Vista - Why do programs split

The problem I am having is when I install programs (mostly games) lately
(since using Vista), the screen displays the game screen split to opposite
corners: i.e., what should be the lower left of the screen is in the
upper-right quarter, and that section is in the lower-left quarter, and etc,
with the middle sections, both from top to bottom, and left to right missing
(unviewable).

I have tried messing with screen resolutions in varying stages but any
changes I make are nullified once the game starts and tries to set it's own
display resolution options on it, and the game goes to the usual problem.

I even tried some of the options listed in the self help section, such as
setting it to run in emulation of another OS, didn't help, and even using
that "disable AeroGlass" option, also to no avail. The problem isn't with
the display quality itself, or anything else like that, because what I can
see of it, looks very good.

Some of the simpler games have an option to play in a window, and others
have that choice you can make in the command line, but having to search that
out every time to play a game, or to have to set it for each game is
ridiculous, and shouldn't be necessary. I am looking for a solution, maybe a
setting within Vista itself, that would help solve this problem, and let the
games install and play like they should without having to do a whole lot of
screwing around to do it for each game.

wulf-359@hotmail.com