How to change monitor assignment in a dual monitor environment

Anonymous
2011-02-12T01:26:15+00:00

I have two monitors attached to my Windows 7 computer - a viewsonic monitor and an panasonic plasma tv.

Before I installed the tv - my Viewsonic sonic was the primary monitor. However, for some unknown reason - when I connected my Panasonic plasma tv to my video card - Windows made the TV as the number 1 primary monitor and my viewsonic as the secondary number 2 monitor.

How can I get Windows 7 to reverse those assignments? I want my Viewsonic monitor as the primary, number one monitor.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2011-02-17T18:49:52+00:00

When you rt click the desktop and select Screen Resolution, you will be presented with a window showing the two monitors, simply click/hold one of the montors shown and drag it to the required position.

There are also other options, eg Identify, and Display, use the drop down to select the display (monitor) to use as the 'main' display (Some options only impact if you are using Extended Display and not Duplicate display

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-03-22T20:01:46+00:00

    I am sure there must be a better way than this brute force method.  I think going into the registry and either clearing or re-assigning the videodevices may be the solution, and then plug in the primary monitor so it gets assigned as #1, and then plugging in the secondary monitor so it would most likely get assigned #2.  I have not tried this, so this is just my theory for now.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-03-21T23:51:05+00:00

    Yeah that's usually the case. I'm not sure what dino36 did differently than anyone else because unplugging, plugging, swapping cables, etc. doesn't stop Windows from remembering the TV/monitor and the number assignment the TV/monitor last had.  

    I'm still waiting for someone to try disabling the auto-detect pin.  I believe that's the ONLY solution but no one has said they've tried it yet.  

    1. Buy a cheap M/F adapter and on the adapter disable the auto-detect pin - for VGA remove pin 12 with needlenose pliers, for DVI remove pin 16, for HDMI tape over pin 19.
    2. Unplug the TV so windows automatically makes your monitor #1.
    3. Reconnect the TV using the modified adapter and it should not take over the #1 assignment from the monitor.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-03-21T19:48:23+00:00

    ANSWER (more for original poster)

    I read a whole lot of not answers so here is a fix that worked for me and yes I do understand your issue. At first I had a no success in fixing this ...i tried disabling the other monitor and then re enabling it ...i tried switching the dvi ports on the back of pc ..i tried the windows setting and catalyst control setting (amd/ati cards) and nothing would actually change my 1440p monitor to monitor 1 instead of 2.

    Easy fix that worked....unplug the number 2 monitor with computer on in windows and you will see the number 2 change to a number one...then plug back in the other monitor and it changes to monitor 2.  Hope that works for you as well.  Seems silly it was that easy to fix since i tried so many other things that did not work...i hit identify and now my #2 monitor is #1 and both work fine.

    Reason i needed this was that a game in steam that did not support 1440p normally I wanted to force -fullscreen through console and it did not work if my 1440p monitor was #2 even though it was primary

    I tried this, and it did not work for me.  My primary monitor has been assigned to 2, and the secondary monitor to 1.  If I unplug the secondary monitor, then the primary monitor is assigned #1. Then if I plug back in the secondary monitor, the primary monitor reverts back to #2 and the secondary again is #1.  I even tried to reboot with only the primary monitor, and then plug in after windows started, the secondary monitor - no luck. It still made it #1.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-03-19T08:13:15+00:00

    ANSWER (more for original poster)

    I read a whole lot of not answers so here is a fix that worked for me and yes I do understand your issue. At first I had a no success in fixing this ...i tried disabling the other monitor and then re enabling it ...i tried switching the dvi ports on the back of pc ..i tried the windows setting and catalyst control setting (amd/ati cards) and nothing would actually change my 1440p monitor to monitor 1 instead of 2.

    Easy fix that worked....unplug the number 2 monitor with computer on in windows and you will see the number 2 change to a number one...then plug back in the other monitor and it changes to monitor 2.  Hope that works for you as well.  Seems silly it was that easy to fix since i tried so many other things that did not work...i hit identify and now my #2 monitor is #1 and both work fine.

    Reason i needed this was that a game in steam that did not support 1440p normally I wanted to force -fullscreen through console and it did not work if my 1440p monitor was #2 even though it was primary

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