Having the wrong screen resolution or colour depth for your monitor can be very frustrating. If your screen resolution is too high you may find it difficult to read whats on your screen or locate specific icons. If the screen resolution is too low you might find dialogue boxes big and blocky or cut short. Changing the screen resolution and colour depth on your computer is easy. The method described here changes the screen resolution on your Windows Vista PC through the control panel, you may find it just as easy to right click on your desktop and select properties. A new screen will open up and the very last option on that screen will be display properties. Click on display properties and you will see the same properties screen described here.

So lets start by clicking on your start menu.

When your start menu opens up you will see control panel on the right hand side of the menu usually about the fourth one up from the bottom. If you have a view applied to your start menu you may have to click on settings to locate control panel. Click on Control Panel.

You may either have Control Panel in Classic View or Windows Vista's default view. If you see icons rather than categories click on Control Panel Home on the top left hand corner of the screen to return your Control Panel to the default view.

With Windows Vista's Control Panel in its default category view you will see Appearance and Personalization as one of the categories. Below this category you will see Adjust Screen Resolution. Click on it and you will be presented with a Display Settings screen.

Adjusting your screen resolution is performed by placing your mouse pointer on the slider underneath the word Resolution on the Display Settings Screen. Move the slider to the right to increase the screen resolution and move to the left to decrease it.

Changing the Colour settings is done via a drop down menu under the word Colours. Click on this and you will presented with a number of different choices of available colours. Most people would simply select the highest one available.

Once you are satisfied with the changes you have made click OK on the bottom of Display Settings, the computer will apply the new settings and you will see the new screen resolution or colour settings (whatever you changed). A box will pop up asking if you want to keep these settings, click yes if they are acceptable, no if they are not.

If you change your resolution on Display Settings, click OK and then your screen goes blank DONT PANIC! Dont touch anything, after 15 seconds if you dont click the yes button on the box that prompts you if you want to keep these display settings (perhaps because you cant see it?) your computer will revert to your previous screen resolution and colour depth and you can try again.