Why is Serene Screen not Covering the Whole Screen?

ronningfamily · 05-02-2002, 02:43 AM

My XP Plus Aquarium in XP goes edge to edge. I have a black border in this version why? How do I get it to fill my monitor like my XP Plus Aquarium.
When I pressed F for full screen mode, I received an error message stating "Could not create the Direct 3D Device Object, the program will now exit.

Anybody have any suggestions. I am using a Voodoo3 AGP that has always worked very well.

Tiny Turtle · 05-02-2002, 05:23 AM

The Aquarium launches in fullscreen mode by default. Pressing F should bring it down to a window. Most likely your running it at a different resolution (or colordepth). Start the Aquarium and adjust the settings on your monitor so that it fills the screen OK. When you exit the program and Windows returns to the desktop it remembers your settings and it should look OK the next time.

As for the weird error message, it makes me think you should try and reinstall DirectX, but maybe you should wait a while with that and see what some others here come up with

Keep us posted on your progress!

/Tiny

ronningfamily · 05-02-2002, 06:11 AM

It does not launch in full screen mode by default, it has a .5 inch black border around the screen saver. It is not going edge to edge. No matter what setting I choose, it will not fill the screen. XP plus Aquarium does still go edge to edge. I have tried 1024 x 768 and desktop and all the others. Still not filling the screen like it should. On my Aqurium in XP Plus it goes right to the monitor edge.

Still need help.

Thanks Mark Ronning

Tiny Turtle · 05-02-2002, 07:04 AM

OK, Mark. I'll try and clarify.

If you see nothing but the aquarium and black nothingness when it launches, it IS in full-screen mode.

How to fix the problem:
1. Launch the Aquarium at a resolution you'd like to use.
2. Using the "Horisontal Size" and "Vertical Size" settings on your monitor, stretch the screen until the black border is gone.
3. Exit the screen saver (Your monitor remembers the settings for every different resolution).

Why the problem occurs:
The XP Plus pack version is written in DirectX 8.0 and runs in 32 bit color. The full version on the other hand uses DirectX 6.0 and runs in 16 bit color. Your desktop is most likely set to 32 bit (TrueColor) and when the screensaver launches it automatically switches to 16 bit color (Hi-Color). Your monitor considers this as a new resolution and the screen is not properly stretched.
The Plus version uses the same resolution as your desktop and thus needs no stretching.

/Tiny

Jim Sachs · 05-02-2002, 07:31 AM

ronningfamily -

Most modern monitors remember the horizontal and vertical size settings for each resolution. There are 3 components to the resolution -- The screen size, the color depth, and the refresh rate. If any of these change, the monitor needs to be adjusted for that setting.

Assuming that you are using Desktop Resolution to run the Aquarium, the most common change is the refresh rate. Direct3D progams have their own refresh rate setting, independant of the Desktop. You can use DXDIAG.exe->More Help->Override to set the D3D refresh rate to the same value as the Desktop. This should eliminate the different border setting and any clicking in the monitor caused by changing resolutions.

The error message you got was caused by trying to go to window mode while the Desktop was set to 32 (or 24) bit. 3Dfx cards must use 16-bit for 3D applications, so they cannot be mixed in a window on a 32-bit screen. Setting the Desktop to 16-bit should allow the Aquarium to go in and out of window mode.

feldon34 · 05-02-2002, 08:27 AM

We get this question about once a month.

Please adjust the geometry of your monitor to match the video mode the Aquarium is using. This includes the width, height, and horizontal/vertical center of the picture.

ronningfamily · 05-02-2002, 03:18 PM

Thanks, everything else worked fine and I overlooked the obvious. Works great! A happy Aquarium Looker!!

feldon34 · 05-02-2002, 09:22 PM

Wait til you guys try LCD flat panel displays. Every single mode has to be Autotuned or the picture jiggles and wobbles.

hpman77 · 05-03-2002, 01:33 AM

3 things to say:

1- It's always great to see another happy customer as all of us

enjoy the aquarium, ronningfamily!

2- If it's not already in the FAQ, feldon, it would be useful to have that information there too. I bet many ppl will have the same question over and over.

3- That thing about LCD flat panel displays sounds really funny (if you don't own one and don't have that problem LOL)

feldon34 · 05-03-2002, 08:56 AM

Well, I'm building a computer for someone and they wanted LCD. It's a beautiful display (And I was skeptical), but wow, each and every mode has to be tuned. And you don't realize how many modes there are.

From Power On to getting into Windows 2000, there are at least 5 video modes used.

I shall add this to the FAQ.

05-02-2002, 02:43 AM	#1
ronningfamily Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 3	Why is Serene Screen not Covering the Whole Screen? My XP Plus Aquarium in XP goes edge to edge. I have a black border in this version why? How do I get it to fill my monitor like my XP Plus Aquarium. When I pressed F for full screen mode, I received an error message stating "Could not create the Direct 3D Device Object, the program will now exit. Anybody have any suggestions. I am using a Voodoo3 AGP that has always worked very well.

05-02-2002, 05:23 AM	#2
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	The Aquarium launches in fullscreen mode by default. Pressing F should bring it down to a window. Most likely your running it at a different resolution (or colordepth). Start the Aquarium and adjust the settings on your monitor so that it fills the screen OK. When you exit the program and Windows returns to the desktop it remembers your settings and it should look OK the next time. As for the weird error message, it makes me think you should try and reinstall DirectX, but maybe you should wait a while with that and see what some others here come up with Keep us posted on your progress! /Tiny Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

05-02-2002, 06:11 AM	#3
ronningfamily Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 3	Full Screen Mode It does not launch in full screen mode by default, it has a .5 inch black border around the screen saver. It is not going edge to edge. No matter what setting I choose, it will not fill the screen. XP plus Aquarium does still go edge to edge. I have tried 1024 x 768 and desktop and all the others. Still not filling the screen like it should. On my Aqurium in XP Plus it goes right to the monitor edge. Still need help. Thanks Mark Ronning

05-02-2002, 07:31 AM	#5
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,774	ronningfamily - Most modern monitors remember the horizontal and vertical size settings for each resolution. There are 3 components to the resolution -- The screen size, the color depth, and the refresh rate. If any of these change, the monitor needs to be adjusted for that setting. Assuming that you are using Desktop Resolution to run the Aquarium, the most common change is the refresh rate. Direct3D progams have their own refresh rate setting, independant of the Desktop. You can use DXDIAG.exe->More Help->Override to set the D3D refresh rate to the same value as the Desktop. This should eliminate the different border setting and any clicking in the monitor caused by changing resolutions. The error message you got was caused by trying to go to window mode while the Desktop was set to 32 (or 24) bit. 3Dfx cards must use 16-bit for 3D applications, so they cannot be mixed in a window on a 32-bit screen. Setting the Desktop to 16-bit should allow the Aquarium to go in and out of window mode. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium Last edited by Jim Sachs; 05-02-2002 at 07:37 AM.

05-02-2002, 08:27 AM	#6
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	We get this question about once a month. Please adjust the geometry of your monitor to match the video mode the Aquarium is using. This includes the width, height, and horizontal/vertical center of the picture. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-02-2002, 07:04 AM	#4
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	OK, Mark. I'll try and clarify. If you see nothing but the aquarium and black nothingness when it launches, it IS in full-screen mode. How to fix the problem: 1. Launch the Aquarium at a resolution you'd like to use. 2. Using the "Horisontal Size" and "Vertical Size" settings on your monitor, stretch the screen until the black border is gone. 3. Exit the screen saver (Your monitor remembers the settings for every different resolution). Why the problem occurs: The XP Plus pack version is written in DirectX 8.0 and runs in 32 bit color. The full version on the other hand uses DirectX 6.0 and runs in 16 bit color. Your desktop is most likely set to 32 bit (TrueColor) and when the screensaver launches it automatically switches to 16 bit color (Hi-Color). Your monitor considers this as a new resolution and the screen is not properly stretched. The Plus version uses the same resolution as your desktop and thus needs no stretching. /Tiny

05-02-2002, 03:18 PM	#7
ronningfamily Registered Join Date: May 2002 Location: Fort Wayne, IN Posts: 3	Thanks, everything else worked fine and I overlooked the obvious. Works great! A happy Aquarium Looker!!

05-02-2002, 09:22 PM	#8
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Wait til you guys try LCD flat panel displays. Every single mode has to be Autotuned or the picture jiggles and wobbles. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-03-2002, 01:33 AM	#9
hpman77 Blue Angel Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Santander (Spain) Posts: 285	3 things to say: 1- It's always great to see another happy customer as all of us enjoy the aquarium, ronningfamily! 2- If it's not already in the FAQ, feldon, it would be useful to have that information there too. I bet many ppl will have the same question over and over. 3- That thing about LCD flat panel displays sounds really funny (if you don't own one and don't have that problem LOL) .:: AMD Athlon XP 1700+ :: 512MB SDRAM :: Windows XP SP1 :: shappire ATI radeon 9600 PRO :: Soundblaster Live Player 5.1 :: Directx 9.0 :: (Always latest drivers for everything) ::.

05-03-2002, 08:56 AM	#10
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Well, I'm building a computer for someone and they wanted LCD. It's a beautiful display (And I was skeptical), but wow, each and every mode has to be tuned. And you don't realize how many modes there are. From Power On to getting into Windows 2000, there are at least 5 video modes used. I shall add this to the FAQ. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman