This tool was suggested as a solution through the Cool Solutions school admin tips contest. The reader wanted to start a certain program with a specified resolution, and after terminating that program he wanted to return to his original resolution. This program has a command line option that is very useful for this purpose.

MultiRes works very much like a 32-bit version of the venerable Microsoft QuickRes 16-bit applet for Windows 95, with administrative scripting facilities and extended capabilities to handle refresh rates and multiple monitors. Supported resolution and refresh rates are accessible from the command-line or from a simple menu that pops up from the system tray. An optional timed confirmation prompt – enabled by default in the program About box – ensures that any changes you make can be reversed safely, without fuss. While MultiRes - unlike EnTech's PowerStrip - does not allow you to define new display settings, it does give you quick and easy access to the ones the driver makes available – in a simple, compact and conservative package.

Scripting examples

Applying display settings to multiple monitors:

multires.exe /1:800,600,32,75 /2:1024,768,16,60 /3:640,480,8,85

where the first set of display settings (800,600,32,75) is applied to monitor number 1, the second set (1024,768,16,60) is applied to monitor number 2, and the third set of display settings (640,480,8,85) is applied to monitor number 3.

Restoring previous display settings:

multires.exe /restore

MultiRes always stores current display settings prior to making any changes, so that they can be easily restored on demand. This faciliates batch file processing, where it is desireable to run a specific application at a specific color depth and/or resolution, and then restore normal display settings when the application is closed. In the example below, assume the system is normally run at 1024,768,16 but it is desireable to run Internet Explorer at 800,600,32.

: batch file

multires.exe /800,600,32

start /w iexplore.exe

multires.exe /restore

For more examples and explanations, please refer to the documentation included with MultiRes.

MultiRes is free for personal and non-profit organizational use. Corporate site licensing information is available on request, by contacting sales@entechtaiwan.com.