Windows 7 moves/resizes windows on monitor power cycle

Anonymous

I have a new W7 ultimate install on a new PC (AOpen DEX4501 w intel GM45 graphics). I have installed the latest Intel graphics drivers 8.15.10.2202, and all relevant windows updates.

It is connected via HDMI to a Grundig Misuro HD TV. My resolution is set to 1600x900, windows recommended resolution is 1920x1080 but this displays badly so I don't use it.

When Windows sleeps, or I turn off (then later on) the monitor, most windows are moved/resized to the upper left with the lower right at 1024x768.

Firefox, Excel(2003),Explorer windows resize/move, Outlook(2003) did not move/resize.

I have a Samurize (Gadget like) display on the right which someimes get relocated to the top left, but not this morning. The windows resize/move also happens when Samurize is not running.

I have found three other entries related to this;

They don't seem to have been resolved for a long time.

This is a Windows monitor power managment issue, can it be fixed please it is very annoying.

I won't be recommending W7 to others with such issues outstanding.

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Anonymous

I have found a work-around.

Using Sysinternals ProcessMonitor I found that Windows was accessing the following Registry path;

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers\Configuration

My system had three entries;

DELF003YY7707BR0MUL_30_07D7_6A^9A3774EB79DEE3E3E38496CC7DF4D936

QHD32000001_31_07D6_D5^63E1ABDD175E7871DCAEB710418A0F75

SIMULATED_8086_2A42_00000000_00020000_1010100^CDE365D1B3F0942F0CF38BFB8E127AB4

Under each is a tree called "00" two of the keys are

PrimSurfSize.cx

PrimSurfSize.cy

Under "00" was another branch also called "00" two of the keys are;

ActiveSize.cx

ActiveSize.cy

The first two of the configs (ie DELF00... & QHD3...) the above keys were 1440x900,

so they were not involved.

The third (SIMULATED...) were set to 1024x768.

I changed these to 1600x900 and the problem was solved.

Further I changed resolution (via control panel) to 1920x1080, the moving/resize issue returned,

but the lower right corner was set to 1600x900, ie the SIMULATED... settings.

So for some reason one of the configs does not get set correctly.

I don't know why there are three configs, I have only ever used one monitor.

Hope this helps someone out there...

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236 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-04-03T13:34:38+00:00

On hdmi one can disable the power-signal from the monitor:

http://superuser.com/questions/630555/turning-displayport-monitor-off-disables-monitor-completely

There are also adapters for this.

But I have displayport, have not found any adapters, and since I'm using 4K, i'm not sure if it is possible to do anything since it have higher signalrate.

My monitor, samsung 28" 4K, reports poweroff when it goes to sleep, and thus windows resizes all windows.
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Anonymous

2015-04-03T12:51:10+00:00

This is interesting because for me, it doesn't happen when the monitor turns off due to power saving or going to sleep. I also had this monitor before the new card and it never did this so I don't know if it could be on the monitor's end.

Another wacky thing that started up since I got this new card (as long as I'm adding info for anyone else who comes along), in certain games (Skyrim specifically, but I think I also noticed this in Pillars of Eternity) there is screen tearing even though v-sync is on. This though may be completely unrelated.
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Anonymous

2015-04-03T10:51:24+00:00

Yes the same things happens to me (as reported years ago). It's definitely related to the unplugging sound: an earlier version of my system's driver did not cause the sound and did not resize or move windows.

I just experimented a bit more and finally made a little progress: I hooked up an identical 1920x1200 monitor to an identical machine, with the original registry, and get the same misbehavior, as expected. Hooked up an older 1280x1024 monitor instead: Windows makes the plug-in/out sound when you plug in/out the DVI plug (with the monitor turned off), and windows get bluntly rearranged, seemingly to fit the 1024x768 simulated screen size (I didn't measure exactly). But powering on or off this particular monitor does not cause the USB sound and does not rearrange windows.

So some monitors advertise a power-down as a plug-out, and some don't. Or at least, that's the way the graphics driver or Windows itself interprets some signal received through the DVI cable. The unplugging sound and window rearranging also occurs if Windows orders the screen to go to sleep, by way of the Power Options, and it seems odd to me the monitor should respond to that command by signaling anything. But I really don't know.

Also, I checked with sysinternals process monitor what happens when powering down the monitor. Alas, the very first thing reported is csrss.exe accessing the SIMULATED_8086 registry key. I think that's too late: Windows already thinks the monitor was just unplugged. And whatever it is that convinces Windows the monitor was unplugged, happens deep down in device drivers, outside of the scope of process monitor, and of me.
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Anonymous

2015-04-03T02:06:49+00:00

I'm just going to add some more detail in case it helps anyone else who finds this topic:

I have set the real and "simulated" keys to have all the same values. However, the windows will still randomly "slide" to the left a bit when I turn my monitor on.

Not sure if this happens to anyone else, but, when I turn my monitor on it makes the disconnect and reconnect chimes, as if the monitor is a USB device being unplugged and then plugged back in. I don't know why it does that now, but I can't help but think that they're related.
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