How can I restore my screen settings?

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I have a Dell pc running Windows 7. It is used by me and my wife.

Recently I turned on the computer to discover that everything on the screen had “grown”. Desktop icons were bigger, and all websites appeared as though they had been magnified.

My partner can’t remember changing any settings, and I haven’t been able to find the setting which has been (inadvertantly) changed.

I have been into Control Panel, and tried most of the obvious options, but so far I have had no luck. The “Make it easier to read what is on your screen” option is still set to the normal, 100% option.

Please can anyone suggest any other settings I can try? I really don’t like this magnified version, as everything appears a bit blurred…

Thanks

Neil

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Neil,

Try holding your Ctrl key while scrolling your mouse wheel. This is something that can be done inadvertently.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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The Ctrl-Scroll wheel will only work in a browser.
It sounds like somehow the resolution of your display has changed. To adjust this:
Right-Click the Desktop and select ‘Properties’
Click the ‘Settings’ Tab.
Move the slider and click ‘Apply’ watch the screen and abort the change if you do not like it.
HTH

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The Ctrl-Scroll wheel will only work in a browser.

Russ,

Sorry, but I beg to differ. That little trick works just fine on my Windows 7 desktop adjusting the size of the icons on the desktop.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Sorry, but I beg to differ. That little trick works just fine on my Windows 7 desktop adjusting the size of the icons on the desktop.

It has no effect at all on my Windows 7 Ultimate desktop icons; does work in a browser window, though. So does Ctrl and “+” or “-” (but not on the desktop icons). The Windows key and “+” invokes the magnifier (and “-” will reduce the magnification, but leave the magnifier invoked). That one does work on the desktop; the entire desktop, not just the icons.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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The Ctrl and mouse wheel does change my desktop Icon size, Win 7 Ultimate

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Me so also Win 7 Pro and Ult.

Edit: When everything is larger though it has to be resolution right? Possibly in combination with dpi setting.

Edit2: If you have a restore point that goes back before the change happened, and there’s nothing else major that was changed inbetween that would be hard to do over again, that would fix it as well as fiddling with resolution. Also check the display cards mfg. control center as well for any scaling or zoom setting there might be, but in that case it should spill off the screen.

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Brilliant!

Holding control and scrolling the mouse fixed it straight away (and it also neatly explains how my wife, who has probably never seen Control Panel or similar configurations) came to inadvertantly reset the screen.

So thanks for the help, but one thing still intrigues me:-

Where in the menu driven settings is the setting which we inadvertantly changed with the mouse – ie. could I have pulled up a dialogue box and reseted this without the mouse?

Just curious…

Cheers

Neil

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Control PanelAll Control Panel ItemsDisplay…
Using the ctrl key and mouse offers a finer degree of control.

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Cool, I will try that when I get in front of the W7 Pro system, on the iPad now, XP earlier.

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Thank you Clint (and everyone else who took the trouble to respond).

Neil

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