Greetings Leigh and List--
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Thompson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2005 2:27 PM
Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] weird... Entire Display rotated 90 degrees

> Leigh,
>
> Apparently this is a feature of some video cards, which was intended
> for
> display panels that are used in airports /
> train stations/ etc.
>
> I didn't research it very far, but the unit's video card documentation
> should provide some insight. I would go
> directly to the card's manufacturer's website.
>

I've been following this thread for some time now, and, as some respondents
have submitted, it is not a "hardware problem" so much as a 'beneficial feature', depending (of course) on whether one is aware of it and expects it, or is unaware of it and accidentally 'invokes it'.

In my case, it was necessary to download the most recent drivers for my ATI
FireGL 3100 PCIx video adapter (included in a Dell Precision Workstation 370, Pentium 4 3.0 GHz, with 1 GB DDR2 RAM, 250 GB SATA hard disk, NEC DVD-RW, SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS) in order to take advantage of this capability. Even the newest of the 17-19" flat panel displays are rarely (if ever) square, and, for someone composing 8.5 X 11" newsletters or pdf web pages, the ability of some monitors to be rotated 90 degrees is a decided boon. The "downfall" here is that some computers sold with such hardware don't necessarily have the necessary drivers installed by default, and/or some new owners don't realize that it may be necessary to follow the same procedures I did in order to take advantage of them--or (perhaps worse) discover them by accidentally pressing a hot-key combination.

As others also have suggested in this forum, it is a good idea to investigate the properties of the various hardware devices installed on your computer system(s), and experiment with the various settings they may permit. The same, of course, goes for the operating system itself (within reason).

I believe several of the previous responses to this problem have the potential to solve it, and it is often a good idea to check for updates for drivers for any hardware incorporated by your system.

FWIW.

Paul A. Shippert
Library/Media Specialist
Margaret Brent Middle School
-----------------------------------
and I'm hovering like a fly
waiting for the windshield on the
freeway." Genesis
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