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
    2010-01-22T04:06:53+00:00

    Sheesh, what will it take to get Microsoft to fix this?  I "upgraded" from Vista Ultimate 64-bit to Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, and now my monitor keeps going offline (black) and back online at random times.  It worked fine before.

    Microsoft, please enable us to choose the old behavior.  This flaky behavior is totally unacceptable and incredibly frustrating!  Hard to believe that Windows 7 could actually be worse than Vista, but that's how it feels!

    My setup is this: I keep my notebook lid closed and have an external keyboard, screen and mouse attached through a KVM to this system and to one other one.  The external 1280x1024 monitor is "Display 2" and I have Windows set to "Show desktop only on 2".  Based on how my windows are getting moved around while the external monitor goes black, it appears to be randomly switching from the external monitor to the internal and back again, or at least switching to the internal resolution (1600x900).

    I tried putting an EDID_OVERRIDE under "Default_Monitor" (which I had to add) and under "SAM034D", but neither helped.  Specifically, I added binary data "0" under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\DISPLAY\SAM034D\5&63d2442&0&UID257\Device Parameters\EDID_OVERRIDE and under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\DISPLAY\Default_Monitor\5&63d2442&0&UID257\Device Parameters\EDID_OVERRIDE.  I copied it from binary data "EDID" under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\DISPLAY\SAM034D\5&63d2442&0&UID257\Device Parameters.

    If I misunderstood how to set up EDID_OVERRIDE, please correct me.  Thanks.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-01-22T02:38:50+00:00

    I have this problem on multiple monitors and it is not related to KVM.  The first and main monitor is a HP LP3065 30 inch 2560x1600.  The analog monitor is a 13 inch Asiatic rim 1360x768 that is on a VGA extension cable away from the main setup just above equipment where a few tasks need to be done with a wireless keyboard.  That monitor was picked to fit in a smallish space that is not subject to reorganization without some construction expense.  Every time the system reboots for any reason, W7 assigns the analog monitor as primary, assigns it an incorrect size of 1024x768, and blanks the HP3065.  If I power cycle the HP, the HP comes back on, but only displaying the 1024x768. W7 has reassigned the analog as monitor 1.  All the icons have been moved to the analog monitor and the HP is 1024x768 stretched out to 2560x1600. 

    The HP3065 is correctly identified by W7.  It identifies the analog as generic pnp. If I bring up all the definition windows, I can force the HP3065 back to monitor 1, redefine both of them to their correct sizes.  It cost me a day to figure out this completely unsatisfactory workaround.  More time to find this thread.  I need to be able to *FORCE* the HP as monitor 1, *FORCE* the HP to 2560x1600 and *FORCE* the analog to 1360x768, and *FORCE* W7 to leave those settings alone, *REGARDLESS* if it sees a monitor off or not.  People turn off monitors to conserve power.  We get power hits that blink the monitors but not the PC which is on the UPS.

    This is a really ugly bug to foist on us AFTER the release candidate.

    The upgrade to W7 is taking on sinister aspects with this.  Are we going to get taken off line every time that MS decides to update a copyright scheme so that Time-Warner and Sony can feel all comfy when they go to bed at night falsely thinking that the latest genius teenage hacker has been defeated? I really don't want to bear the brunt of their copyright problems.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-01-21T14:36:21+00:00

    My Settings:

    KVM - CablesToGo ( TruLink USB MicroKVM Model 52043)

    VideoCard - ATI Radeon X1200

    OS - W7 64 bit Pro

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  4. 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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  5. 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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