【SOLVED】I can't change my display resolution, the entire option is greyed out, and the screen refresh rate is fixed.

Question

I can't change my display resolution, the entire option is greyed out, and the refresh rate became fixed.

I am using a Alienware x17R1 with a 4K monitor, operating Windows 11 Home Version 23H2. Don't know why but I can't insert image to this question so I will try to be descriptive.

As described, when I right click on the screen and choose "Display settings" to open the system window, the "Display Resolution" area where you can adjust the resolution for your monitor is fixed at "3840x2160(Recommended)", and you can't change it to any other resolution, the whole selector is greyed out. If your try to run full screen programs that runs in other resolution, it will either be crashed or set to the 3840x2160 resolution as well, and you will lose any other resolution choice.

CURRENTLY I HAVE ALREADY TRIED ALL FOLLOWING METHODS, BUT NON-OF THEM WORKD:

1.Reinstall graphic drivers in device manager, both NVIDA and Intel graphic adapters were uninstalled. reinstalled, and updated multiple times, but this did not work.

2. Repair corrupted system files and run virus scan. No corrupted files or virus detected.
3. Installed modules and using cmd and PowerShell to force resolution to change. Did not work.
4. Uninstall windows update, reinstall windows system, reset to previous windows system, did not work.
5. Using Control Panel, including NVIDA Control Panel and Intel Graphics Command Center to custom my resolution, the resolution option disappeared in both apps.

PLS Help.

Answer 1

It was quite despairing. I tried countless methods, working almost 24/7 and staying up until 4 in the morning, but nothing seemed to work. I finally decided to reset my entire computer out of frustration because I had exhausted all other options. However, before resetting, I made a few last attempts in Safe Mode. Unfortunately, my resolution was still frozen even in Safe Mode.

When I tried to reset my computer, it told me that I couldn’t do that in Safe Mode. I got stuck trying to get my computer back to normal mode (somehow, just restarting wouldn’t make Safe Mode exit). It took me a while, but when I finally managed to reboot my computer normally, the problem was resolved. I can’t pinpoint exactly what fixed the issue, but I’ll share everything I tried that day in hopes it helps someone else. Here’s what I did, though not necessarily in this exact order:

1. Enter Safe Mode:
   • Press Win + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter.
   • Go to the "Boot" tab and check "Safe boot" with the "Minimal" option.
   • Restart your computer.
2. Edit the Registry:
   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
   • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\Configuration.
   • You will see several folders representing different display configurations. Click on each subfolder and inspect the values on the right pane.
   • Look for keys related to resolution settings, such as PrimSurfSize.cx, PrimSurfSize.cy, ActiveSize.cx, ActiveSize.cy, etc.
   • Find keys like PrimSurfSize.cx and PrimSurfSize.cy, which represent the width and height of the resolution, double-click on them to modify the values. Set them to the desired resolution values (e.g., 1920 for width and 1080 for height).
3. Uninstall Drivers in Safe Mode: This might be the correct answer
   • Boot into Safe Mode.
   • Open Device Manager (Press Win + X, then select Device Manager).
   • Expand Display adapters.
   • Right-click on your graphics card (both NVIDIA and Intel), and select Uninstall device. Check the box for "Delete the driver software for this device" if available.
4. Random Actions in Advanced Restart and UEFI:

In my final attempts, I was just trying to reset my computer and didn't care much about what I did in those moments. I made random modifications to anything that seemed related to the registry.

5. Some BIOS reinstall, Reinstalling the BIOS might help resolve some underlying issues. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions to download and install the latest BIOS version.

6.A bunch of different drivers: Instead of using the original Intel driver that came with my manufacturer, I installed Intel Arc Control, Intel management components, NVIDA graphic driver, Go to the Intel, NVIDIA, and Dell websites and use their tools to check what drivers you can get. Try as many as you can, since one of them might work.

After performing these steps and finally rebooting my computer normally, the issue was resolved. Although I can’t specify the exact action that fixed it, I hope these steps help someone else facing a similar problem.

Answer 2

I have had the same issue in my classroom. I unplugged the extended display from my computer and then plugged it back in and it let me change the settings. It is a more simple solution that seems to be working for me. I hope it helps someone else because this issue has plagued me for over a year!

Answer 3

Thats because you have updated drivers from the wrong source.

Win11 by default only installs critical security updates, unless you made the mistake of selecting “Get latest updates” which includes drivers.

See your PC makers support to update both bios and ALL drivers.

There should be a shortcut to that makers update utility on your system.

Then set Bios to defaults & Pwr to balanced. At the end of the day shutdown, do not leave in sleep

Do not update drivers from any other source

See dell update specific to your #Tag

Theres even Dell diagnostics

Answer 4

Here are all different driver things I installed back in the days:

Answer 5

I have the same system and had the same problem.

I fixed the resolution issue by completing the following;

All From Dell Support Page:

Download and install the latest BIOS,

Updated Intel chipset Driver,

And

Driver for the Intel Video Card Driver. (If the system states you have a newer driver installed, ignore and complete the Dell version).

BJ