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screen resolution issue (windows 7 64 on an iMac 27)

L

leon314

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 10, 2010
20
0
I just got a brand new iMac 27 and installed Windows 7 (64 bit) onto the partitioned SSD drive using Boot Camp.

The problem is that the maximum resolution I can select in Windows mode is 1920 x 1440 and True Colour 32 bit is the max too - this despite the much higher resolution (and different aspect ratio) and 64 bit software.

My computer was obviously fairly up-to-date when it arrived a couple of days ago, but I anyway scanned for updates on the Mac side before starting up Boot Camp. On the Windows side I've also updated.

So what's going on here, and how can I get my machine doing what it's capable of in Windows mode?

Thanks
 
quite odd that it gives you 1920x1440. That's not a normal computer resolution at all. It should be 2560x1440. The 32-bit color is normal though. 64-bit OS is unrelated to that, and 32 bit color is what you want.
 
First, did you install the windows drivers from BOTH the snow leopard cd and the 3.1 update from apple's site?

Second, that resolution might only be allowed for certain refresh rates or until you run the windows experience index. So run the index, then try to lower the refresh rate until that resolution is available.
 
I didn't specifically install windows drivers from either the new leopard cd or the 3.1 update on Apple's site.

What I did was:

1. Checked Mac OS for updates, and downloaded any (via "Software Updates" in the :apple: menu). I assumed that between the computer being brand new and this update all the latest drivers including Bootcamp 3.1 would be in play.

2. Ran the Bootcamp assistant, and selected the SSD drive to partition, taking 150GB for the Windows side (I have a 256 SSD + 1TB). Then inserted the Windows 7 DVD when prompted, formatted the relevant drive, and proceeded as prompted with the Windows install, which checked for updates when it completed.

There's nothing in the Bootcamp instructions about separately downloading/installing drivers, and as I looked for updates in both operating systems I don't see where I could have gone wrong.

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
You need to get the drivers for windows so everything runs properly. You can install of them by inserting, while in Windows, the Mac OS X Disk that came with your computer. It should automatically run an install dialogue box, otherwise look on the CD for a .exe install final related to drivers.
 
Thanks, powerhouse7. Could you talk me through this - first issue is I have 2 discs, the iMac Applications Install DVD and the iMac Mac OS X Install DVD.

I assumed you meant the latter, which I fed in while in Windows mode, and a dialogue box did indeed pop up, offering me to run setup.exe (or view files). I'm a little nervous about this option, as it seems to be the general Mac OS X setup rather than the drivers.

Should I go with the setup.exe file or look into the folder for something else - and if the latter which file exactly?
 
balamw, now I feel like a dildo somehow skipping that section - guess I thought that once Windows was up and running that should be the end of it. Anyway, following the advice on this thread I've installed the drivers and the resolution is now perfect.

A big thanks to all who helped. :D
 
balamw, don't worry, it didn't make me feel bad, it made me feel great - it was a solution! powerhouse7 had indeed explained that drivers from the OS X disc were required, but I was still unsure about the setup.exe file, which looked like it might install the whole system, rather than just the relevant drivers. The Bootcamp guide you pointed me to settled that concern.

The remaining uncertainty I have is to do with the 1TB hard drive. If I leave it as is can I read and write to it from either system (data files mostly)? If not, my preference for most, perhaps all of it, is for access via Windows, which will be my primary system. Do I need to do anything to it - e.g. partition/format - and if so, how would I go about this - via Bootcamp?

Thanks again.
 
leon314 said:
The remaining uncertainty I have is to do with the 1TB hard drive. If I leave it as is can I read and write to it from either system (data files mostly)? If not, my preference for most, perhaps all of it, is for access via Windows, which will be my primary system. Do I need to do anything to it - e.g. partition/format - and if so, how would I go about this - via Bootcamp?
Click to expand...
You'll be able to read/write to it from OS X and have only read access from Windows.

You can install MacDrive to gain write access or partition the drive to include an NTFS partition.

If it's completely empty you could go ahead and create a new partition in Windows, but you will have the opposite problem. Read only in OS X, read/write in Windows.

If you already have some data on it or would like to keep some space for OS X, you should use Disk Utility under OS X to resize the existing partition. Then under Windows 7 create a new NTFS partition in the empty space. (Mac OS can't create NTFS partitions.

EDIT: Read this for other options: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1004309/

B
 
I am using Windows 7 64-bit also on a MacBook Pro and am using 1920 x 1080 as my resolution since I am connected to a 25" Samsung screen.

Have you tried updating to the latest graphics drivers?
 
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