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I have been using this setup with my laptop for 18 months so I am familiar with extended screen usage. Two days ago a problem started. I have a laptop with 17" screen set to the Main Display plus a 22" not checked to be the Main Display. Screen Resolution > Multiple Displays = Extend these displays. Desktop right click > View > Auto Arrange is Not checked. Sort By options are unchecked. Personalization > Allow themes to change desktop icons is Not checked.
I have all my desktop icons arranged on the laptop screen which is set to be Main Display.
New Problem:
When I plug the extended monitor cable into the laptop or when I fresh bootup or if I had changed the Appearance settings from extended to duplicate or to the external 22" to be off and then turn it back to being extended, any of those things, to basically use the 2nd monitor as extended will cause all the desktop icons to move to the extended 22" screen space. They are supposed to stay anchored to the laptop Main screen since that is how it is allocated. This worked fine until two days ago and I was not playing with any settings before it happened.
If I unplug the external monitor or set it to be unused or as a duplicate image then the icons return to the main laptop monitor.
I use a freeware IconRestorer to save and restore the last saved desktop layout. Since this problem started it restores to the extended monitor not back to the laptop main screen like it had previously. I have killed IconRestorer from the background to see if it was causing the problem and it had no affect.
With the icons showing on the extended 22" monitor and I unplug the video cable for it the icons move to the laptop screen however they are rearranged. Each time I try that the icons form a different layout and order on the laptop screen.
I can then run IconRestorer with the 22" still unplugged from the laptop and all the icons will be restored properly. So I conclude IconRestorer is working fine. The problem seems to be that Win 7 thinks the Laptop screen is not the main screen even though it is checked as to be the main screen.
Once only while repeating these various steps, after the icons are restored with the 2nd monitor unplugged, then plug it back in all looks fine but if I do the IconRestorer restore all the icons again get placed to the extended 22" screen. Usually plugging the extended monitor back in causes the icons to jump to that monitor.
Note that when the laptop is checked to be the Main screen the taskbar is located on the laptop monitor so it only partially thinks the extended screen should be the main screen. If I set the extended 22" as the Main screen then the task bar jumps to the extended screen and all the desktop icons come back to the laptop screen.
It never worked like that before. I also am running win 7 on desktop with 4 monitors and all icons being on main screen at far left and that still works fine including the use of IconRestorer.
***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***
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A slightly shorter method for Windows 10 (may work on others)
Grouping of the icons happens at logon, depending on the config AND the connected screens.
A screen turned off is not enough for "not to be there".
You must unplug it if you want te system knowing it is really not there.
So if your icons are on the "wrong" display, just logoff, unplug the "wrong" display and login again.
You do not need to shutdown.
The system puts now your Taskbar and Icons on the "correct" display now (for there is no other at all).
If you then plug in the other display, you can use it again (extened when it was extended etc.).
If you now switch the main display to this "new" one, it becomes the main display with Taskbar AND icons.
Switching back moves taskbar AND icons together again to the "old" display.
So all the problems come from unplugging a display in a wrong moment, and can be "repaired" with reverting to one single display and then plugging in the second one again.
Repeated: You have to UNPLUG the "seconary" screen to make the system noticing it's not there for the system does not check the switched-on-status but the connector connected status. You can also hear it, if you unplug a display, it gives the same "unplug" sound as for instance with an USB stick.
All the stuff reinstalling drivers or switching off antivirus etc are humbug.
I have had the same problem. I finally fixed it and I do not know how. But yesterday I had to reset the PC. too many strange things happening so it was start over time and guess what. The display problem came back. I have my main display (HP using VGA port) always being identified as display 2. The extended display is the TV with an HDMI connection. Even with the TV off (the sound bar is always on so the computer may think there is a device there) the TV is display number 1. I can not see how to fix display 2 as number one. So I have to use display 2 only and as you say, the desktop icons disappear to the not used TV. I got them back by selecting auto sort then arranging them as I like on the display I normally use.
Very upsetting to not be able to select the principal display.
Mine just did this today all on it's own. I started my computer. Display 1 on the right Insignia HDMI TV. Display 2 on the left. Dell display. Display 1 on the right and 2 on the left extended. 1 is my main display. All my desktop icons are on display 2. If I switch so display 2 on the left is the main display, all my desktop icons move back to screen 1 on the right. It used to be that my icons were on display 1 on the right and set as the main display. I've tried switching all the display settings around but the icons love to stay on the not main display. If I turn off the non main display 2 on the left the icons all stay over there in the dark.
BUG IS DUE TO INCONSISTENT ORIGIN OF ICON POSITIONING WITH/WITHOUT EXTENDED DISPLAY
This bug needs to be fixed by Microsoft.
I have an extended second display set to portrait on left Of my laptop display when at home office; when I travel, I do not have it connected.
When I position icons as desired on my main laptop display, their positioning seems calculated from upper left corner of extended display when it is connected, but from upper left corner of main laptop display when it is not.
If I disconnect or reconnect the extended display, the icons either shift position or get scrambled. When I travel without the extended display they shift down-right on the main display as though calculated from the disconnected, now missing, extended display at left, and some move off the screen down-right completely and cannot be found or moved back.
File explorer shows the missing icons as present on the desktop, but they are not visible and there is no way to move them from File Explorer to a visible position on the desktop, as Windows says they are already there, though they are invisibly positioned. The only way to get them to show is to use "Automatic Positioning", which scrambles them.
A correct fix must be to freeze positioning reference to main screen origin position regardless of presence or absence of extended display. This needs to be a setting, preferably a default, that is now missing in Windows 10.
Do you hear me, Microsoft????????
