Custom Resolution Utility (CRU)

[LTC]

(11-28-2014 02:20 AM)ToastyX Wrote:  

(11-26-2014 10:12 PM)LTC Wrote:  Hello ToastyX, I've used your CRU app to add EDID overrides to set the correct modes for my Dell P1130 21" CRT, which I'm trying to run in my new rig with a R9 280 (DVI-I to VGA adapter). My problem is with that bug you mentioned about AMD and Windows 8.1. The overrides don't take over after reboot and I need to use your restart64.exe not once, but several times checking and unchecking and applying the "Use Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) or driver defaults", until Catalyst decides to let me run my games, but not the windows desktop itself, with all the correct modes (some don't work on the desktop, only in fullscreen D3D and OGL apps, go figure). Not only is this time consuming, as it also apparently led to my display becoming garbled at the return to the desktop after a gaming session, with a subsequent crash of the display driver (atikmdag.sys), after which I've used your reset-all.exe to undo the changes to the registry and stopped trying for the moment to get this triple damned driver to work right.

This sounds like a different driver bug. Restarting once should be sufficient, and the driver shouldn't crash. This is something AMD needs to fix.

(11-26-2014 10:12 PM)LTC Wrote:  Is there anything else I might try that doesn't involve scrapping my newly bought Win 8.1 licence or using outdated drivers?

I've thought about making a new version of CRU that doesn't use EDID overrides, but the amount of work involved in creating a new program that supports both AMD and NVIDIA would be too much for me right now.

You can try adding custom resolutions using this method: http://www.wsgf.org/article/force-custom...s-amd-gpus

HSyncStart = Horizontal Active + Front Porch
PixelClock = same as in CRU without the "." (148.50 MHz = 14850)

I might make a command-line program for AMD to simplify that process and to bypass some restrictions it has for downsampling, but I don't know when I'll get around to doing that.

Another idea is to try flashing the monitor's EDID with the override if it isn't write protected, if you can find some program to do that with your video card. CRU can export the override as a .bin file.

Another option is to use a hardware EDID emulator that plugs in between the monitor and the video card, but user-programmable ones tend to be costly.

Thanks for your answer ToastyX, but you see, my monitor already has correct EDID information as with Windows XP and prior machines it's modes are detected correctly on boot without any fuss!

It's only from Vista onwards that I started to need to install the monitor .inf file (which I still have around, but Windows 8.1 won't accept because it "isn't signed"), and I even stopped doing that in favor of just going in to the driver UI, unchecking the "use EDID" box and adding just the modes I like to use.

Also, when Catalyst allows me to uncheck its "use EDID" (which it will only allow without the overrides added by CRU, or after a number of driver restarts.) it offers several refresh rates beyond what my monitor can display, and I can select them (obviously I get my monitor OSD informing me it won't display that mode), but some rates are italicized, including precisely the max settings for my monitor in all its resolutions! Trying to select those only leads to it reverting to some other resolution and refresh rate before I even have a chance to click "apply". It's like it's taunting me offering refresh rates just beyond what my monitor can display while denying me the rates I know it can do:
Want to do 80hz at 2048x1536? Sorry, I can only let you do 85 or 75.
What? 85hz at 1920x1440? Nah! 75 is good enough for you!
1280x960@120hz?! No way! I'll only let you do 85, and if you try and select the italicized 120 I'll just change the resolution to 1600x1200 because surely if you want 120hz it's GOT TO BE at 1600x1200 right? RIGHT?!

I'm very frustrated and seriously regretting having spent all the money I have on this graphics card, new system and new OS.
It seems like no one at AMD reads customers complaints, as after days I only got automated replies...

The most enraging thing in all of this is that your "restart64.exe" did work, even if I had to run it a few times, and I spent many hours gaming at my preferred settings without a hitch. I only had problems (screen became garbled and the driver crashed) "once" a few days after I started using your solution, but that was enough to scare me not to try again, at least until I get a response from AMD.

The second most enraging thing is I sold my GTX 460, along with my previous Windows 7 system, as I always do when preparing to buy a new rig, if only I knew...

So now I'm back to being forced to run all games on my brand new rig at 1600x1200@100hz, only being able to run higher on my laptop that doesn't have the muscle to do much more than Quake 3...

Sorry to have bothered you.