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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).
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Relying on 3rd party hacks to resolve clear problems with the O/S approach to display detection would be very poor form.
So in fact, you hope they'll actually change the way they do things then? Because seeing as that's how they've been operating in the last 15 years... :+P
I think MS will need to do something for this. Relying on 3rd party hacks to resolve clear problems with the O/S approach to display detection would be very poor form. Over time more and more people are going to discover this problem.
Here are a couple possibly related pages from the Windows Vista Display Driver Model Design Guide. If you can understand MS jargon they may say something.
This one appears to describe that W7 is different in some way:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd835165.aspx
This one describes the different methods for detecting monitor connections:
It might also be an idea to implement a hotkey for a one off manual sync for those occassions where you find yourself without a display due to locking in a currently unavailable display configuration.
That would be so cool!!! Sometimes Win7 never displays when I switch back to one of my systems... so I have to press the power button to force a shutdown! That's the most ridiculous thing... since we also have a problem with Win7 being too aggressive at updating monitor state!
I'm quite sure MS are never gonna implement this option though... but I wonder if there could be a hack for it eventually. Also, I'm quite sure they won't let us disable the monitor detection... that would also be a good candidate for a hack. I'd be willing to risk testing that on one of my computers if someone ever comes up with either hacks.
Hi Xenubite,
I think the simple and effective solution would be to provide a tick box to disable the detection of monitor presence.
To resync the desktop with any display hardway changes the user can then come back, re-enable the feature and click apply.
The user is then back in control of the desktop or if they want, by default, windows can try to manage it.
It might also be an idea to implement a hotkey for a one off manual sync for those occassions where you find yourself without a display due to locking in a currently unavailable display configuration.
