Dual Monitor blacks out the second monitor in locked mode

Anonymous
2010-06-25T15:36:04+00:00

Hi There,

We work in support environment and use dual monitors setup. WIN7 heard to have very good support for such setup and easy to use functionalities. However at some point something which was great has gone troubled.

We can use both the monitors while working on it however just the time its locked it blacks out the second monitor background and screensavers set if any. I tried looking for any config changes but in vain. Looking out for answer to this here.

Thanking you in advance.

Kunal Pathak

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-10-02T20:28:13+00:00

There is no built in way to change this functionality. **When locked, one screen will be black.**There may be some 3rd party software that may do this however it would not be supported by  Microsoft.

Matthew Arkin - Windows Answers Moderator - Windows Desktop Experience MVP - http://twitter.com/Microsoft\_Cares

This forum post is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion or view of Microsoft, its employees, or other MVPs.

Need to send me an email? Click my Name, my email is on my profile page.

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

86 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2011-07-27T09:26:46+00:00

    Agreed - this has actually been annoying me since the beginning of Windows 7.  Really, REALLY want a fix!  I have triple monitor set up and really want this functionality for my lock screen.

    To the idiot who keeps saying it doesn't matter - imagine you have public work stations and want your lock screen to display your company logo in fact there are loads of situations where this functionality would be useful.  Apart from anything else - why have Microsoft taken something away that was in a previous version?  Honestly it is idiots like you who make people consider Apple - they care about these little visual flourishes.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2011-07-18T14:20:49+00:00

    Coldfire is correct.

    My organization already does the custom background.  However, as stated previously, even with the method stated by surgegamer, the background only displays on the primary monitor.

    The mouse cursor is invisible when on the primary screen, but visible on non-primary screens.

    Those of us experiencing the issue acknowledge that it is a matter of aesthetics.  However, Windows is trying to bridge the gap between functionality and form.  This aspect of Windows is unpolished.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2011-07-18T13:02:13+00:00

    This is not what this thread is about. We all know how to change the main screen. This thread is about the second screen which is always black when your screen is locked or at the login screen.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2011-06-02T17:35:04+00:00

    There is a solution for changing the background for the Windows 7 login/lock screens...

    1. open up the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\

    Authentication\LogonUI\Background

    1. Make a DWORD key called "OEMBackground" and give it a Hex value of 1
    2. Navigate to %windir%\system32\oobe
    3. Create a folder called "info"
    4. Enter that folder, create another folder called "backgrounds"
    5. Find your image file, copy it to this directory and name it "backgroundDefault"  It must be a jpeg file less than 245kb in size.

    I haven't tried enforcing this with GPO etc, but if you are creating/sysprepping an image, it may be a possibility for some simple UI customization.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments