220-1101 Question 189
Single answerScreen resolutionA user connects a new 27-inch monitor to a Windows 11 workstation and reports that text and icons look stretched and blurry. In Display Settings, the monitor is set to 1024 x 768 even though the monitor supports 1920 x 1080. The display cable is firmly connected, and the monitor works. Which action should the technician take FIRST to correct the image quality?
- A
Set the display resolution to the monitor's native resolution of 1920 x 1080
- B
Increase the refresh rate to the highest value available
- C
Replace the monitor because blurry text indicates a failing LCD panel
- D
Lower the color depth to improve sharpness
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best first step is to set the monitor to its native resolution, which in this case is 1920 x 1080. Flat-panel displays have a fixed pixel matrix, so non-native resolutions must be interpolated, often resulting in blur, distortion, or stretched images. This aligns with standard display troubleshooting best practices: verify the correct resolution before considering refresh rate, cable replacement, or monitor failure. Microsoft Windows display guidance and monitor vendor documentation consistently recommend using the recommended or native resolution for the sharpest image.
- A. Correct.
Correct. LCD and LED monitors are designed to look best at their native resolution. Running a 1920 x 1080 monitor at 1024 x 768 forces the display to scale the image, which commonly causes stretching and blur. The first troubleshooting step is to set the resolution to the panel's native resolution.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Refresh rate can affect flicker and motion smoothness, but it does not usually correct stretched or blurry text caused by using a non-native resolution. A technician might pick this because refresh settings are part of display configuration, but they are not the primary fix in this scenario.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The monitor is functioning and the issue matches a configuration problem, not a hardware failure. Replacing hardware before correcting the obvious resolution mismatch would be poor troubleshooting practice.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Color depth affects how many colors are displayed, not the geometric sharpness of text and icons. Someone might choose this if they confuse display quality settings, but lowering color depth will not resolve scaling blur from an incorrect resolution.