHING is capable of.

I don't think you have any control over it.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I've been trying to search Google for any description of
this behaviour for a long time now, haven't hit upon the magic
keywords yet. :-)

Strange thing is that we both have Nvidia GeForce 2 cards, and he's
got an inferior GeForce card to mine, he's got a GeForce 2MX while
have a GeForce 2GTS, and he gets this higher-res mode! :-)

Yousuf Khan
 
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