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
    2010-02-11T08:31:50+00:00

    Besides changing the title, maybe we should spread the word and inform people from different channels by creating a website dedicated to this problem. Included in this site can be the current status of the problem, actions taken to resolve the problem and their results aswell.

    I thought Microsoft Answers was the best place to start this thread at first, but now I see that even with 8,248 views and 180 replies, no one from Microsoft is even interacting with it. I am also worried about this thread being closed or deleted somehow, all people having this problem might lose all this information shared here. But we can also start a new thread with a more appropriate title in case of that.

    Anyway, I suggest a website which doesn't belongs to Microsoft so that all these people on this thread can keep in contact even if something happens to this thread at Microsoft Answers. Though I don't have enough time to form that website, maybe someone volunteered could do that.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-02-12T07:13:01+00:00

    I don't know if it's related, but my windows 7 box has started to reboot without warning when switching from my other machine. It started right after the "reliability" update was installed. Anyone else seeing that?

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-02-12T10:07:40+00:00

    I have been having a similar problem. I have various XP/Vista computers plugged into my 4-port KVM, and I put Windows 7 on one of these. Now whenever I switch to it, my monitor simply says "No signal". Every other computer works fine.

    I happen to be poor, and use whatever junk computers I can get my hands on. This KVM was another cost cutting measure, to not require multiple displays and keyboards. I bought a cheap computer, and it had the windows 7 free upgrade offer. I took advantage of it with much glee.

    I now cannot use my main computer with my other 3.

    I hope this issue can get resolved, because as a student, it is really interfering with my life.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-02-14T10:33:51+00:00

    Mr Microsoft, don't you have ANYTHING to say to all this?

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  5. Anonymous
    2010-02-15T15:36:15+00:00

    I don't know if it's related, but my windows 7 box has started to reboot without warning when switching from my other machine. It started right after the "reliability" update was installed. Anyone else seeing that?

    This may not be related after all. The 0x3b bugcheck happens in atipmdag.sys and I _did_ update the ATI driver to v10.1 around the same time as the reliability update was installed.

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