KVM switch + Windows 7 creates monitor switching nightmare

Oh, did I mention, you don't have to buy a new KVM ;-)  BUMP THAT!

No way I was going to do that, I have a dual monitor 4 switch KVM I scored off ebay for $50, to buy one of these new with some Win7 compatibilty would be insane.  (KVMs are like a wife, they are very expensive, you just can't trade them in and buy a new one).

If you lose a monitor right after reconnecting your cables back up, simply go into screen resolution in Windows and click the Detect button and you're golden. I'm tempted to make a video showing the difference between Windows 7 KVM monitor ****, and then back to the way it should be and should of been from the very start, by simply pulling this pin and killing the monitor query line and this 'smart' feature.

If you do in the future need monitor auto detect again, simply remove the extender cable out of the loop and connect your monitor directly back up to your KVM.

No mod or damage done to your expensive monitor or KVM at all, they retain their resale value.

FOR THOSE WITH KVM Problem (SOLVED FOR ME):

Summary:  Buy a cheap (ebay $4) VGA (or DVI) extender cable for each of your monitors, rip PIN 12 for VGA (or Pin 16 for DVI) out of the male end of the extender cable, place between your monitors and your KVM, and you're done.

STEP BY STEP

1.  Buy a VGA Extender Cable male to female, one for each of your monitors.

VGA extender cables are only about $4 each on ebay, and you only need one per each of your monitors connected to KVM, not one for each computer.

I.e., if you have one monitor going to your KVM, you only need to buy one VGA extender cable.  If you have two monitors (dual view) going to your KVM, you need two cables, etc.

Search for "vga extension cable male female":

Ebay:  http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=vga+extension+cable+male+female&_sacat=0&_sop=15&_odkw=vga+extension+cable&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

Froogle:  http://www.google.com/search?q=vga+extension+cable+male+female&tbs=shop%3A1&aq=f#q=vga+extension+cable+male+female&hl=en&tbs=shop:1,p_ord:p&sa=X&ei=U5dxTeW6N4KUtwfxtriGDw&ved=0CAoQuw0oAQ&bav=on.2,or.&fp=563c33928d93abad

Note: if you are a real cheapskate or can't wait, you can rip pin 12 out of your monitor cable male end, but I don't recommend this as its irreversible.  That's the whole point of buying the VGA extender cable - if it doesn't work for you or you screw it up, its to a cheap $4 cable that you can toss away, and like me, you may already have them lying about your IT shop.  My monitors are far away, so I already had two between my monitors and my KVM already, so I was set to go immediatly.

2.  RIP PIN 12 out of the VGA extender cable male end with some needle nose electrical pliers)!!!!    Takes all of 10 seconds

To see where pin 12 is, look at this website already mentioned:

http://nookkin.com/content/allowing-any-screen-resolution-on-vista.php

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/\_N66od8KlQks/TD-St9qyYEI/AAAAAAAAAVU/K5fH6O4jx-o/s1600/vga\_pinout.jpg

The above links have the correct view for the male end, where you you will be pulling out pin 12.  Note that the female end, which you won't change, will have a mirror view of the pins.

3.  Plug VGA extender cable in line in between your monitors and your KVM switch.   You're done.  That's it.
4.  No more desktop resizes, flicker, flutter, window and gadet moving, USB disconnect reconnect sound 10 second waits heart attack night mares every time you switch screens.

In fact, its now nicer than it was under XP, because the video card never shuts off or thinks the monitor has disappeared, so switching between screens has no black out or pause or flicker at all, period.  Its instantaneous, like flipping between tabs on a webpage or a picture book, its that fast.  You can also turn your monitors off when you walk away from your computer, and nothing happens.  Bliss.

For DVI monitors:

If you have a DVI monitor, I imagine, using the same method... buying an extender cable, and ripping out the appropriate Hot Plug Detect pin 16 on a DVI extender cable may work for you as well.

Note that I have not tried the DVI Pin 16 rip out myself, so read further through the posts here and verify someone else has tried it and it does / does not work before you proceed below...

For DVI:  instead by a DVI extender cable for each of your monitors, and rip out DVI pin 16 instead (of vga pin 12):

DVI pinout diagram:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/DVI_pinout.png

Ebay:

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=dvi+extension+cable+male+female&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Froogle:

http://www.google.com/search?q=vga+extension+cable+male+female&tbs=shop%3A1&aq=f#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbs=shop:1%2Cp_ord%3Ap&q=dvi+extension+cable+male+female&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.&fp=563c33928d93abad

I agree that Win 7 is a very solid release and a big improvement over XP An Vista. Also little things like this do turn an overall great experience into something much less...

Daily, I have to endure this problem and it is just maddening. It makes me want to punch the monitor or hurl it across the room.

I too have tried most all of the "fixes" suggested and none have worked.

Is this really the experience that MS would like for users to have?

I am having the same issue except I'm using an HDMI switch, not a KVM switch. Tried all of the "fixes" floating around to no avail.

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

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