Everything you ever wanted to know, or should know, about screen resolution...
When Windows 3.1 came out in the early 1990's, the screen resolution was a standard 640x480 (see next section for a definition of the numbers). The resolution was related both to hardware and software restrictions. Starting with Windows 95 and the hardware that runs it, the resolution can be changed to as high as 1600x1200 - and maybe higher on certain hardware.
AIMS was designed with 800x600 resolution as the default and "best" resolution. This is the next setting above 640x480; just in case, we also designed screens to also handle 640x480, but with some limitations.
Resolution Definition
The numbers of the screen resolution are a measurement of "pixels" -- which is short for "picture elements". Basically, the screen is made up of very small dots of lights, each dot is a pixel. The more pixels you have, the higher the resolution and the smaller the pixels, the clearer or sharper the image.
In the VERY old days of computers, TV screens could be used for computer monitors, but the resolution was terrible because the pixels were so big and blurry. But TV screens -- or more accurately, TV monitors -- have also advanced to the point that they are sometimes used as computer monitors again.
The resolution number, such as 640x480, means the monitor has 640 pixels across (horizontal) and 480 pixels in height (vertical). Most monitors can handle several different resolutions; it's a combination of the features of the monitor, the video driver (inside the computer), the Windows version and the specific software application.
AIMS Resolution
As mentioned earlier, AIMS was designed with 800x600 resolution in mind. This mainly affects how the single-animal views were setup and the size of the tabs. Many screens, especially the spreadsheet ("All") views, are capable of enlarging to whatever resolution is in place.
At a minimum, it is highly recommended that your computer be set to 800x600, due to the default designs. You can use 640x480, but you're actually missing some valuable features of AIMS. For example, the pedigree screen at 640x480 cannot display the animals' names -- they won't fit. Also, the single-animal views of certain tabs, such as Registry, can't display all of the fields they were intended to show.
Examples
Look at these examples of various AIMS screens at three different resolutions.
How to change the resolution
This is actually fairly easy: Click on the Start button, then Control Panel, then double-click on Display. Go to the Settings tab of the Display window and look for Screen Area. Depending on your monitor, video adapter and Windows version, you will have several possible settings which can be changed by sliding a little pointer left or right with the mouse. The lowest setting will probably be 640x480; the next increment will be 800x600, then 1024x768. It may stop here depending on the limitations of your hardware and software.
Once you have picked a setting and clicked on Ok or Apply, the screen resolution will change. But it will be temporary until you click on Yes when asked if you wish to keep those settings. At first, you may cringe at "how small" the pictures and words are, but as you get used to it, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. Of course there is a limit to how high you can set the resolution before it really is impossible to read, but give it a chance, at least at one increment above what you have been using. It's also reasonable to change the resolution depending on what software you are using at the time, or even WHO is using it.
One more thing, you will need to restart AIMS (and perhaps other programs too) in order for it to recognize what resolution the computer is set at.