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
    2010-03-02T00:30:37+00:00

    jesus christ, still no fix for this, is MS kidding?

    if i have my pc running at 2560x1600 and switch the monitor (not even KVM, not even dual screen, just a single monitor FFS) off and later on again i want to have my windows all in the place before i switched off the screen and not resized and moved to some mickey mouse resolution FFS.

    this is a parody, this can't be real that this isn't fixed yet, am i dreaming or something???

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-02-28T09:53:27+00:00

    Again this seems an attempted "improvement" on monitor detection, but it would be great if MS would give us a check box that says, "Override automatic monitor settings" or "Always use these monitor settings" - which would be really helpful to most of use on here.... PnP works great if it guesses right - if it guesses wrong, it's a nightmare, we should have the option of turning it off on some devices....maybe I'll go looking again...

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-02-27T17:52:45+00:00

    Hi All,

    I am *not* using a KVM siwtch, but have similar problem when one of the two monitors connected via displayport disappears from "dsiplay settings",when it is powered off. I posted my problem here:

    http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7hardware/thread/ecefb1e5-22c9-4014-a2ad-dbf56570b25c

    I hope microsoft responds with a solution to this problem.

    Thank you

    focus_user

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-02-27T12:18:03+00:00

    you're ok as long as you use just ONE monitor on it and never replace it, it would seem......

    Unfortunately, not even then.  I've only got one monitor and I've never connected a computer with native resolution of 1024x768, but that's what it reverts to.  Sometimes.  Sometimes it's something else.  Sometimes, hitting "detect" will detect the connected monitor, sometimes hitting "detect" will elicit a reply that there is no second display detected.  I tried an older video card driver.  It kept the resolution, but insisted that it was a "generic non-PnP monitor" instead of the Dell monitor.  Then I reinstalled the latest driver but got an "out of range" message from the monitor after it started windows (ie everything displayed normally until windows started, and then it reported that it was out of range).  The whole thing seems very strange.

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  5. Anonymous
    2010-02-27T10:38:32+00:00

    Right, I've been in to my Vista HP setup and guess what? The resolution stays the same (1920x1080) when I operate the KVM. In other words, same hardware, different OS, which means it is 100% a WINDOWS 7 BUG, unless I've had a logic bypass. It's NOT the KVM, it's NOT my hardware, it's NOT my cables. It's Windows 7 getting confused with its monitor detection routine - you're ok as long as you use just ONE monitor on it and never replace it, it would seem......

    Microsoft?? Any thoughts / comments?

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