Does: xrandr --size 1280x800
fix it for you?
I tried this in the systems > monitor menu option but that's not ideal either. I lose any tabs I had at the bottom of the screen and it squeezes the text.
(no idea if this could be bad for the monitor - old
CRTs could be damaged by setting improper resolution, I thought)
It's a TFT monitor. (15".)
Bev.