KVM switch + Windows 7 creates monitor switching nightmare

Afzal

You have got to be kidding me mate,this is a classic Microsoft Stuff Up.

 Firstly Microsoft needs to get their heads out of their  backsides (denoting ignorant dark place) with this one and secondly you really need to get past the attitude of looking down your noses at everyone else and treating the rest of the world like idiots anyone with an ounce of brains and self respect left in the IT sector, doesn't work for MS, they have more sense than that, because of that reason actually and because they have better things to do.

Now that I've had my rant, I have the same problem with my "Aten Master-View Dual-VGA USBKVM" switch, whenever I switch to one of the other 4 PC's attached to the KVM and then back again to Win 7 everything has moved across the the 2nd monitor and the default LCD is black and has literally vanished, no longer in the Device manager,

So to get the Default Monitor back  I have to right Click Monitors & select "Scan for Hardware changes" then the default monitor returns and from there I have to rearrange everything back to where it was before I switched.

This problem has only been evident on my System, from the early stages after installing Win 7 Service Pack 1.

Now tell me that isn't a fault with windows 7 and I will start believing in "Flying Elephants" & "Pink Fairies" It's obvious that it was/is a Windows 7 Update that has/is causing the problem, even "Blind Freddie" can see that Microsoft, why can't you.

The other main problem is that those of us with this issue are just a minority, a noiseless and not vocal enough minorithy, so they don't take notice.

Willy Hunt

I've been tracking this for some time as I too suffer from this issue (KVM + 2 monitors).

For our newcomers . . .

There has been a lot of cross posting on video card drivers, etc.

For those tuning in, this issue is specifically related to EDID/ DDC information not being broadcasted to all connected systems by the switch.

Windows periodically polls for connected monitors, and the inactive system "forgets" its previous monitor connection through the KVM.

Driver related solutions merely provide a work around, this is not an ATI or NVidia specific issue.

Possible solution / Request for MS:

It is clear that MS will not provide a mechanism to alter the basic mechanics of the polling model.

Would there be the possibility of a "power toy" to emulate EDID responses in software?  This may not be trivial is this is currently done by some card makers at the driver level.  It would, however, provide a solution to affected users without re-architecting system functions or exposing protected API's.

I have placed a request for such a program at Microsoft's Sysinternals site, and encourage everyone to chime in on the thread.

Forum Home > Sysinternals Utilities > Utilities Suggestions ->

EDID Emulation for KVM/Win7 Compatability

http://forum.sysinternals.com/topic26881_post131427.html

Above was posted on Page 36, I continue to encourage all comers to up-vote this power toy request!

In the mean time, per my Page 37 Post:

Quote:

...  zBar (which more by luck than design) also provides a mechanism to solve the problem.  Again this program interacts with Windows 7's EDID polling mechanism.

To All Others:

I encourage everyone to see my previous post on Page 36.

I created a request for a PowerToy from sysinternals.  If enough people vote for it . . . 

Also please mark my page 36 post as helpful to hopefully increase visibility. 

In the meantime zBar is an indirect solution.  Many thanks to Tom Revell!!!!!

tried a windows 7 approved DVI KVM (IOGear GCS1104) switch, but whenever it was switched to another computer and came back to the win7 one, same thing as above - the DVI was no longer the primary monitor, windows 7 recognized only the VGA second monitor and the DVI would not even come on any longer.  Tech support was clueless. 

I gave up, sent the new KVM back, and bought a 23" monitor so I don't need two monitors.  With the reg fix I mentioned, the resolution stays intact when switching.  The only downside is the 10 second or so pause that the win7 machine takes every time I switch to it.  But I gave up trying to do it any other way.

This is lame! I have been reading the first 6 pages of this forum and then skipped to the last 3 to see that Microsoft did not do jack....I also have 2 monitors DVI as the main on and VGA(on KVM as second one) with extend display ON. When i connect another computer to the KVM(i install alot of desktops) and when i come back to my PC(win 7) my main monitor goes black and my 2nd monitor becomes primary and all my info goes on it. I then have to go to Screen rezolution and detect my main monitor again and rearange some of the windows i had open. Come on MS help the I.T. guys with this. Its a freaking stupid matter that affects us daily. I cant go to my boss and tell him: you know i have yo biy another KVM cause Microsoft doesn`t have the time to fix a bug that is irritating me to ****.

I went in to regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\configuration

browse the entries below that, and I found a setting for the lower resolution that win7 was defaulting to.  I manually changed it to the 1280X1024 and then whenever I switch back to the win7 machine from the winxp machine, the resolution remained at the higher setting.

no guarantees, and I suggest back up your reg file before messing with it!  but it worked for me.

Thanks! This finally worked on at least one new system I am building and ran into this same old problem :)