Restore the 1152x864 resolution in 10.3

Feb 24, '05 08:47:00AM

Contributed by: manxman

Some people (including me) have lost the ability to select a resolution of 1152x864 in certain circumstances. This seems to have disappeared during various generations of Panther updates. There is also some speculation on the web about Iiyama monitors not reporting all the available resolutions.

On one of my systems that has had Panther installed from scratch, 1152x864 is not an optional resolution, and it does have an Iiyama monitor connected. On a 19" monitor, this size is a good compromise between text size and desktop space. One solution is to use a shareware app to add to available resolutions -- there are several out there -- but quite honestly, I just wanted to add it and forget it.

After extensive testing, the only thing that is needed to get 1152x864 back is to add one line to a file named IOGraphicsProperties.plist. This file is located in /System -> Library -> Frameworks -> IOKit.framework -> Version -> A -> Resources/.

Naturally, you have to be logged in as root to get at this file. All the usual stuff applies -- make a copy of the file, save it safely somewhere, and edit the original in TextEdit). Near the top of the file, look for the line that reads:

<key>gtf-resolutions</key>
Below this line is a list of resolutions. Add the following line after the one with 1024 in it:
<integer>1152</integer>
I have found that it is not necessary to change any of the resolution lists that follow this array. Save the file, quit the editor, and reboot. You should now have 1152x864 as an option in Display preferences. Presumably the aspect ratio is calculated from the 1152, as it was not necessary to change anything else.

[robg adds: Instead of logging in as root, it's much safer (and a bit easier) to edit this file using sudo in the Terminal and terminal-based editor such as pico or vi. Alternatively, I would recommend copying the file in the Finder as your normal admin user, saving a backup of that copy, editing the first copy, and then placing the edited version back into its original folder. You won't be able to just drag and drop it, but if you hold down Option to copy the file, the system will then prompt you to replace the existing file, and then ask for your admin password. Either option is a better solution than logging in as root...]

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