Display resolution keeps resetting

[myworldforme]

When ever I shut down, restart, put to sleep, hibernate, do anything to my computer that involves turning it off, even for a short period of time, the screen resolution keeps resetting itself to the lowest setting. I really don't want this and it gets a bit annoying to have to keep changing it back to the way I like it. Can anyone help?

Stats:
Original resolution: 1440 X 900 pix
Keeps resetting to: 800 X 600 pix

Windows Vista
Nvidia Geforce 8600M GS
17" laptop
Intel Centrino Duo 1.67Ghz

[TheEmperor]

Do you have the latest drivers for the Nvidia card?
If so uninstall the video card and the monitor from Device manager, restart your PC and reinstall them.

Test and report back.

[myworldforme]

I uninstalled my video card, and monitor uninstalled with it, restarted computer, and now I can't seem to reinstall it. It keeps running a scan for new hardware, finds the video card, trys to install it again but keeps getting an error. I tried downloading driver software from nvidia but its not working, windows update wont install the driver, so I'm still trying to get it to work but no luck so far with even reinstalling it.

Another quick question: i have a recovery drive on my computer that i set when I first got this computer. If i use it, will my programs/files be deleted? I was just thinking i might be able to set it back to the previous proper settings when this never happened, but afraid I will lose the programs I installed on this computer and my files that I have on this computer.

[TheEmperor]

That partition will destroy everything on your hard drive and return it to the exact state it was in when you bought it.

Ok, make sure that no drivers are currently installed for that video card. Restart your computer. When the Add Hardware wizard comes up hit CANCEL. DO NOT let it try to install.
Now run the Nvidia driver setup files and let it run to completion. Once it is finished reboot and it should now have your video card correctly detected and installed.

[myworldforme]

I tried your steps but it didn't seem to work so I contacted HP, my computer's brand and they told me the same thing but I told them it didn't work, so they led me through a recovery process thing where it only recovered my graphics card driver, and I didn't have to recover anything else.

So now my main problem is fixed: screen resolution will stay now when i restart it 
But another problem arose: I don't think my Windows Desktop Manager (process dwm.exe) isn't running properly. It's either that or something that has to do with nvidia so I'll give them a check. On like my browser, and not just my browser but for example, the top bar (with the close, minimize buttons) aren't see through like they used to be and from what I remember, every time i ended the task "dwm.exe" it would do the same thing thats happening right now. Any suggestions?

[TheEmperor]

You may have to go in to your dwm settings and reconfigure the transparency. All of the file restoring and stuff might have reset them to the default.

[myworldforme]

Could you please tell me how? I'm really stumped on this one

I have a feeling I know what it is...before I did all this stuff I could choose whether I wanted to use the monitor or the nvidia monitor and now I cannot choose that. And before when I clicked "personalize" on the right click menu for the desktop, i had the option of using a nvidia control panel but I don't have either of those options now. I was thinking of just saving what I need on a external hard drive and just recovering my whole pc to the way I got it.

[TheEmperor]

Sounds like you no longer have the nVidia drivers installed, you are now using the manufacturers driver for your video card. You'll have to reinstall the nVidia drivers, make sure you are using Vista compatible drivers....

[myworldforme]

I have tried so many drivers, i made sure they were vista compatible, i made sure they supported my graphics card, that they were made for my graphics card, i even contacted my manufacturer and they gave me the exact driver i needed and it didnt work. So I'm just gonna recover my whole computer to when i bought it.