At wits end with setting screen refresh rate for Vista

[Maveritchell]

Just recently got a gift card for the mall and picked up BF2142. My Vista laptop has the specs to run it, but doesn't want to. The program's been installed, updated, and I've tried a number of fixes, and through this I've determined that the error is because my default refresh rate is 59(?)Hz, instead of 60.

This is apparently a fairly common problem, but I really haven't found any solutions to it. I know I need to somehow force my screen resolution to 60Hz so that the game will run, and I've tried updating my drivers (from LaptopVideo2Go) and using programs like ReForce or RefreshLock to do this. No dice. Anyone got any good suggestions for forcing my screen refresh to 60Hz?

P.S. Been working on this for days; I hate Vista.

[Penguin]

Not sure, but maybe try the bios?

[t551]

Probably a silly question, but you have looked under display settings->advanced->monitor, right?

[ShadowHawk]

More detailed:

• right click an empty area of the desktop
• click 'personalize'
• click 'display settings'
• click the 'advanced settings' button
• click the 'monitor' tab
• change the 'refresh rate' dropdown box
• 'ok' back to the desktop

I don't have vista and this is only from memory with fiddling around on laptops with it. To me Vista is eh so I'd prefer to upgrade to XP Pro. Refresh locking progs don't seem to work on vista acourding to a lot of complaints on the web about this same sit. Tell me what you have on the dropdown if this doesn't work.

[Maveritchell]

Yeah, I've done some more researching (and in the meantime ended up finding a nice GameStop manager who let me trade in BF2142 for HL2 (which works on my XP desktop) after explaining the situation), and it's really not a correctable problem at the moment.

Yes, I know how to see what the refresh rate is, lol. The real problem lies in the fact that the refresh rate is locked at one nonstandard (59Hz) refresh rate, which is arbitrary in and of itself, since the screen's an LCD screen (which doesn't really have a refresh rate).

Like you mentioned, Hawky, most (maybe all, the three or four I could find didn't work) manual refresh rate (+display controllers etc.) programs weren't up to working with Vista. So, at the moment it seems to be a strictly hardware issue that I need to take up with HP or whoever. Thanks for the input, though!

[ShadowHawk]

Well, it's an issue with Vista actually. A lot of Laptop manufacturers seem to have the same issue (Saw one with a dell, a gateway, an alienware; all same exact prob except theirs was 60hz.) Guess since there isn't a solution, I'll lock this until someone PMs me a solution (or you find it and override my lock ). Sorry I wasn't any help.