Windows 7 Dual Monitors - Turning off a monitor causes desktop to rearrange resulting in significant amounts of lost productivity.

Anonymous
2010-02-03T17:25:23+00:00

I have 2 monitors connected to a nVidia FX 580 card running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. One monitor is connected via DVI and the other via DP (Display Port).

If I turn off the DP monitor, I hear the windows sound indicating hardware was "removed". When I turn the monitor back on, I hear the new hardware sound, windows re-detects the monitor as if I just installed it, and my entire desktop icon layout and any windows I had open are then all rearranged and takes a significant amount of time re-organizing to get back to where I was.

I leave my PC on 24hrs a day for several reasons - and for years have always just turned my monitors off when not in use.

I need to be able to turn off my monitors without windows deciding that I have "removed" a monitor.

I work for a medical imaging software company where we provide complete hardware and software solutions for use in Radiology departments in hospitals. These systems typically have 3 or 4 monitors connected, all via DP these days. Because of the possibility of the users desktop getting messed up if they happen to turn off a monitor, we are unable to install systems with Windows 7.

While many may see this as nothing more then a inconvenience, this is a show-stopper as far as we are concerned. As of yet I have not found a workable solution to this issue.

So here's the question: How do we disable this new behavior in Windows 7 and allow it to understand that the monitor hasn't gone away and that the desktop should not be rearranged simply because the monitor was turned off?

Thank you.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2015-02-28T12:44:10+00:00

I've written a little utility to address this issue. It's still very thrown together, but opensource, so you can compile from sources if you've got any security concerns.

Hope it works out for you!

http://www.ninjacrab.com/persistent-windows/

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-02-13T03:45:34+00:00

    In case this helps anyone, I was able to fix this problem . . .

    I have a dual monitor setup with a DVI monitor and a DisplayPort monitor, an HP LA2405wg.

    The HP monitor has its own on-screen menus that let you configure it.  You access them by using the buttons on the monitor itself.  There is a setting under Source Control / Source Detection.  This appears to control how the monitor gives info to the display board as to whether it is on or not.  There are two somewhat opaquely named choices. "Low Power", the default, evidently tells the display board when the monitor is in a low power state.  The other choice, "Always Active", apparently tells the display board that the monitor is active, even when it actually is not.

    Setting this parameter to "Always Active" eliminated the window repositioning problem when I powered off my monitor.  It may be that other monitors have a similar setting (with a different name, almost certainly) that would fix this problem for you.

    P.S. My HP monitor also has a setting to control DDC/CI, and I thought that changing that setting would fix this problem . . . but it did not.  Changing that setting may fix the problem on other monitors, however.  Also, the "Source Detection" setting on other HP monitor models may be called "DP Hot-Plug Detection".

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-10-28T20:46:35+00:00

    Windows8 is a joke of an operating system, it is VISTA revisited.

    Microsoft's best, stellar product which survived far beyond expected lifecycle was WindowsXP, next is Windows7.  Between them was putrid Vista and now "WIndows* for dummies" aka Windows8.

    The professional community i.e. IT people engineers, scientists, researchers, powerusers, technical, brainy people - do not accept a smartphone on their desktop which Windows8 is - designed for housewives, kids, 14-year old girls, "soft majors" like philosophy & history, & such... but if so, they could go "full retard" & switch to an OS which truly overvalues shallow form over hard substance - Apple's.

    Anyway,

    You received Windows8 because it is enforced by new computer sales.

    But if you downgrade to Windows7, it may be possible you'd solve problem by using presumably working solution YOURSELF found for Win7 ?

    Whoever thought Tiles or Metro Interface is "productive" or somehow better than WindowsXP's style Start Menu, keyboard shortcuts, brute computing power for PROFESSIONAL/POWER USERS - is the same kind who crafted ObamaCare this decade & "Microsoft Bob" from 1990's, with their chicken brains.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-08-23T14:59:54+00:00

    I have a Windows 8 PC with a Radeon video card. I don't know if these keys will apply to you, but changing the values on these keys from 1 to 0 fixed the issue for me. If you can't find these specific keys, search your registry for DMMEnableDDCPolling and change all values from 1 to 0. Below are the correct values. Also, this only happens on the display attached with an HDMI cable and only seems to happen in Win7/8, haven't tried Vista.

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0000]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0002]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Video{E11F2CC1-8D40-4149-A995-E149737BDFA5}\0000]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Video{E11F2CC1-8D40-4149-A995-E149737BDFA5}\0001]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0000]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class{4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0002]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video{E11F2CC1-8D40-4149-A995-E149737BDFA5}\0000]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video{E11F2CC1-8D40-4149-A995-E149737BDFA5}\0001]

    "DMMEnableDDCPolling"=dword:00000000

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-02-04T16:36:38+00:00

    Hi Mrsmith123,

    Please note that, we cannot make windows to ignore any hardware changes, as this will detect any hardware changes and will install the respectful drivers for the drivers.

    Also note that the issue which you are facing might due to the change in resolution, which will rearrange the desktop icons.

    In order to troubleshoot this issue you need to update the drivers for your monitor and also the graphic card drivers.

    I recommend you to update the graphic drivers and see if it makes any difference. You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.

    1. Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

    2.      In Device Manager, locate the device, and then double-click the device name.

    3.      Click the Driver tab, and then click Update Driver and follow the instructions.

    Now try to follow the below provided link to Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly and check for the issue.

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Update-a-driver-for-hardware-that-isnt-working-properly

    To update the drivers for your monitor you need to contact your hardware manufacturer.

    For more information in troubleshooting Troubleshoot multiple monitor problems

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-multiple-monitor-problems

    Thanks and Regards:

    Shalini Surana - Microsoft Support.

    Visit our  Microsoft Answers Feedback Forumand let us know what you think.

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