Widescreen Gaming Forum

Great thread, tricky! I like the updates you're doing. I'm gonna be implementing most of this soon hopefully! :onethumb

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Formerly eZ`

Follow me on twitter: @theg00seberry and find me on Steam

How about this for something different?

Animated Triplewide Wallpaper

Enable DreamScenes in Windows 7 here.

http://windows7themes.net/how-to-use-dreamscene-in-windows-7.html

Use Fraps to capture a short clip of a favorite game scene (don't move the character at all, just capture the moving scene, e.g. Assassin's Creed 2 at the Wharf with boats bobbing, or Bad Company 2 with the dust blowing and the trees swaying.

Rename the captured avi to wmv, then rt-click "Set as Desktop Background".

Kind of cool, an "Animated Triplewide Wallpaper" for free. CPU usage was minimal...

For best results, may want to set your resolution lower than typical for best framerate capture.

TIP! Once you have a bit of video, it will loop, to crop the video (rename back to avi) for a better looping end/start point (so a cloud doesn't jump across the sky), you can crop the video to the desired length using VirtualDub (remember to do "Video -> Direct Stream Copy" before saving so it doesn't re-encode the file)...

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Core i7-8086K @ 5.0 Ghz | H60 | Nvidia GTX 980 Ti 6GB | Soundblaster Z | Asus Z370-A

16GB DDR4 | Win10 x64 | 3x27" Asus IPS @ 5760x1080 | Samsung 970 1TB NVMe

Nvidia Control Panel bug - disables "Show window contents while dragging"

Some of us have noticed that if you launch Nvidia Control Panel, it disables seeing a window while you drag it (just see the outline)...

So I wrote a bat file below, copy and paste to a file called nvcpl.bat in your C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationControl Panel Client directory and then follow the rest of the info in the file to create a desktop shortcut...

Tested and working for me Windows 7 x64 drivers 258.69.

Update v2 - now enables show window contents even if Nvidia Control Panel is still open...

=============COPY AND PASTE BELOW THIS LINE=========================================

@ECHO OFF

:: Nvidia Control Panel Launcher
:: Re-enables "Show window contents while dragging"
:: FREEWARE FOR EVERYONE
:: by Tricky

:: Tested with System Properties -> Advanced -> Settings -> Visual Effects
:: (*) Adjust for best appearance

:: 1) Copy this file "nvcpl.bat" to folder
:: "C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationControl Panel Client"
::
:: 2) Create shortcut on desktop to "nvcpl.bat", rename to
:: "Nvidia Control Panel Launcher"
::
:: 3) Repoint Icon to
:: "C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationControl Panel Clientnvcplui.exe"
::


SET PATHN=C:Program FilesNVIDIA CorporationControl Panel Client

IF "%1" == "" start "Nvidia Control Panel Launcher" /D"%PATHN%" /min nvcpl.bat X && exit



START "Nvidia Control Panel Launcher" /D"%PATHN%" "nvcplui.exe"

ping 1.0.0.1 -w 5000 -n 1 > NUL

REG ADD "HKCUControl PanelDesktop" /v "DragFullWindows" /T REG_SZ /D "1" /F

RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters

ping 1.0.0.1 -w 2000 -n 1 > NUL

RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters



:LOOP

ping 1.0.0.1 -w 2000 -n 1 > NUL

TASKLIST /M nvcp* | FIND /I "nvcplui.exe" > NUL

IF %ERRORLEVEL%==0 GOTO LOOP



ping 1.0.0.1 -w 2000 -n 1 > NUL

REG ADD "HKCUControl PanelDesktop" /v "DragFullWindows" /T REG_SZ /D "1" /F

RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters

ping 1.0.0.1 -w 2000 -n 1 > NUL

RUNDLL32.EXE user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters



EXIT

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Core i7-8086K @ 5.0 Ghz | H60 | Nvidia GTX 980 Ti 6GB | Soundblaster Z | Asus Z370-A

16GB DDR4 | Win10 x64 | 3x27" Asus IPS @ 5760x1080 | Samsung 970 1TB NVMe

Matrox PowerDesk installs and runs fine on Win7 x64 here...When I click on Desktop Management I see the layout.

Are you running it while in Surround Mode?

If I go to About, says Matrox PowerDesk - Version 1.09.0031.0521 2.07.00 GXM

The 26 mb downloaded software is called "v64_gxm_2_07_00_031_whql.exe"

Looks like the same version here:

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/support/drivers/download/latest/

found that file here

http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/support/drivers/download/?id=385

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Current Config:

GTX 680 4GB in SLI
Intel 980 x @ 4Ghz

I really thought I was going to implement all of this, however I still find it difficult to enjoy using the PC when in a surround resolution. I find myself simply going to "Activate All Displays" again once I've finished gaming - mainly so I can use the features of UltraMon.
I hope nVidia release some kind of desktop management software, but I won't hold my breath! Plus, it only takes about 20 seconds to switch between surround and individual displays.

_________________
Formerly eZ`

Follow me on twitter: @theg00seberry and find me on Steam

I really thought I was going to implement all of this, however I still find it difficult to enjoy using the PC when in a surround resolution. I find myself simply going to "Activate All Displays" again once I've finished gaming - mainly so I can use the features of UltraMon.
I hope nVidia release some kind of desktop management software, but I won't hold my breath! Plus, it only takes about 20 seconds to switch between surround and individual displays.

how does it only take 20 seconds?

It takes me 20 just to load nv ctrl panel.

do you use shortcuts/scripts?

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Current Config:

GTX 680 4GB in SLI
Intel 980 x @ 4Ghz

[quote]I really thought I was going to implement all of this, however I still find it difficult to enjoy using the PC when in a surround resolution. I find myself simply going to "Activate All Displays" again once I've finished gaming - mainly so I can use the features of UltraMon.
I hope nVidia release some kind of desktop management software, but I won't hold my breath! Plus, it only takes about 20 seconds to switch between surround and individual displays.

how does it only take 20 seconds?

It takes me 20 just to load nv ctrl panel.

do you use shortcuts/scripts?

Heh, wish it was 20 seconds...more like 2 minutes.

Once I switch to separate displays I have to:

1) rearrange the order of monitors, they are always mixed up (instead of [ 3 1 2] I get [ 2 3 1 ]
2) set the primary monitor to the now moved to center correct one
3) change the desktop resolution on all three monitors to 1440x900 (1680x1050 makes everything too small for me)
4) Launch UltraMon

Sooooooo not worth the effort, so I run Surround Mode 7/24...used to it now. My current addiction is Borderlands, and I can alt+tab in and out of the game without problems while checking email, surfing etc...

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Core i7-8086K @ 5.0 Ghz | H60 | Nvidia GTX 980 Ti 6GB | Soundblaster Z | Asus Z370-A

16GB DDR4 | Win10 x64 | 3x27" Asus IPS @ 5760x1080 | Samsung 970 1TB NVMe

No, no scripts or anything. Right click, nVidia Control panel, click activate all disaplays, they flicker for about 10 seconds. Close NCP. Right click, screen resolution, reorder the monitors click apply, again takes 10 seconds! Plus i leave ultramon running all the time. Simples!

For going to surround, open NCP, surround, configure, apply, then just apply the BC amount quickly as its saved the numbers, then change the res to what i want. OK, this maybe takes 30 seconds, but still a pretty short amount of time :D

Works for me anyway :)

_________________
Formerly eZ`

Follow me on twitter: @theg00seberry and find me on Steam

with matrox powerdesk im totally used to the surround vision 24/7

i dont think i can go back to just 1 or 2 monitors ever again

i used the quick launch as well but i did not like how clunky the vista start menu app was so i just put
all the things i would need in the start menu on the right quick launch.

the sloppy white lines are each monitor bezel

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Current Config:

GTX 680 4GB in SLI
Intel 980 x @ 4Ghz

I have to agree that Vista Start Menu has not worked as well as I had hoped (slow to start, or takes mulitple clicks to start), but on the bright side, ClassicShell has worked better than I had hoped (having the "Up Arrow" (up a directory) back in explorer is awesome. I have the far left Start button open to Classic Start Menu by default, and shift+click opens to Win7 Menu, which I almost never use, I sort all my apps and utilities into folders and subfolders, and it takes way too long to find what I am looking for with the Win7 menu.

Use of QuickLaunch Menus works great, games on the left, apps on the right, open tasks in the middle.

60 seconds (timed it) is too long, and I switch between apps and games all the time.

I have also written a little bit of "AutoIt" code that auto-presses buttons for me, used to use RTVReco but it doesn't work with Win7 x64 (auto-closes the prompt to restart windows after updates have applied, auto-closes prompt to Scan and Fix my usb drive everytime I plug it in, auto-replies Yes to Copy/Move promtps for desktop.ini and thumbs.db, etc)...so overall running pretty good. I am completely amazed that Nvidia does not have a Matrox type solution yet, just baffling.

Been playing Borderlands like mad for last two weeks, on the final mission (I think), level 33 Siren, works awesome in Surround (only glitch is sprinting, but got that adjusted pretty well)...

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Core i7-8086K @ 5.0 Ghz | H60 | Nvidia GTX 980 Ti 6GB | Soundblaster Z | Asus Z370-A

16GB DDR4 | Win10 x64 | 3x27" Asus IPS @ 5760x1080 | Samsung 970 1TB NVMe