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

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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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-06-30T17:22:54+00:00

    Thanks Divya,

    We have setup of two monitors with setting "Extend your displays", the point is to make the most of these two monitors. The behaviour as you said is normal however the same was working better with Windows XP.

    in XP: After locking the screen or at the Logon Screen both the monitors display was there with the wallpapers on. Even we had choice of keeping diff. wallpapers on both screens.

    In Win7: After locking the screen or at the logon screen the second monitor is still active and ON. the cursor movement is there however just the change (not desired and not appreciated) is its all blacked out. No wallpaper seen.

    Can't this be changed by any reg. settings or third party tools if not in built with windows 7.?

    Thanking you again for your reply and looking forward to some way out.

    Thanks,

    Kunal

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-06-26T15:00:30+00:00

    Hi Kunal Pathak,

    a.      What kind of Display settings have you set it to?

    b.     Is it an Extended Display or Duplicate Display setting?

    If it is an Extended Display, the Display will not be extended if the primary display is not active.

    Extend your displays: This spreads your desktop over both monitors and lets you drag items between the two screens. This is how most people use two monitors, and it's the default setting.

    If you have set the second monitor to Duplicate the display, then it will replicate the setting even if you have locked the computer.

    Duplicate your displays: This displays the same desktop on both monitors. For a laptop, this is the default setting. This is useful if you're giving a presentation with your laptop connected to a projector or large monitor.

    Refer this link for more information:

    Work and play better with multiple monitors

    Regards,

    Divya R – Microsoft Support.

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