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
    2010-01-22T08:35:36+00:00

    Hi Trees,

    I wonder if your problem could be related to this:

    http://www.ddwg.org/lib/Dual_EDID_guide10.pdf

    Apparently the EDIDs for the digital and analog part of a DVI interface may be different, but they are polled through the same DDC pins. If the monitor is connected with a DVI-I cable the computer side may not know which one it is getting. They suggest using a DVI-D or a DVI-A cable as a workaround.

    In your case the HDMI-DVI connection should work, since there's no analog part involved. Changing the other one to use the VGA would force that one to use analog and might fix it, or use a DVI-I to DVI-D dongle if there is one, or if you are adventurous just snap off the analog pins from the connector. The pinouts are here:

    http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_Connector_Digital_Visual_Interface_DVI_Bus.html

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-01-22T08:52:39+00:00

    The dual EDID issue could well be the reason for the problems with a single monitor too. Emre and Nikk0n, are your monitors connected with a DVI-I cable?

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-01-22T09:06:14+00:00

    Hi Xenubite,

    Thanks for the info.  It's plausible that this is happening. My cables are DVI-I and the non determenistic behaviour certainly has the aroma of a problem of this nature.

    Unless there is some other way to verify if my dislay is a "dual EDID digital display" as referred to in the link I can try running on of the displays through VGA temporarily to see what the effect is.

    I like your adventurous suggestion. I would probably do this except that I paid a fair bit for these high quality long dvi-i cables and butchering makes me wonder when I'll wish I didnt - albeit unlikely.

    I've got options for the vga connector anyway, so if I need to I'll give this a whirl.

    Replacing one of these nice high quality and lengthy DVI-I cables may be a bit much of a sacrifice to make it a permenant solution, but at least narrowing down the fault should help with a resolution.

    I'll report back my findings.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-01-22T09:18:36+00:00

    Actually on closer inspection my cable is DVI-D (dual link)

    refer

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DVI_Connector_Types.svg

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

    to quote: "The connector also includes provision for a second data link for high resolution displays, though many devices do not implement this. In those that do, the connector is sometimes referred to as DVI-DL (dual link)"

    I don't know whether this means the problem may be dual EDID related or not now.

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  5. Anonymous
    2010-01-22T10:34:25+00:00

    OK, then the only theory I have left is perhaps the cable length is preventing reliable EDID polling. Here's a page about troubleshooting DVI, including issues with the cable length. I got the dual EDID doc link from here:http://www.playtool.com/pages/dvitrouble/dvitrouble.html

    In any case, I've got a feeling all these problems we have are side effects of the constant EDID polling, and if we could just get someone at MS capable of abstract thought to read this thread, we might have some hope.

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