How can I get a higher desktop resolution than my output resolution

[CZroe]

I remember my old ATI Rage II cards (and older!) could create, say, a 1024x768 resolution desktop and output 800x600 to the display. No, it didn't scale, but it followed the mouse pointer, automatically scrolling when you reached the edge of the screen. There were two sliders under the settings tab in the Desktop Properties Control Panel... one for output resolution, one for desktop resolution. As long as they were both moved together, it was the same as the standard Settings tab in the Desktop Properties Control Panel.

Basically, I'd like to use this for a netbook with limited resolution. Actually, I just want to add enough vertical resolution to scroll the taskbar off the screen without using the HORRIBLE autohide behavior in XP (Microsoft will NEVER fix it), but I think it would come in useful for fitting other things on the screen too if I had a quick way to switch presets.

 

[sandorski]

It's not "Resolution", but called something else. I'm not sure if it's even in the Drivers anymore or what it was called exactly.

 

[CZroe]

Yeah, it's more like "Desktop Area." That said, Powerstrip allows me to, say, set 1024x768 on a 1024x600 panel and it will follow my mouse, but I'm lookin' more for, say, 1024x680 and I'd like some additional control over the scrolling (lock to mouse no matter where it is by hotkey; scroll when near the edge rather than at the edge; etc). If I set a custom resolution, I imagine that I'd be setting the output resolution and not the desktop area. The only options it has are standard resolutions and "wide" versions of them (640x400, for example).

Something like this could be extremely useful to many netbook users.

 

[apoppin]

How would it be for benchmarking?

Could one accurately simulate and get FRAPS benchmarking results for - say for example - 19x12 on a 14x9 monitor?
- i haven't thought about it

 

[CZroe]

I think it's just a hidden Windows Desktop setting and anything like a full-screen game or other software that can control output resolution will just do it traditionally. I have no games installed on my netbook, but I'll try Wolfenstein Enemy Territory later.

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: sandorski
It's not "Resolution", but called something else. I'm not sure if it's even in the Drivers anymore or what it was called exactly.

IIRC, a scrolling "Virtual Desktop".

 

[CZroe]

I guess the question now is, how can I create a custom resolution if PowerStrip has the Advanced timing options buttun disabled?