Windows 8 text hardly legible

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LeoSayer

Original Poster:

7,310 posts

245 months

Thursday 26th March 2015
quotequote all
I've just taken delivery of a Dell laptop running windows 8.1 with a 1920x1080 15.6" screen.

Straight away I noticed that almost all text on windows menus, shortcut names, on browsers etc. is almost illegible, like pixels are missing. I've been on the phone to Dell support for a several hours and they have taken remote control of the laptop and tried loads of things which have made not one iota of difference.

I had to explain to them that zooming everything to 200% was not an acceptable solution, especially as I had seen pin-sharp text on an equivalent Lenovo laptop recently.

Photos and videos are fine...the problem is isolated to text.

So has anyone else had this problem and knows how to resolve it?


timbo999

1,295 posts

256 months

Thursday 26th March 2015
quotequote all
There is an application on W8 (it may exist elsewhere) called Adjust Clear Type Text - do you know if this has been run? You can search for this on the start screen (where all the apps are). When you run it, the app asks you to choose the clearest fonts. Don't know whether this will resolve the issue you have, but must be worth a try.

LeoSayer

Original Poster:

7,310 posts

245 months

Thursday 26th March 2015
quotequote all
Thanks timbo, I should have mentioned I have already tried this as well with no improvement.

I thnik it's a bit more fundamental than windows setting but not a hardware issue.


C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

146 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
They fked something up in Windows 8.1 that made a lot of applications look as if the text is blurry. It's simple to fix but a right PITA none the less.

http://superuser.com/questions/661655/applications...

timbo999

1,295 posts

256 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
That looks an interesting link... the only other thing I can think of is to check your display is at the recommended resolution (i.e. the native resolution for the monitor).

Sheepshanks

32,836 posts

120 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
LeoSayer said:
... especially as I had seen pin-sharp text on an equivalent Lenovo laptop recently.
Do you happen to know which model it was?

I sent a Lenovo back as it was as if looking through lenses smeared with Vaseline. I didn't have time to investigate properly.

LeoSayer

Original Poster:

7,310 posts

245 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
C0ffin D0dger said:
They fked something up in Windows 8.1 that made a lot of applications look as if the text is blurry. It's simple to fix but a right PITA none the less.

http://superuser.com/questions/661655/applications...
Funnily enough I discovered that on youtube yesterday and tried it this morning.

It made no difference whatsoever.

I spoke to Dell on the phone today and they offered to send me windows 8 on a usb stick so that I can reinstall the operating system myself. They said it would arrive on Wednesday next week.

They also offered a refund.

Guess which one I'm going for?!? hehe

Now the hunt is back on for a 1920x1080 laptop that works.





LeoSayer

Original Poster:

7,310 posts

245 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
Do you happen to know which model it was?

I sent a Lenovo back as it was as if looking through lenses smeared with Vaseline. I didn't have time to investigate properly.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/laptop/3590500/lenovo-ideapad-z50-70-budget-laptop-review/

Lenovo Z50-70 with i3 4th gen chip.

Whilst the text was pin-sharp, the screen was far from perfect. The viewing angles were atrocious and you couldn't clearly see text and picture at the same, eg. on BBC News.

I forever found myself tilting the screen to view the picture properly and then tilting it back again to the read the text.

The keyboard felt a bit flimsy and the case had a horrid sharp edge but other than that, it's a good laptop.

It performed really well, ran cool and never seemed hobbled by the i3 chip.

Sheepshanks

32,836 posts

120 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
LeoSayer said:
Thanks - mine was T something (haven't got the details to hand) but it was over a grand so I was a bit miffed. It was just dull and blurry. I'm using an 8yr old T61 at the moment and the screen is fine for business / office use.

LeoSayer

Original Poster:

7,310 posts

245 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
I'll probably get a replacement laptop from PC Specialist.

I recently bought a PC from them and it's been faultless.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

146 months

Friday 27th March 2015
quotequote all
LeoSayer said:
Now the hunt is back on for a 1920x1080 laptop that works.
My 1920x1080 laptop is an ASUS. Been really pleased with it (apart from the Win 8.1 update making stuff blurry, not ASUS' fault though)/