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
    2010-12-25T05:55:13+00:00

    I have a PS/2 & USB Mouse/Keyboard/VGA KVM switch that I have had since just before the release of Vista. I only use it to share a LCD display between my PC and my PowerMac G5.

    My PC uses a Gigabyte GV-NX86T256H GeForce 8600GT graphics card. Despite it being an approved nVidia GeForce Series 8 graphics card, I have experienced nVidia GeForce graphics driver and Windows 64bit OS issues. The latest version to work in Vista is either the 182.50 WHQL driver or the 186.16 driver downloaded from Gigabyte....the nVidia GeForce versions that have not worked are the 185, 186, 190, 191......I have not tried the even newer version drivers..........

    The 182.50 driver works with the KVM switch when installed in Vista but not in Windows 7. I have not yet tried the 186.18 driver in Vista to see if it also works with the KVM switch but it does not work with Windows 7.

    After reading your post and recognizing that I was experiencing symptom 1. rather than symptom 2., I searched for a pre-Windows 7 RTM (22 October 2009?) dated nVidia GeForce driver that was OK for both Vista and Windows 7 according to the change log and came across the 178.13_geforce_winvista_64bit_english_whql driver released in 2008, which I then installed in Windows 7.

    GOOD NEWS : The 178.13 driver works with the KVM switch when installed in Windows 7, with no resolution and/or window shifting when switching the display between computers...... I do not yet know which driver(s), if any, after version 178.13 but before version 182.50 will enable the KVM switch to continue to work with Windows 7.....

    Update: 186.16 driver in Vista does not work with the KVM switch

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-01-01T23:36:34+00:00

    Wow.. i am glad i found this thread as I was going crazy trying to figure out why my new IoGear KVM was causing Windows 7 to "see" my HP2710m as "generic non-pnp"...and would reduce my resolution from 1920x1280 down to 1600x1200.    I just bought this KVM a few days ago and it says it supports up to 2048 x 1536.

    After reading this entire thread, I think Joseph Leathlean has articulated the core issue of this thread the best.  There have been many posts that have side-tracked the discussion, but I was glad to see his posts thru the year+ history, and they were on-point.

    I agree and echo:  Microsoft- please give us the simple software switch to enable/disable this "feature".   Something like UI Tweaks from years ago.

    I am using VGA connection and am seriously thinking of doing the cable/pin mod that someone posted.  However, since my monitor is LCD i am reluctant.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-01-02T01:02:21+00:00

    I wanted to take a minute and just post the items that seemed to work for me. (after multiple reboots and switching KVM back and forth)

    I did (2) things and am not 100% sure which one fixed it (and don't want to mess with it now that it works)

    First I did this:

    regedit32-

    HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\CURRENTVERSION\CONTROLPANEL\SETTINGS\VIDEO\

    Basically i did a search for 1600x1200 which was the unwanted res that it kept changing to.  Found it listed under DISPLAY1\monitor (really long value)

    I changed that key name to 1920x1080x60Hz

    Then I also re-downloaded the very latest ATI CCC & drivers for my RadeonHD card.   In the ATI controlPanel, i went under "desktops & displays" then clicked on my display and then 'configure'.   Under monitor attributes, i UNCHECKED the setting "Use Extended Display Identification Data (EDID) or driver defaults".    I then manually selected the resolution I wanted as 1920x1080 @ 60Hz.

    So far so good...

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  4. Anonymous
    2011-01-06T19:29:19+00:00

    Just another vote for a way to Disable this "Enhancement"

    I just changed monitors with almost identical specs and it caused me fits.

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  5. Anonymous
    2011-01-12T00:37:26+00:00

    Is there a fix to this yet?

    I have a PC here that has two monitors, one being connected to a KVM. When the KVM is switched, it effectively unplugs the second monitor from the PC. Windows 7 detects this and sets up a single monitor desktop. But when switching the KVM back, it effectively plugs the second monitor back in, but it does not revert back to two screens until I go to the "Screen Resolution" control panel and "Detect" displays.

    Can this entire process be skipped and force Windows 7 to continually output the signal to both screens, even when the KVM is switched?

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