Aspect ratio and resolution problem

[Lobotomy Lobster]

All Half Life 2 games no longer allow me to use the aspect ratio and resolution settings that I have been using for months.

I'm on a laptop with an ATI X1600 and a monitor that uses 1280x1024 as the native resolution. Normally I use 1024x768 in 16:9 widescreen as this gives me better FPS.

However, in recent weeks HL2 has greyed out the 16:9 option. The only options I can take are 800x600 or 1024x768 in 4:3, or 1280x1024 in 16:10. I understand that these options are normally greyed out to stop people breaking their monitors, but I know that this laptop can play things in 1024x768 with 16:9 because I have been doing so for months with no bad effects.

I first noticed this problem when I installed the new build of Insurgency. I have had a hiatus from Valve games for a month or so, so the problem has arisen in the past few months. I haven't updated any of my video card drivers or knowingly changed anything on my end, so I believe the problem must either be a Steam update or an MS update to Windows somehow.

I've tried playing in windowed with a force resolution that's between the two, but that makes the game very small and I still get fairly bad FPS. I've looked on Steam support but there doesn't seem to be any way to force aspect ratio, especially when playing full screen.

If anyone knows any sort of solution to this then I'd be very grateful.

 

[giant384]

you cant make 4:3 become 16:9 without it stretching. 1024x768 is a 4:3 only resolution.

 

[Lobotomy Lobster]

Well I believe that's part of my problem. Running 1024x768 at 4:3 stretches badly on this laptop, which is why the 16:9 was a god send.

 

[giant384]

im confused, your trying to play 1024x768(4:3) in 16:9 and not have it stretch? thats impossible. unless i read your post wrong and you had the black bars on the left and right side of your screen with the game in the middle to make a 4:3 resolution.