# Laptop Browser Graphics
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 29, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321 "2003-08-29T00:10:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/1 "2003-08-29T00:10:07Z")
I recently got a new Dell laptop (Inspiron 8500, P4 2.4, 15.4" WSXGA+ screen, XP Home version). It’s wonderful, it displays digital photos beautifully, with crystal clear graphics. When web browsing (using IE), however, the pictures are NOT crystal clear. They look horrible. In fact most of the graphics look bad, not just photos. Anyone know what is going on here?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/2 "2003-08-29T00:32:24Z")
What kind of horrible? Does it look like colours are being made up by dithering from a very limited palette?
I know you said other image apps were OK, but what colour depth do you have? (right-click on the desktop, select Properties\>settings and look at the setting under ‘color quality’)
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### Author:  [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/3 "2003-08-29T00:48:43Z")
Disable automatic image resizing. Go to tools, internet options, advanced. Also, perhaps you’re just seeing how bad certain compression artifacts (such as badly compressed JPEGs) look on a high resolution display?
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### Author:  [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/4 "2003-08-29T00:56:27Z")
Thanks Mangetout and Alereon. The color depth is set to the highest available level, and looks fine (better than fine, amazing) on all other apps. The problem looks more like compression artifacts, I guess – wierd jaggies, blotches, etc. I’ve web browsed on some pretty hi-res displays in the past, and not noticed those problems though.
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### Author:  [@Myria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myria)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/5 "2003-08-29T01:20:53Z")
For what it’s worth, I’m using a Dell 8200 with a similar display (yours has a wider aspect ratio, mine’s 1600X1200) and a Radeon 9000 64mb. I’ve not noticed any issues with web graphics, at least nothing I don’t also see on any of the other systems here.
What res are you running the display at? If it is less than the native resolution of the LCD (not uncommon with these very hi-res displays) that might explain the problem. Given that you say graphics in other programs look fine, that doesn’t seem overly likely though.
Myria
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### Author:  [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/6 "2003-08-29T01:39:14Z")
[This Microsoft KB article](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;176945) describes your problem but it’s for Win95. You’d think by now they would have fixed this issue. If you want to find the same setting in XP, open the Control Panel, double-click Display, click the Settings tab, click the Advanced button, then finally goto the Troublshooting tab. Try adjusting the slider left one notch and then reboot.
It may be that IE is not decompressing the graphics properly. Are all the graphics displaying these characteristics? Like the Straight Dope Banner at the top (which is a GIF file)? Do JPGs also look like this in IE? Try repairing IE by open Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. If you click the line with Microsoft Internet Explorer you should have the option of Change (and maybe Remove). Click Change and then Repair Internet Explorer.
Hope this helps.
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### Author:  [@Myria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myria)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/7 "2003-08-29T14:08:56Z")
I was looking at the Dell support forums and apparently this is a relatively common problem with 8500, due in part to some changes in setup Dell made (though the root problem is with IE).
> [@](#):
>
> If you experience jagged images when viewing large images within Internet Explorer, IE’s “Automatic Image Resizing” is probably enabled. To disable this, open Internet Explorer, click Tools, click Internet Options, then click the Advanced tab. Remove the check next to “Enable automatic image resizing” under the “Multimedia” heading.
Apparently this doesn’t work for everyone -
> [@](#):
>
> Changing this setting in IE 6 did not work for me but as suggested by forum user Clarifix in software forum - I changed registry setting
>
> HKEY\_CURRENT\_ USER\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\INTERNET EXPLORER\MAIN\USEHR
>
> The setting for this key is (Hex) 1.
>
> After changing this setting to 0 and using DPI = 120 the problem of viewing distorted images in Internet Explorer is gone.
Or, if you’re not comfortable with using regedit -
> [@](#):
>
> Copy the Text Below into Notepad.
> Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
>
> [HKEY\_CURRENT\_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
> “UseHR”=dword:00000000
>
> Call it antifuzzy.REG
>
> Save it.
>
> Then Double Click it to Import into the Registry.
You can look [here](http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=79881) for the original posts and lots more info.
Myria
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### Author:  [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-browser-graphics/198321/8 "2003-08-29T17:24:12Z")
Wow, thanks everyone, especially **Myria**. You nailed it.