KVM switch + Windows 7 creates monitor switching nightmare

I'm sorry - but this is not an acceptable answer.

In addition to Windows 7 being affected - this also affects Windows 2008 R2.  Now - you're telling the thousands of IT Data Centers that they have to upgrade all of their older KVM's in order to use 2008 R2???  Ok - which KVM Company are you getting kickbacks from?  I don't know of any Company Data centers that don't have KVM's so that they can control multiple servers from one console.

BTW:  This isn't just in Windows 7/2008 R2 - the problem, to a lesser extent, exists in Vista/2008 as well.

Under Windows XP I was able to restart a computer - switch to another while it was restarting - and then return after it had completed restarting and it's resolution would be to what I had set it to.  Under Vista/2008 - that stopped working - it would reset to the default resolution - but only on a reboot.  This was minorly annoying...

Under Windows 7 it's now so much worse.  I can't even install 7 on one of my PC's (NVidia GEForce 7900GS) without disconnecting it completely from the KVM.  It goes through the install - however once it hits the windows environment it goes completely black.  On that particiular PC I had to downgrade to the last NVidia Vista driver (before they started supporting Win7) in order to at least get my system visible.

Microsoft's stance is that Windows 7 is suppose to fix all the issues that people had upgrading to Vista.  Well one of the biggest issues was backward's compatibility with older hardware.  Based on that - this answer should also not be acceptable to Microsoft

FIX THE ISSUE or provide us a registry setting/hack to stop the functionality...

Joseph W. Leathlean

I am having a similar problem I suspect caused by the same "feature"

I have a new system I built using the hd4200 onboard ati video.

My first problem was the new drivers removed the ability to adjust the desktop area for my 52 inch tv.So I am using the older ati drivers.

 I am not sure if the problem I have now existed previously as I just built this system.When I switch my tv inputs{52 inch sharp aquos} to watch tv I hear the device disconnected sound.When I switch back any open windows are all moved over to the left stacked on top each and on top of my sidebar.

  So I appear to have the same problem as the kvm users.How could such a feature get thru testing.I am using my computer as HTPC.Surely this is a perfect example of the uses that Microsoft had intended.

Is there a registry hack or a service to disable that will stop this from happening?

I'm having a similar problem. When I switch to my work PC that runs XP, It switched fin, but when I switch to my Win 7 pc, I have to turn my monitor off, then back on and hit C+A+D a few times to get it to turn the monitor back on. Very frustrating. Same thing happened in Vista to me. Amazing that a newer operating system that constantly monitors displays doesn't recognize when you turn the monitor back on or switch back from a KVM as good as an OS released 6 years ago did.

I experienced this issue when I began using the WIN 7 Beta. I had installed the 64bit beta and did all the tricks mentioned here to try and stop the window resizing, positioning when switching away from the win7 system. The best i could come up with was the minimize all windows to desktop. As long as no window became active while you were switched away, this worked best. If however a window became active all bets were off.

When the RC came out I installed it 32 bit, and no longer had the issue, until a windows update to the video driver which returned the issue. I did a system restore to revert to the driver that came with the RC and am still running on the RC without the issue. 

Imagine my surprise, upon installing the WIN7 Release (64bit) on another system connected to the SAME KVM, this issue has returned and if anything is worse.  Not only does the window positions and sizes change, but on some occasions upon return to the win7 system the resolution is stuck at 1024x768, which is what has caused the windows to change their size and positon.  Clicking the Detect monitor button on on the change resolution window will automatically return the resolution to my normal 1920x1200. 

Meanwhile the Win 7 RC also still connected to the SAME KVM still does NOT have the issue.  Based on my experience with the issue and prior to reading the posts above, I was of the opinion that running 64bit OS had more to do with the issue than anything else, but now i am not so sure that is the case. 

The answer which currently has been given to this issue, " just replace the KVM switch with those KVM switches supporting FULL TIME/ Active DDC function." is about as acceptable as suggesting we replace our OS with one which supports our current KVM. 

I find it hard to believe this 'NEW feature' (bug) cannot be an option which could then be switched on or off if a user so desires.  The argument that 90% of users do not have or use KVM switches also will not be acceptable. (to me)

I read this forum thread, hoping to find a solution to the issue, and instead end up writing what is essentially a complaint against what is an outstanding OS release, now heavily 'soured' by this single issue.

I shall continue to monitor this thread, hoping for a resolution besides the one which will require me to work overtime, so I can go purchase a KVM which supposedly will work with windows 7 leaving a perfectly working KVM with ALL other OS's destined to some landfill.

I would like an answer to this as well, although I don't use a KVM i can see that my problem is closely related and a fix to the KVM-problem would solve my issue as well I'm guessing.

My issue is that every time i turn my monitor off, Windows 7 rearrange and resize my desktop windows. This probably happens because win7 change the resolution of the desktop when the monitor gets 'un-plugged' (in reality just turned off).

This is pretty much the same thing as all the ppl above me are describing, windows 7 is messing up screen resolution when it detects hardware beeing switched arround. A very simple fix to this is to turn that off! As described above, this can be worked around by minimizing all windows before i turn the monitor off, which lead me to the conclusion that it should be an extremely easy thing to fix.

Please give us the option to turn the automatic screen resolution change-thing off.