If all else fails...

One of my favorite things about my new video card (a Radeon 5770 by XFX) is that I can connect it to our large LCD TV and play movies or games on it, while streaming the sound over the HDMI cable. I also appreciate how the sound output automatically switches to the HDMI output whenever I extend the desktop to the TV, and then goes back to my surround sound headphones when I disable the display, all without me having to alter any settings. However, I recently ran into an issue with this - not with the sound, but with the video.

Whenever I extended my desktop to the TV, it would cut off a couple inches of the screen to the left and right. Naturally, this wasn't desirable. I spent a considerable amount of time changing settings in the ATI control panel, uninstalling and re-installing drivers, and searching Google for similar problems that others might have experienced. I couldn't find anything. I was at my wit's end when suddenly I realized there was something was overlooking - the TV settings. Sure enough, a few seconds playing with the TV remote told me that the screen was set to a 4:3 ratio instead of 16:9, and like magic, I suddenly had all of my desktop real estate displaying on the screen. I was glad I hadn't posted my issue on any forums, because I would never have lived that one down.

Remember, your problems aren't always as horrible as they may seem. The real solution could be much simpler than all the fixes you've been throwing at it.