KVM switch + Windows 7 creates monitor switching nightmare

I’ve been following this thread for several months and have been amused, angered and dumbfounded all at the same time. I’ve Googled this issue, read all the “fixes” and tried several different KVM switches myself with no luck. As for the VNC and Kavoom suggestions, these aren’t fixes, but very poor work-arounds.  Anyone using graphic software or gaming will find the lag completely unacceptable.

As for Micro$ofts response, telling your consumers to look over a developers validation document is like auto manufacturer telling its’ customers to study the blueprints of their engine design because they decided to change the type of fuel that can be used in your car and you as a consumer are stuck with a vehicle that no longer works, just because Ford/Chevy/whoever says so. It’s not our fault; it’s the oil companies, even though the fuel works in all our previous models and every other car manufacturer’s models.

Whether it’s DVI or analog is irrelevant. It doesn’t work for either, and that’s the bottom line. I’ve been reduced to buying an emulator from ConnectPro as I have only one Win 7 box and it just doesn’t make sense to buy a $120 KVM switch when a $45 adapter will relieve my problem. It’s a matter of M$ having me by the balls and if I want my system to work, I have to take matters into my own hands and do the least costly fix I can find. It’s bullshite, but I have no other choice. Yes, I have a Mac and an Ubuntu box, but I need to work in my Win 7 box. I can’t leave M$, it’s my job and how I make my living.

In my case I have a Win 7 box, which started out as a Vista box and then I have two other systems connected to the KVM; an Ubuntu and a XP Pro box. As with many other posters, everything worked fine until the Vista box was upgraded to Win 7. I’ve tried a Belkin switch and two different models of IOGear units and always get the same Generic PNP display when going through the switch.

By the balls my friends, by the balls…

This might also be Nvidia's problem.

I am using Windows XP and everything went fine. Until i upgraded to Nvidia's driver 197.45 XP 32-bit The display will switch to 1024x768 every time i make a kvm switch and i have to manually switch back at windows's display settings (Nvidia just won't recognize the available resolution until i manually set the resolution!).

hi

aten(iogear) give me response about this issue not long ago.

Dear Valued Customer:

Thank for your feedback.

CS1762 does't support Video DynaSync technique.(CS1782 is the new version and support Video DynaSync)

PC can't detect Monitor's EDID when PC does't connect to the active port.

PC will use its default EDID setting(1024x768).

Thus when you switch to the other PC.

The PC will use the default resolution.

Because it is the default spec of CS1762.

If you need the new technique of Video DynaSync(such as CS1782).

You can purchase CS1782 from your local dealer.

Sincerely,

Albert.Tsai

ATEN Technical Support

personally very disappointed because it is not clearly stated on website and the retailer just sell the old model as new. for USD 170...

feeling got cheated.

there are only 2 solution

1. stress iogear/aten to come out new frimware
2. throw the kvm away and get a new one.

I haven't read all threads, so I'm not sure if anybody else mentioned it.

But this issue is not only limited in combination with a kvm switch. Cause it's also happening when simply 2 monitors connected to a system directly.

I found a workaround that works for me in another forum http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/89953-kvm-switch-windows-7-changing-screen-resolution.html . I'm using an Atens CS52 KVM between a Vista 32 PC and a Win7 64 PC connected via VGA to a 24" Westinghouse LCD monitor. The link for Carrol in the forum above is:

http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/89953-kvm-switch-windows-7-changing-screen-resolution.html

This downloads version 1.03. There is also a version 1.06 available from the publisher but for some reason I had better results with version 1.03 so I'm sticking to it. After you load this program the first time, select the resolution you want (in my case 1920x1200 32bit 60Hz) and click 'Change screen resolution and restore with every logon', the program sets this resolution again at every logon via a shortcut in your Startup folder. It seems that the fact that the resolution is set via this program makes it the default resolution for Win7, so now when I use the KVM to flip from Vista to Win7 and viceversa there is no window resizing and/or icon reorganizing and the resolution stays at 1920x1200. I still hear the plug & play sounds but that's all.

I also tried to boot the Win7 PC with the KVM set to the Vista PC. This results in the correct resolution when I flip to the Win7 PC after the reboot has finished, however, my gadgets end up piled on top of each other at the top left of the screen. Also, I have to run Carroll one more time after this before I get the desired behavior when flipping back and forth with the KVM. There is no problem if I reboot the PC that the KVM is set to.

Since Win7 also fails to complete all startup chores on occassion (another bug that you can read about in many threads), I placed an extra shortcut to Carroll on the Startup folder.

Hope this helps someone,

However, I still expect Microsoft to come up with an official fix. In the mean time I'll get by with this workaround.