[Leica] help with monitor/driver/resolution problem?

[passaro.vince at gmail.com (Vince Passaro)]

Hi all. I have (from the office) a Dell laptop (Latitide E6400) attached to
the Dell 22" monitor (2209W).  The native resolution for the monitor is the
somewhat unusual 1920 x 1080 @ 60 mghz.  All was fine, this resolution was
available, until suddenly this Tuesday evening, when I turned on the
computer and it wasn't. Now the only resolution choices for the analog
monitor are 1200 x 1024, 1600 x 1200 or the non-workable 1920 x 1440.  At
1600 x1200 everything is widened out and maddeningly off.

I worked with Dell for two days on this. Re-installed the appropriate driver
several times. Still, no choice 1920 x 1080.  Indeed they admit that this
particular resolution is not available with that driver and, they say, never
has been. it's an nVidia driver for, presumably, an nVidia videocard in my
machine.

My older laptop which has been shutting down unexpectedly and quite often
ever since I loaded it with CS4 -- which it doesn't have quite enough speed
or HD or memory to run easily, and so which is now sitting unused/unusable
-- had an ATI videocard and driver set with the proper resolutions for the
monitor.  It won't stay on long enough to run the uninstall on CS4. A bit of
a quandary.

But even with (presumably) nVidia (like invidious, I've decided) videocard
in the work laptop, I HAD the proper resolutions until Tuesday! And yes, I
did a system restore to Sunday's system --  but the correct resolutions did
not reappear.

Here's the only change in the system: after month's of that awful Windows
hectoring and annoying pop ups I updated Adobe Reader. I've heard somewhere
that Adobe's Cool Type can screw you up in some manner but I don't recall
how.

So could the Adobe Reader have messed me up?

Are there OTHER renegade video drivers to be found that will run a branded
(and I guess proprietary?) videocard and do what I need?

Thanks any of you for advice.  And if you say, "You should get a MAC," just
know that in my mind I've gone South, purchased a handgun in the candy store
or toy store or whereever it is you folks buy your weapons down there (ice
cream parlor?), and come to your house to make a few points. To sermonize.
If I coulda I woulda. Gotten a Mac that is. Not come to your house -- that's
only a fantasy. But if you have some other advice besides 'buy a Mac' I'd be
really grateful.

Vince