topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Thursday March 28, 2024, 8:38 am
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: alternatives to windows magnifier  (Read 7166 times)

techidave

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 1,044
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
alternatives to windows magnifier
« on: July 30, 2009, 09:12 PM »
I have a friend who just purchased a HP Pavilion dv3-2155mx netbook.  She has very poor eyesight like macular degeneration so everything has to be big in print or on screen.  The netbook has a 13.3" screen with a max resolution of 1366 x 768.  I can lower the resolution thus increasing the size of everything but that doesn't necessarily help that much.  I know Windows Vista has a magnifier but I don't think she will like that very well.

Is there some other kind of solution that I can use to help her out?  It would have to work for any screen or window that she might open.

thanks a bunch!

lanux128

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 6,277
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: alternatives to windows magnifier
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2009, 10:26 PM »
instead of lowering the resolution, you can increase icon & fonts size to make things look big on the screen. you can right-click on the desktop and choose 'Properties' then go to 'Appearance' tab and choose the "Font Size" and in the same tab, click on the 'Effects' button and check "Use large icons".

as for the magnifier, the one i like most is ScreenMagnifier by holomind at the AHK forums. there is a compiled exe as well in that thread.

rjbull

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 3,199
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: alternatives to windows magnifier
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2009, 04:37 AM »
The author of Q-Dir also offers OneLoupe as freeware, but I have no idea whether it will be good enough for your friend.


techidave

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 1,044
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: alternatives to windows magnifier
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2009, 07:21 AM »
I have also heard about Xoomer here

I will try out some of these and see how she likes it later on today.

techidave

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 1,044
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: alternatives to windows magnifier
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2009, 07:23 AM »
In following Lanux's suggestion, I could do that and then increase the text size in IE, Word, and Outlook and see what that does for her.

joiwind

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2009
  • *
  • Posts: 486
  • carpe momentum
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: alternatives to windows magnifier
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2009, 11:52 AM »
There is also Virtual Magnifying Glass at Sourceforge : Magnifier