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
    2010-01-20T04:55:01+00:00

    This is all wild speculation, but perhaps with some monitors W7 is unable to get the EDID from a directly connected monitor when the monitor is off. I think the monitor is suppose to use the +5V power provided by the video card to power the system that returns the EDID, but because the earlier operating systems didn't constantly poll the EDID, they may have forgotten that part.

    That would make W7 think an off monitor is unplugged, and would cause the desktop to shuffle every time you power off a monitor in a multiple monitor system, even when the monitors are connected without any KVM switches.

    If that is the case the fix could be using the EDID override within each monitor. So instead of copying anything to Default_Monitor, since there most likely even isn't one, the EDID_OVERRIDE should be added to each monitor that already has a valid EDID in "Device Parameters", and the monitor's own EDID would just be duplicated in the EDID override. That should then make W7 think the monitor is always either on, or off but still plugged.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-01-21T05:20:03+00:00

    My problem is still persistent Xenubite. I did what you said in your post and when I turn off and then turn on my monitor back, my windows get resized. I know that your workaround does not spesifically target my problem (single monitor; turning it off & on results in my windows to be resized to fit the screen - like I'm using Windows 7 in 1024 x 768) but I was pretty hopeful that it was going to solve my problem too. On the other hand, I screwed up the registry a bit which resulted in Windows 7 automatically setting the resolution from 1920 x 1080 to 1024 x 768 after turning off and then turning on my monitor - I managed to revert it back, though.

    Anyway, if you would like to help me, I will be happy to assist you with what I can. Be it screenshots or whatever needed. Thanks.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-01-21T06:21:11+00:00

    Hi Emre,

    I'm afraid I'm not a display expert by any means. Until last week I was blissfully ignorant of all things EDID. If my eyes weren't so sensitive to flickering I probably would not have bothered trying to find a workaround.

    If I was a MS tech support person, I guess I would first ask the display configuration: which video card, which video cable & adapters (VGA-DVI-HDMI...) and which monitor. Knowing the configuration would make it possible to try to duplicate the problem, and then try to narrow it down to the component that is causing Windows to think the monitor is unplugged when off.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-01-21T07:18:08+00:00

    Thinking about this some more ... the problem with just a single monitor sounds a little different, although still related to constant EDID polling. With a single monitor off but plugged and unplugged states should not matter. There should never be any desktop shuffling going on.

    It almost sounds like in this case Windows is unable to reliably get the EDID when the monitor is on or is turned on, making Windows think the user is swapping between non-EDID and an EDID capable monitor. Or something completely different.

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  5. Anonymous
    2010-01-21T08:36:07+00:00

    Unfortunately Xenubite's work around does not solve my single monitor problem neither. The desktop is still resized every time i turn the monitor off.

    I just cant belive the ignorance from microsoft on this issue :(

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