How do I change the font size on my monitor?

[Eireann]

Monitor decided to give me Extra Large text when I turned the computer on this morning. I tried clicking on the desktop, then fooling around with the options there, but all I did was to make the font size smaller than I wanted. I don't know why it went into overdrive in the first place, but how do I change it to a size that's better than too big or too small?

[sms001]

What fonts specifically are too big? Desktop icon and title bar fonts? The text in an actual window? (Like your browser right now.)

[Eireann]

All of it! The desktop icons, the text in a window. I tried zooming out on websites, but that didn't help. It seems that the font itself has changed, too. I have no idea what caused it - a few days ago, I turned on the computer and all the icons were too small, so I restarted it, and everything was the normal size. Now, everything is too big, and it's driving me nuts!

[Der Cute]

Out to desktop blank area
Right click
Properties
SEttings tab
Advanced Button
General Tab
Change DPI

Try that see what it does

Cutneoob

[Eireann]

I've already done that. One of the things that drives me NUTS about this new font size is that when I go to Hotmail, I can hardly see the text on the sign-in page, but then it becomes huge once I sign in. It's REALLY ANNOYING.

I just discovered that the font is in Arial, just as I suspected, and not Times New Roman - but again, I have no idea why; I didn't change it, at least, not knowingly.

[Naaman]

Try clicking once on an icon so that it's highlighted, Press and hold CTRL now use the scroll wheel to get them the right size

[Eireann]

What about the text and font on the websites?

[Naaman]

Which operating system are you using?
Which browser are you using?
What's the 'Width' and aspect ratio of your monitor (19" Widescreen for example)


Could you also check your graphics settings please.

Right click on the desktop > Properties > settings. Look at the slider labelled "Screen Resolution"

For Vista.

Right Click on desktop > Personalize > Display settings. Screen Resolution slider.

If these are really low (800x600) try moving the slider to the right.

[Eireann]

The resolution is at 800x600. When I try to change it even to the next highest resolution, everything is too small - and it's still in Arial, rather than Times New Roman.

I just don't get it.

[Andara Bledin]

Have you checked your settings in your browser to see if they're overriding the webpage settings?

A lot of webpages have set fonts, but not set sizes, so what you set for either your system font/size, or for your browser font/size is what is shown, but in other parts of the site, it uses a site-defined font and size.

I've run into this a few times with sites that would be set up so that the log-in was a specified font and size, but once you were in, it would switch to whatever your sytsem or browser told it to be.

^-.-^

[Eireann]

It isn't just when I'm on the Web, it's EVERYWHERE. The desktop icons are too big (and, unfortunately, highlighting them and holding Ctrl while operating the wheel on the mouse didn't do anything). I haven't opened up Word yet, so I don't know what's up with that. The websites are too big, the email sign-in pages have tiny letters... what the hell? Has my computer gone on strike?

[Der Cute]

Have you recently done an update with your pc?

I'm wondering if the video driver has changed and farked up your settings.
Why don't you do a system restore/ rollback and go back a few days ago to where it was all happy and working? The data will be there, but the config will change.

Let us know.

Cutenoob

[Naaman]

The resolution is at 800x600. When I try to change it even to the next highest resolution, everything is too small - and it's still in Arial, rather than Times New Roman.

I just don't get it.

Presuming Windows XP....


Slide the resolution higher.
R Click desktop > Properties > Appearance.

These are the standard settings for XP



If neither that or Cutenoobs restore work then next step is probably yanking the drivers and clean install.

[Eireann]

Cutenoob, how do I do a system restore? I added some software recently, and that's the only thing I can think of that might have done it.

Naaman, I tried sliding the resolution higher, but then everything was too small. Good idea, and it should work, but for some reason, it doesn't.

[Der Cute]

Sys restores are usually good - they come in handy after a software install FUBARs something or a Driver install FUBARs something.

Here's how you Un FUBAR

Start menu
Programs
Accessories
System Tools
Click on System Restore

Find a date that's highlighted, just before you did your install.

Click on that date, select Restore to this date and go.

It'll change the configs back to that date's setups.

From here on out, I want you to get in the habit of CREATING a Restore Point BEFORE installing ANYTHING.

Same way, you just select CREATE a point and name it, like "B4 weird driver install" (it will pick the date automatically).

Good Luck

Cutenoob