How to force fixed screen resolution, or at least aspect ratio?

I have Windows installed on an HTPC which wakes up to make recordings when the connected monitor (a TV) is turned off. When I turn the screen on, Windows has chosen an inappropriate resolution and aspect ratio, apparently attempting an auto-detect of the missing monitor. It then fails to reconsider its poor choice. How can I disable auto-detect and make Windows keep the correct settings for the TV, even when the TV is off?

rsbrux said:

which wakes up to make recordings when the connected monitor (a TV) is turned off.

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rsbrux said:

Windows keep the correct settings for the TV, even when the TV is off?

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I don't see how it is possible to make recordings from a monitor when it is switched off. Windows tends to forget the monitor settings all together, when said monitor is switched off. Maybe the fault is in the recording software? Which software are you using to make recordings?

Perhaps you can explain a bit more.

iko22 said:

I don't see how it is possible to make recordings from a monitor when it is switched off. Windows tends to forget the monitor settings all together, when said monitor is switched off. Maybe the fault is in the recording software? Which software are you using to make recordings?

Perhaps you can explain a bit more.

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The recordings are not made from the monitor, but from a built-in DVB-C tuner.
The recording software is irrelevant. Even without recording, if I turn on the HTPC with the monitor turned off and then turn on the monitor, I get an unusable display resolution and aspect ratio.

rsbrux said:

Even without recording, if I turn on the HTPC with the monitor turned off and then turn on the monitor, I get an unusable display resolution and aspect ratio.

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Check the cable connection to the monitor. It is possible the cable is the wrong version for the setup.

iko22 said:

Check the cable connection to the monitor. It is possible the cable is the wrong version for the setup.

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Sorry, I don't understand. It's an HDMI cable. What should I check? What could be wrong? Everything else works perfectly. When the monitor is powered up after the PC, the PC's display settings show a resolution of 1920x540, which isn't even a standard resolution. Where is Windows getting that?

rsbrux said:

Where is Windows getting that?

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Check the advanced display properties of that monitor. Look at Desktop mode and Active signal mode. Do they match?

Thanks, that clarifies the situation, which I had oversimpilfied a bit. The monitor (TV) is connected to the PC via an A/V receiver, not directly. The receiver and TV are configured to switch on and off together, but the receiver turns on first. If both are turned on before I start the PC, WIndows correctly identifies the TV as the monitor. If the receiver and TV are not turned on when I start the PC, Windows identifies the receiver as the display. Why that results in 1920x540 is a mystery to me, but my original question remains: how can I disable Windows auto-detect and tell it to use a fixed setting?
So far this is all with the Windows native video driver. My next step will be to install the Intel driver. Perhaps that will provide better options.

P.S. I tried setting the A/V receiver to a fixed 16x9 output resolution, but Windows still insists that it is 1920x540.

rsbrux said:

Sorry, I don't understand. It's an HDMI cable. What should I check? What could be wrong? Everything else works perfectly. When the monitor is powered up after the PC, the PC's display settings show a resolution of 1920x540, which isn't even a standard resolution. Where is Windows getting that?

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There are currently 4 versions of HDMI cable: Standard, Hi-Speed, Premium High-Speed, Ultra High-Speed. Each will affect the max resolution and refresh rate.
Standard - 720 or 1080 @ 30 or 60 Hz
High-Speed - 1080 or 4K (3840 x 2160) @ 30 or 144 Hz
Premium High-Speed - 1080 or 4K (3840 x 2160) @ 60 or 240 Hz
Ultra High-Speed - 4K (3840 x 2160) or 8K (7680 x 4320) @ 60 or 120 Hz.

It looks like you might possibly have a Standard cable that does not support the higher resolutions of your TV.
Look for lettering and numbering on the spine of the cable, to see if you can spot a version. If you still have the original packaging that the HDMI cable came in, then you can always check that for the version.


The monitor resolution is given by the number of pixels your monitor supports, and is part of the DisplayID or EDID data structure that is wired into the display device.


Windows always picks the highest resolution available from the EDID. You can manually set the resolution to the same or lower resolutions
.
The computer can detect the maximum data rate of the cable, to give the HDMI version:
Standard: 4.95 Gb/s
High-Speed: 10.2 Gb/s
Premium High-Speed: 18 Gb/s
Ultra High-Speed: 48 Gb/s

Thanks for the detailed explanation and for the references. Windows recognizes my TV as 4K capable, so I presume this means that the cable is adequate. I don’t even have any 4K source materials. Meanwhile, with @Scott ’s help, I jhave figured out where the mysterious lower resolution comes from

FWIW, it seems that there is no posssibility in Windows desktop editions:
Apparently I’m not the only one looking for such a feature. ;-(

rsbrux said:

Meanwhile, with @Scott ’s help, I have figured out where the mysterious lower resolution comes from

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Okay, now try this. Select Display adapter properties for Display 2



On the Adapter tab select List All Modes. Select any other mode then select Ok and Apply. Go back into List All Modes and select the resolution you really want, then Okay and Apply.



I had to do this to fix a "picture-in-picture" effect I was seeing after taking full screen images, like so

Scott said:

Okay, now try this. Select Display adapter properties for Display 2

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This sounded promising, but once WIndows finds the receiver, it can’t see the TV, IOW, no Display 2.

A simple solution is to use a "dummy plug" that emulates a monitor. I've been doing this for a long time, and it works perfectly.

This is tiny device, like a small thumb drive, that plugs into the HDMI or DisplayPort output. It reports itself as a monitor so that Windows behaves just as if a monitor is connected.

As an example, I have one system that I run headless, but for some reason, Remote Desktop refuses to connect to this machine unless a monitor is connected. Plug in a dummy plug and bingo! works flawlessly.

It doesn't hurt that these are dirt cheap as well

I queried for this on Amazon, and this is the very first listing I found, just as an example of what I am referring to:

Thanks for the tip. The one in the Amazon link you provided seems to be no longer available, but I found one from a local e-tailer for about USD 20. It’s just crazy that one needs a HW fix to replace a SW option that MS arbitrarily decided to remove from the OS ;-(
Auto-detect could still be disabled in Windows 7, but the boards are full of complaints from users looking for this option in Windows 10 & 11.

rsbrux said:

Thanks for the tip. The one in the Amazon link you provided seems to be no longer available, but I found one from a local e-tailer for about USD 20. It’s just crazy that one needs a HW fix to replace a SW option that MS arbitrarily decided to remove from the OS ;-(
Auto-detect could still be disabled in Windows 7, but the boards are full of complaints from users looking for this option in Windows 10 & 11.

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You may be in a different location from me. Free overnight delivery where I am

But there are literally dozens of these things available, at least that's the case where I am.

No such luck here. We don’t even have Amazon, but I prefer to deal with loacl vendors anyway.

Well, I ordered an EDID dongle, but I have sent it back already. Installing the Intel drivers seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks Intel!