Nvidia dual monitor management

[Keygrip]

(Sounds of hair been torn out - with occassional whimpering noises overlaid).

I have been using a dual monitor crad for a couple of years - driving a 19" CRT as the main monitor and a 15" CRT as the secondary.

Main monitor (on the right of my set up) holds the task bar and all windows operations - as well as permanent display of Internet Explorer (and any other windows I wish to drag in there).

Secondary monitor (on the left of my set up) just has permanent display of Outlook (Inbox) and any e-mails that I open.

Couple of nights ago, my computer did an automatic update. Now, the monitors have reversed (Explorer and task bar on small, left hand, screen) - big right hand screen becoming the secondary.

I've tried EVERY SINGLE OPTION, except one, to get the monitors back the correct way round. Can anybody tell me the required option? I'm missing something - but :mad: if I know what.

Very frustrating management software. Need somebody to link in (remote) and click the correct things.

[planecrazy.eu]

Hey, not sure if all NVidea cards are the same but on mine you can select what monitor is the master monitor or monitor one, the same as you can define what is monitor two. Its in the NvIDEA control pannel. Alternativly, just change the monitors around on the graphics card. I use NVIdea Display, i assume its a generic NVIDIA software and driver.

[Keygrip]

Ah - what a tranquil life that would provide - but, alas, to no avail.

I know of the "Set me as the master monitor" button - but everytime I click it the computer ignores my wish and sets it back to the original. I can "uncheck" the boxes, lay everything out just as I want them, but when I click "apply", or "(re)check" the boxes, it resets itself to where IT wants to be.

Believe it or not, and I've NO IDEA HOW, when I did swap the cables round (one of my first thoughts) the software swapped the signals round to match. It knows I have a 19" Samsung monitor (it says so in the software) and it detects which cable it's on and sends the relevant video signal.

[Conan the Librarian]

Think I would go for a visit to the Nvidia site and get the latest drivers while you are there, but also see if there are any options for something like (I use ATI cards, you see) Control Centre software, which will possibly incoporate the drivers, but will give you a graphic management screen, in which you can make the selection more easily. There must be an equivalent somewhere.

Conan

[eticket]

Keygrip,

I have an NVIDIA dual screen set-up under Windows XP with a Quadro FX 1100 video card and have just made a few tests to replicate what follows. (I haven't installed the latest patches to Windows).


If I understand your situation correctly - as you booted up your computer (pre-problem) under Windows XP the Welcome message would appear on the right hand monitor (19") and the left hand screen would be black/blank. Then when fully booted the 19" right hand side would display the usual programme/desktop icons and the task bar icons along the bottom on the right. At the same time the left hand monitor (15") would display your background/desktop picture and (very important to confirm/remember this one) the Windows 'Start' Button on the task bar at the bottom would be on the left hand monitor and not on the right hand one. To move your mouse from the right hand monitor to the left hand monitor you would move the mouse to the left and the pointer would cross the central divide and appear on the right hand side of the left hand monitor. (If you can confirm the statements about the start button and the mouse we will be on the way to solving your problem. If the start button appeared on the right hand monitor and/or to go right to left you had to move the mouse right so the pointer appeared on the left hand edge of the left hand monitor then try what follows but it may only be a partial solution).


If the situation is like this with the start button on the left monitor then you will probably have had the following set-up under display properties/settings, (right click on the desktop and select properties from the list > select the settings tab):


a. 15" monitor will be monitor 1 and will be attached to the main monitor input on the back of the computer.


b. 19" monitor will be monitor 2 and will be attached to the additional monitor input on the back of the computer/video card


c. You will have found that under display properties/settings you will have a representation of two monitors numbered 1 & 2 (with 1 on the left and 2 on the right) and you will have clicked on the monitor 2 icon and then clicked the square button beside 'Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor' and then clicked the 'apply' button to put it into dual screen mode.


d. To transfer the main icons/desktop to the right hand monitor you would then, (with Monitor 2 still the active picture under settings), have clicked the square button beside 'Use this device as the primary monitor' and clicked apply and a partial swap of functionality would have occurred. You would have then done a restart and when the computer restarted you would have your monitors and icons/functionality fully as you wanted them to be. If you did a further re-start then the situation would stay the same.




If the above is correct then to get back to it can I suggest trying the following, (there may well be other simpler methods but this works for me when a DVI-VGA adaptor comes loose and I lose my set-up):




1. Print out this post and the instructions above and below.


2. Under display properties/settings ensure that the 15" monitor is listed as Monitor number 1 and ensure that the two icons for Monitor 1 and for Monitor 2 are side by side with monitor 1 on the left and monitor 2 on the right. If they are reversed then click and drag the monitor 2 icon over the top of the monitor 1 icon and drop it beside monitor 1 icon but not touching and with the height the same and click apply (if available). (If you are using different settings for each monitor then the monitor icons will be different sizes but try to get the centres lined up height wise).


3. In display properties/settings ensure by clicking on the icons for both monitor 1 and 2 that Monitor 1 is the primary monitor and that for Monitor 2 the 'Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor' is not ticked/selected. (If anything is different then first make Monitor 1 the primary and apply and re-start and then de-select the extend setting on monitor 2 and apply it and then re-start the computer to confirm that these settings have been remembered/set-up). Then turn off the computer. (Lots of re-starts I am afraid and possibly over cautious by doing so many but it may help).


4. What we are trying to do is to ensure that the computer considers the 15" to be Monitor number 1 under all circumstances, so with the computer still switched off disconnect the 19" monitor cable from the back of the computer and ensure that the 15" is connected to the main monitor input socket on the back of the video card. If you are not sure which is which then if the following instructions fail go back and try the other socket. If they still fail then replace the lead back to where it was originally!


5. Turn the computer on. It should restart in single monitor mode with the desktop on the 15" monitor.


6. Check the display settings to ensure that the 15" monitor is selected as the default monitor.


7. Turn off the computer


8. Restart to confirm that it is still the case and then shut down again (over the top and you can ignore this if you want to.)


9. Connect the 19" video cable to the spare socket on the back of the computer


10. Reboot and then go to display properties / settings and ensure that Monitor 1 is still set to be the 15". (You can use the identify button to put up a large number 1 and 2 on each computer display to confirm which one the computer thinks is number 1 and 2.) If it is then follow instructions c and d above to re-set up your two monitor settings and then try several re-boots to see if the computer remembers the settings. If the 15" is still not the monitor 1 then try going back to 4 but put the 15" lead on the other video socket on the back of the computer. If it still fails then put it back to where you found it and we will try to come up with another way of ensuring that Monitor 1 is remembered as the 15".


If you are still having problems then let us know and we may be able to come up with some other suggestions. (Downloading the latest drivers was a good one). In the past I have have had to go through these instructions several times before monitor number 1 was remembered correctly and all of the time. It may be that the new patches for Windows have meant that using Monitor 2 as the Primary is no longer possible with either Windows or your driver/graphics card or both until a further set of patches are made available by either Microsoft or NVIDIA. In which case you will have to make the 19" the Monitor 1 / Primary and the 15" the Monitor 2 with the desktop extended onto it and then physically move the monitors around on your table/desk to get the 19" on the Left hand side and the 15" on the right. If you don't move the monitors then moving the mouse between the monitors is strange as you have to go round the outside and not across the middle!


Best of luck.

ps ignore my capital 'M's in the word Monitor throughout all of the above. They are just my poor typing. Others may well have a better way of achieving all of the above but it works for me.

[Keygrip]

Good grief - thanks for all the effort.....but it's going to take me time to read and digest.

In the meantime - yes for mouse - it jumped the divide from left of left to right of right................but NO for the start button - it was ALL (everything) on the right hand 19" - I dragged/dropped Outlook to the other and left it there.

I'll go back and read now.

[eticket]

Keygrip,

Thanks for that.

I reckon that in the pre-problem situation you had the following set-up.

19" was the primary monitor and was number 1

15" was the secondary monitor and was number 2

The picture icons for the two monitors under display properties / settings were reversed with monitor 2 on the lhs of monitor 1. Hence the reason that your mouse travelled round the outside and not across the middle.

Windows defaults to having the monitor 1 on the left and monitor 2 on the right so when the patch was applied it changed the assignments of the monitors with the 15" becoming number 1 and the 19" becoming number 2 and the icons now being 1 on the left and 2 on the right. Hence the reason why the desktop is now on the 15" monitor.

If you follow my instructions in the earlier post above you should get back to using a dual screen system where the mouse will go across the middle but you will have the start button on the left hand monitor.

If you want to keep the start button on the right hand screen and keep the strange mouse move between monitors then follow the instructions in the earlier post but where you see a reference to the 15" use the 19" instead and vice-versa. Also ignore making the number 2 monitor the primary. Keep the number 1 the primary. Then finally use the move the icons trick to move the number 2 over to the left hand side of number 1 and you will be back to where you were pre-problem. I hope!

[Keygrip]

Forgive me for taking almost a kmonth to get to this - but IT WORKED. Thank you very much.

The delay was aggravated by me replacing the 19" with a 19" LCD, then being called away to work for three weeks non-stopp, got home and replaced the little monitor with a 17" LCD.

Configured as per etickets suggestions - all working just fine.

Thanks again.

K.

[eticket]

Keygrip,

Many thanks for letting us know how you got on. I am glad that it is now working again for you.

eticket