Small active desktop inside larger LCD panel

I recently purchased a SONY notebook.The primary OS as it is sold is XP Home but I used Partition Magic to create a blank partition.After hiding
the XP I made active the blank partition.I really had wanted to install Win 95(for a particular reason)but though installed OK,the size of the desktop was only about 6 wide x 5 high inside a larger 13 wide x about 8 high LCD panel area.

Out of curiosity,I deleted the 95 install and installed W2K Professional but after that was installed OK, I STILL see the SMALL 6x5 desktop inside a black surrounded LCD panel area as mentioned of 13x8.

What causes this small desktop to occur whether under 95 or under W2K?

I wish I could build a notebook(if one can do so) which didn't have a particular manufacturer's own software loaded by default.

 

At a guess the installs loaded the wrong video drivers for that system.

 

Where might I find the correct drivers?Manufacturers such as SONY typically don't include any software but the OS.

 

My recollection is that when an OS is installed,initially the resolution is affected by the install driver as opposed to the driver furnished with vid card but the size of the desktop is not affected,i.e. the desktop still fills the entire display area.Maybe scan rates are involved here????

 

I must be going mad...I saw you posted the same thing twice so I added to one of the posts with this info below but now the post has disappeared... Oh well...

Edit: I found the other post but it looks like my post didn't work...interesting...
Edit again...I found my missing post...I accidently added to a different thread... *embarrassed look*

I assume that your notebook is a Sony Viao Notebook?
- Sony Online Support
- Sony Downloads

 

Tks to... "embarrassed! "

Well,in fact I HAD posted to both a Win95 and a Win2000 forum since at various times during last few days I have been playing with both OS's in partitions

I truly hate specialty(notebook manufacturer's) software which is clearly not for folks who are "into "cptrs and even build their own(at least desktops).

Tks for links which at least LOOK promising.

It is puzzling to me why even during install of W2K(or 95),the usable image "screen "is small inside the total available panel area.Drivers for vid cards
usually affect resolution and are effective after an OS is installed, but it almost looks as if SONY loads some sort of video drivers(if that is the word) as early as POST in THEIR modified(forget as I write whose) BIOS .

Well,I'll try drivers you linked to,with tks,but again I am uneasy whether SONY
does "something" affecting image size long before an OS is installed.

Seashore(as in .. "at the... ")

 

well,at least partial success!

Well,I followed "Dobhar's" link to SONY site for my notebook,.downloaded the latest vid driver and...the entire display area is now filled....using XP.Though I originally wanted to install 95 in a Partition Magic created partition, I was unable to see anything but a small window inside a larger display and this was true even when I experimented with W2K Pro.

The driver file is shown as being for XP but I don't know what if anything it would have done under 95 or W2K.

Well,even with XP I can install what I want.

At least what I thought was a cptr totally fouled up by me is working in one OS.