[Help - Hardware] Video card problems while gaming

[Velvet_Nightmare]

I've had this laptop for two years now, and its always worked fine When I switched from Vista to Windows 7, in April, my video card [Quadro NVS 135M] started showing games with black bars on the sides. This laptop display is 1280 x 800. When I used my external monitor, which is 1600 x 900, games ran without the black bars.

In August I had my computer re-imaged, the video card swapped out numerous times, along with the entire motherboard. I started having the problem again on my laptop display, but now the same problem is happening on my external, and the NVIDIA control panel SHOWS me the scaling options to fix it, but the buttons are grayed out and I cant select them.

I've upgraded the drivers multiple times, is there a solution to this?

[Light Buster]

Your game setting should be set to max resolution.

I maxed out my RA3's resolution and the black bars weren't there. Anything lower and they'll appear. Does that help?

[Velvet_Nightmare]

I maxed out all my games, and still the bars appear. They say the changes have been made, but they haven't. =/

[Light Buster]

Well, I don't see the black bars as a problem. Unless they slow your computer down even though the small resolution should actually speed up your computer.

What laptop/computer did you buy recently?

[GameGeeks]

I'm assuming you logged out and back into the game. Also it may just be an issue with the laptops monitor.

[Light Buster]

Also, try to max out your computer's resolution. If that makes it worse rather than better, try lowering it.

[Ashminigun]

Assuming you have bought the laptop back in 2008, I think it got to with your nVidia chipset. Back then, some batch of laptops that uses nVidia onboard solution suffered problem related to display i.e. blank screen when boot, vertical/horizontal lines. Since the damage had spread to your external video port, I think there are few options:

Send to back manufacturer for repairs if your warranty still valid. If yours already expired, most probably they will either change the whole mainboard and charge you with the price or recommend you to a trade old with new program.
Send to a third party repair shop and might you charge some service fee (probably ~$100 or less/more depend on the shop). But, you have 50-50 chances that your graphic card will damage again after you repaired it.

[Eris]

It may not be damage at all. Screens often have various ways of dealing with non-native resolutions. Either by scaling them to full screen, scaling them to full screen while keeping aspect ratio (this puts a black bar above and/or beneath the picture), or displaying them at native resolution (then you get a black border all the way around the picture). Your laptop may have hotkeys to change this. I know my Thinkpad does.

[Velvet_Nightmare]

I finally was able to get NVIDIA to cooperate. The option for scaling wasn't available, but for whatever reason I can now scale my games to fullscreen, looks good finally be able to see everything clearly. ^_^

Thanks for the help in the meantime though, bookmarking this thread in case the problem comes back. =P

[FlashD]

Can you post the solution nVidia gave you to fix this issue? It could help others. Thanks.

[Velvet_Nightmare]

I'm not exactly sure how I did it, BUT, this is the option that allowed me to fix it. For those with NVIDIA cards, open up the Control Panel, go to Appearance, NVIDIA control panel, and select this option:

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa469/campananico/nvidiafix2.png

Hope it helps.