KVM switch + Windows 7 creates monitor switching nightmare

Anonymous
2009-10-29T16:44:18+00:00

I have a problem with Windows 7 and my KVM switch (Iogear model# gcs1764) which is makes switching via KVM an absolute nightmare.  The iogear KVM does not use drivers nor are any available on their website.

Here's what happens:

I switch from Win 7 (2 monitors) to XP (1 monitor) via KVM.  When I switch back to Win 7 (2 monitors) sometimes Win 7 will throw my desktop to the 2nd monitor (1st monitor goes blank) and opening up display settings only shows the 2nd monitor as existing.  It's as if the 1st monitor is now unplugged which it isn't.  At this point I have to go into display settings, click Detect, and then it re-detects my 1st monitor and "extends" my desktop back out over 2 monitors.  All windows have now been thrown to my 1st monitor and i have to rearrange all my work back across 2 monitors.  This is why KVM switching in Win 7 makes my work life a living nightmare.  This isn't all of it either...

When everything gets thrown to my first monitor, it takes any windows that were maximized and resizes them to about 1/4 my screen size.  Due to compatibility issues between Win 7 and SQL Server Management Studio, Management Studio has a redraw bug that doesn't "re-size" the query window correctly.  So even though I maximize the app, when I start typing in the query window my text disappears about 1/4 the way across the whole window.  The only way to fix this is to save all my work, close the app, and then re-open the app with all my work.  So basically every time I switch computers there's about a 1/5 chance I have rinse and repeat everything I just typed above.  Fun times.

So are there any future fixes planned for this?  I have tried everything and nothing fixes this problem.  I have all the latest Nvidia drivers (my card: Nvidia GTS 250).

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-04-25T03:05:25+00:00

    The implementation of the "feature" in Windows 7 means our company cannot migrate to Windows 7, and so we need to stay with Vista or rollback to XP.   I'll check this thread in 6 months to see if this is solved and in the meantime, we are halting any further testing and debugging of Windows 7.  Not worth wasting more time on this absurd issue. 

    If you have multiple monitor systems on high resolution DVI monitors, Windows 7 is unworkable in its present state.

    We just tried this again, with a fresh install of Windows 7, same KVM and Monitors, and it works fine.  Seems like some sort of patch was put in place to make this work, so I am starting testing so we can go ahead and upgrade from Vista to Windows 7.  I'll let the new system run for a month and verify this is really fixed.  Anyone else notice this seems to be fixed now?

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-04-20T23:26:59+00:00

    hard to believe this critical error has been around since Oct 2009.   I am a large corporate user who is  just beginning the switch to Windows 7  what a nightmare.  This screen switching is a killer. I may have to go back to XP.  My situation is similar to this thread except I use VNC to share one keyboard and mouse between two systems.  Windows 7 sees my mouse move to the other screen and promptly blanks ( white 24" 1920 X 1200 screen)  the windows 7 system while I work on the other machine.  The whole idea is to be able to see both screens at the same time and effectively work on two computers at the same time.  This worked great in XP.  Windows 7 does not work at all;  I just want it to ignore where the mouse is and keep displaying the screen it had before focus changed to the secondary  or more systems.  HOW can windows 7 not support KVM ?

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-03-25T13:25:34+00:00

    I didn't want to send people on a wild goose chase with all the updates but here they were from that day.  I hope there are no typos in the numbers...

    KB2455826

    KB2425227

    KB2387530

    KB2479628

    KB2495644

    KB2467023

    KB2484033

    KB2487426

    KB2457592

    KB2488113

    KB2393802

    KB2485376

    KB2419640

    KB976902

    One more comment on the behavior.

    I have a dual monitor set-up where my desktop has analog connection thru KVM with my laptop but I have the second monitor connected on the digital cable so I can have Windows Media Center to watch TV on.

    Now that it is fixed, the only problem I now have is that if I am working on my laptop (thru KVM), for instance, and I plug a device (mp3 player or headphones) to the desktop, all the windows on the desktop move over to the one screen in use (digital).

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-03-24T18:38:05+00:00

    I performed a Windows Update the other day and since the Update, I have not had this issue.  

    One of the updates was:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2454826

    There were others, but before I list all of them, perhaps someone might try to load this one on its own and see if that fixes this behavior.

    I have this update applied and unfortunately it did not help my problem.

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  5. Anonymous
    2011-03-12T00:42:28+00:00

    I performed a Windows Update the other day and since the Update, I have not had this issue.  

    One of the updates was:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2454826

    There were others, but before I list all of them, perhaps someone might try to load this one on its own and see if that fixes this behavior.

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