nVidia Driver issue while trying to transition to Windows 7

[TheManuel]

Motivated by the recent MKK PC release and a few other reasons, I'm trying to migrate my cab to Windows 7.  One problem I'm facing is that I use a CRT TV 480i with component inputs. 

In Windows XP, with older drivers, I can set my desktop and applications to any resolution I want and the driver will scale everything to 480i for my TV, so I can clone my PC monitor without issues.  This allows me a lot of flexibility and bypasses issues with applications that don't like 640x480, etc.  Newer drivers don't allow for this flexibility and you have to essentially use span mode to have a different resolution in each monitor, or use 480i for both monitors.

Now, in Windows 7, the trick of using the old drivers doesn't work.  No matter how many times I set the TV signal format to 480i in the nVidia control panel, it simple won't take.  The image will come up all garbled because it's pumping to the TV, the full 1024x768p that I use on the PC monitor.

Does anybody have any insight on how I can get around this?

[Malenko]

are you enabling VGA output? (hit F8 prior to windows boot)

[TheManuel]

I'll try this but how does it relate to component output?
Also, why would this be necessary for Win 7 and not for XP, both of which are dual booting on the same computer?

[Malenko]

XP outputs at 640x480 with no problem, Win7 needs to have VGA output enabled, and by VGA mode I mean 640x480 resolution.

[TheManuel]

I see.  I'm not sure that's the problem, though.  In spanned mode, I can get the TV to 480i without issues, so the output is there.  I just can't get the drivers to downscale everything to 480i for the TV in clone mode setting the desktop to a different resolution, like I can can in Windows XP.

Do you think that's related to the VGA enable issue?

[Malenko]

I cant say for sure, but its not going hurt to try.

[TheManuel]

I tried and it did not work.  Many thanks for Malenko for his suggestion, though.

When you used a TV through component, did you used spanned modes instead of clone?

[Malenko]

its just been too long for me to remember, sorry man. This is the exact reason I stopped fighting the tube TV and eventually replaced it with an LCD. Bets of luck with it though.