Knowledge Base

BUG: GDI Limits DirectDraw Surfaces to 2048x2048

Article ID: 171249

Article Last Modified on 3/1/2005

Microsoft Win32 Device Driver Kit for Windows NT 4.0

This article was previously published under Q171249

SYMPTOMS

When an application tries to open a direct draw surface greater than 2048x2048, the call fails at the GDI layer. This can happen even when the video driver supports resolutions greater than 2048x2048.

CAUSE

The Windows Graphics subsystem range tests requests for direct draw surface dimensions. These are compile time constants that dictate the minimum and maximum values. These values are set to 2048x2048.

RESOLUTION

The only workaround is to stay within the current maximum resolution of 2048 X 2048.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. A fix to this problem is in development, but has not been regression-tested and may be destabilizing in production environments. Microsoft does not recommend implementing this fix at this time. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information on the availability of this fix. Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words: Direct Draw Limitations

Keywords: kbbug kbpending KB171249