How do I get a external monitor to display its maximum(native) resolution?

[Guest Kilroy44]

Hey guys I have my mbp  connected to my dell 17" lcd monitor that has a native  resoulition of 1280x768. Yet  no matter which mode its in (extended or mirror) or if the mbp is closed, i can only select either 800x600 or 1024x768. So how do i get it so that i can set the resolution to 1280x768? Do i need to install the monitor driver onto my mbp? Help would be appreciated!

[granpa]

You didn't say if you had a monitor before that got the resolution or what operating system your using or what your system is. The first thing I would do is make sure that have the drivers for your video. I believe (all) monitors are plug in play.

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[Guest Kilroy44]

no i didnt have a monitor hooked up before that got the resolution. Im running windows vista and the system is a macbook pro notebook

[Guest Kilroy44]

Well i got it to display its native resolution (1280x768) in OSX. But in vista its still limited to 1024x768. Any ideas on how to get it to display its full res? Help guys