The physical hardware risk of manually increasing the refresh rate in the registry???

[BrintonAA]

I have:
-Prophet 4500 64MB, KYRO II Video Card (Maximum Refresh @ 1600x1200 is up to 95 Hz according to Hercules)
-Compaq P900 19" Trinitron(Maximum Refresh @ 1600x1200 is up to 85 Hz (Graphic Preset Mode) according to Compaq)

Currently, Windows 2000 SP2 will only allow me to run this setup at 1600x1200 @ 75 Hz, but I should be able to run this system at 1600x1200 @ 85 Hz without trouble. The highest refresh rate that Windows 2000 will allow me to select is 75 Hz, even under Display > Advanced Settings. My question is this: How great a risk to my physical hardware do I pose if I were to edit the registry directly and change the settings to 1600x1200 @ 85 Hz?

Note: I have installed all the latest drivers for both devices

 

[JustinLerner]

The limitations you describe aren't because of Windows 2000, but because of the way Compaq wrote the INF files for the monitor or the way Hercules wrote the video card drivers. In other words, either their programmer were lazy or they couldn't figure out how to do it or they don't value your patronage since they won't make the time to provide proper drivers or INF files for Windows and your product.

The following is a better solution than editing the registry.

Don't edit the registry for this if you are running Windows 2000/XP. On the Display properties, Settings tab, Advanced settings button, Monitor tab, uncheck the box "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" and Apply this setting. Then go to the Adapter tab and you should be able to select ANY of the settings that are supported by your video card Adapter (as set by the mfg video card drivers). When you select a setting, Apply and if you get a black or screwed up screen, hit the ESC key or wait for the 15 seconds to time out - those settings that don't work are not compatible (+/- sync levels are different).
If the video card resolutions, refresh rates and bit depth as claimed in specifications by the manufacturerare not available for selection in the list, get with the video card manufacturer for new drivers which fully support all resolutions, refresh rates and color depths as claimed and specified.

If your monitor and video card both support the resolutions, it should not pose much danger unless there is a problem between +/- sync levels of the adapter and monitor for the expected refresh rates at the resolution and bit depth.