Notes on Video Display

Below are steps that show how to check and change the video display resolution that your computer is using. In the instructions below, the language assumes that your system is currently using a video display resolution of 640 pixels x 480 pixels and that you want to change the video display resolution to 832 pixels x 624 pixels. Even if these assumptions aren't true, following the steps below will show you the process of changing and checking the resolution.

If you are running 640 x 480 resolution, you should read the Drawbacks to 640 x 480 Display section of this document.

Steps to Check/Change Video Display Resolution

In the top menu bar that is present when you are looking at your Macintosh desktop, click on the icon that looks like an apple. A menu will drop down and one of the menu items will be Control Panels. Choose this menu item. In the ensuing window, double click on the Monitors & Sound control panel. What should then appear is a picture like the following:

The picture above shows that 832 x 624 is the selected resolution. This is the ideal resolution for displaying this Electronic Study Guide. Select this resolution and close the Monitors & Sound control panel. Your resolution will then change. Troubleshooting Tip: If you don't see the 832 x 624 resolution option look at your Color Depth setting. If it is set to Thousands or Millions, drop the setting down to 256. The 832 x 624 resolution should then appear as an option for you to select.

Drawbacks to 640 x 480 Display
Here is a picture of the opening page of Chapter 1 in this Electronic Study Guide, viewed on a computer displaying 832 x 624 resolution.

In the picture above, notice the "left navigational" panel. It includes the "chapter one" related information at the top, the "choose a chapter" table of all the chapters in the product, the "help" link, and the "index" link.

Now, here is a picture of the opening page of Chapter 1 in this Electronic Study Guide, viewed on a computer displaying 640 x 480 resolution.

In the picture above, notice that the "left navigational" panel has been clipped at the bottom (compared to the 832 x 624 resolution picture), the "help" link and the "index" link are missing. These missing elements cannot be displayed at 640 x 480 unless the browser toolbars are removed.

Here is a picture of the 640 x 480 resolution screen with the Button Bar and Address Bar removed:

Below is information on how to remove these elements so that the entire "left navigational" panel shows. This information is provided for Internet Explorer version 4.0 and Netscape Navigator 4.08. The information may change slightly on newer versions of these browsers.

Internet Explorer 4.0
Click on the "View" menu. The screen capture below shows this menu. Notice that "Button Bar" and "Address Bar" are unchecked. If either or both are checked on your computer, select them to uncheck them.

Netscape 4.08
Click on the "View" menu. The ensuing menu looks like this:

Notice that the menu shown above has the entries "Show Navigation Toolbar" and "Show Location Toolbar." By clicking on a "Hide" entry, it turns to "Show" (and vice versa). In what is shown above, the "Navigation Toolbar" and "Location Toolbar" are hidden. If either or both are labeled "Hide" on your computer, select them to hide their component.

In addition to these 640 x 480 resolution problems with the "left navigational" frame, the quizzes in the Quizzing section of the site will be very difficult to use when displaying 640 x 480 resolution because so much scrolling will be involved.