Changing Your Screen Resolution:
Why Would I Want to?
At least you should do some quick comparisons yourself, because web designers (professional and amateur) are starting to design more for 1024x768 these days. After all, it's a much easier resolution to design for, and more and more people have larger monitors. If your monitor is still set to 800x600, you may come to a page and find that you're able to see less of it all at once than the designer intended you to. You're going to have to do a lot more scrolling of sidebars and bottom-bars, and, to put it bluntly, you're going to be aesthetically disadvantaged. This would be a shame as aesthetics make up a big part of a pleasing Internet experience. It's something you may not have thought that much about, and perhaps it's something you won't notice until you try. That's why I encourage you to have a play with your resolution settings. It's easy to do and you may be amazed at the difference.
Changing Your Resolution Under Windows 1. Simply go to your desktop and right-click on some free space. A grey menu box will pop up. 2. Left-click on Properties near the bottom of the menu. A large Display Properties box will pop up. 3. Select the Settings tab in the Display Properties box. 4. Use the little slide bar near the lower left of the Display Properties box to adjust desired screen resolution and then click Okay. After you've done this, Windows will ask you to confirm that changing your resolution is indeed what you want to do. After you've clicked Okay again, your monitor will flick off for a few seconds and then pop back to life again with the new resolution. Windows will usually ask you to confirm the change one last time, and then it will leave you to it.
Changing Your Resolution with a Macintosh
For Macintosh OS X, resolution settings are found by clicking the Apple Menu, and then selecting System Preferences and then Displays. Or you can click on the Apple in the Dock at the bottom, and select Displays. Have a play with your resolution if you're inclined, and especially if you're finding you often have to use the horizontal scroll bar when visiting sites. If you have an older monitor type, you may find that 800x600 is as high as you're allowed to go. But if you do manage to change your resolution from 800x600 to 1024x768, I would be surprised if you wanted to go back, especially if you're enjoying a 17 inch monitor.
