Picture Appears Stretched, Distorted, or Shrunken on My Laptop Screen

Possible Cause of Perceived Display Problems on LCD Screens

The Dell portable computers with high resolution displays are optimized for specific resolutions. As a result, using display resolutions that are different than these optimal settings can result in visual distortions on the screen.

For example: If a computer has a 15.0+" SXGA+ screen with an optimized resolution of 1400x1050 and the screen's current resolution is set to 1280x1024 pixels, the display will shrink resulting in a black border surrounding the edges of the screen. Also, all other lower resolutions may be stretched to fit the screen. No border will be visible, but fonts may appear slightly fuzzy.

Verify the LCD Type

Since the resolution settings vary from system to system, it is important to determine what type of LCD screen you have before adjusting your display resolution. To verify which LCD screen you have installed on your computer, you will need to view your invoice. Depending on your system model, your invoice should contain an entry similar to this:

220-2838 I8100,15 UXGA,PIII,1GHZ,T

Notice that the highlighted section above, while this example is for a Dell Inspiron 8100 computer, shows that the size of the screen is 15 inches and that the format of the screen is UXGA.

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Adjust the Screen Resolution, Color Depth, and Refresh Rate

Adjust the screen resolution, color depth, and refresh rate in the Windows operating system.

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LCD and Flat-Panel Monitor Types With Associated Native Resolutions

Table 1 and Table 2 specify LCD and flat-panel monitor types with associated native resolutions:
Native resolution of a LCD is the one under which the screen looks best. Operating Systems and programs give often various selection of resolution. If possible, it is advised to select a native resolution.

Table 1: LCD and Flat-Panel Monitor Types

Type	Aspect Ratio	Resolution	Number of Pixels
VGA	4:3	640 x 480	307,200 pixels
SVGA	4:3	800 x 600	480,000 pixels
XGA	4:3	1024 x 768	786,432 pixels
WXGA	16:10	1280 x 800	1,024,000 pixels
QVGA	4:3	1280 x 960	1,228,800 pixels
SXGA	5:4	1280 x 1024	1,310,720 pixels
SXGA+	4:3	1400 x 1050	1,470,000 pixels
WXGA+	16:10	1440 x 900	1,290,000 pixels
WSXGA	16:10	1440 x 900	1,290,000 pixels
WSXGA+	16:10	1680 x 1050	1,764,000 pixels
UXGA	4:3	1600 x 1200	1,920,000 pixels
WUXGA	16:10	1920 x 1200	2,304,000 pixels
QXGA	4:3	2048 x 1536	3,145,728 pixels
QSXGA	5:4	2560 x 2048	5,242,880 pixels
QSXGA+	4:3	2800 x 2100	5,880,000 pixels
QUXGA	4:3	3200 x 2400	7,680,000 pixels

Table 2: Pixels Per Inch

Size	VGA	SVGA	XGA	SXGA+	UXGA	QXGA
10.4"	77	96	123	168	192	246
11.3"	N/A	88	113	155	177	227
12.1"	N/A	83	106	145	165	212
13.3"	N/A	N/A	96	132	150	192
14.1"	N/A	N/A	91	124	142	182
15.0"	N/A	N/A	85	117	133	171
16.5"	N/A	N/A	N/A	106	121	155
N/A	WVGA	WSVGA	WXGA	WSXGA+	WUXGA	QXGA
15.4"	N/A	N/A	98	128	147	N/A

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Update the Video Driver

If adjusting the resolution or font size did not resolve your issue, the problem might be the video driver. For information on downloading and installing video drivers, refer to the Dell Drivers and Downloads section of the support site.

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Additional Information for Troubleshooting Video Problems

Please visit the Dell Online Diagnostics tool which can run tests on your Dell system, identify issues and offer a resolution.

Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

• High Resolution LCD Screens Show Jagged or Rough Edges on the Screen
• Applications appearing with blurry text in Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 and how to resolve the issue