My screen resolution is 1280x1024 on a CRT monitor. I find that whenever I launch most newly installed games for the first time, if the default resolution is ~1024x768, or lower, then my screen will shake left and right uncontrollably. Then when I make it to the options and set the resolution to 1280x1024 (or near that if 1280x1024 isn't available) then it pops back to the center and doesn't shake anymore.

However, in old games like Fallout and Planescape Torment that have no resolution settings, I can't do anything about the shaky screen issue. These games are unplayable for me because the screen shakiness is too much. For some reason though, Arcanum worked just fine for me, no shakiness. I played through that all the way to the end.

I'm still on Windows XP Pro SP3. Have a 17" Dell CRT and my video card is an ATI Radeon HD 4850.

Anybody know how to fix the screen shaking? I don't want to play with unofficial high-resolution patches. I like the charm of playing an old game at its default 640x480 (or whatever) resolution as the developer intended it to be played.

Have you installed the driver specific to that monitor? What cable connection are you using?

I always use the latest AMD video drivers, Steam has a convenient AMD video driver updater. The CRT is VGA, but I'm connected to the DVI port with a "VGA-to-DVI" adapter that came with the video card.

Yes, but did you get the driver for the monitor itself? I've seen that the correct driver for my old NEC 21 inch CRT makes a difference in picture quality so the proper driver for your screen may have a positive effect on this problem.

If you have a VGA output from the card, you may want to give that a shot instead of using the convertor.

With CRT monitors it's best to check the recommended refresh rate beforehand. The ones I used were usually in the 72 to 75 Hz range. This Dell, for example, is listed as 85 Hz.

You're right, of course; I edited my post. It's been far too long since I've dealt with CRTs.