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  • #2239346

    [SOLVED] Dual Monitor Issues, DVI and VGA

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    by link470 ·

    I originally had a dual 17″ display setup going on. Both VGA. I had one plugged into my 9800XT’s VGA port, and one plugged into a DVI to VGA adapter to plug into the DVI port. It worked great. Booted up everytime and had both monitors where I wanted them. I use my main monitor in front, and the secondary on the left where as most use the second monitor on the right. But anyways, then I got a 22″ LCD. It has DVI and VGA. I figured hey, I don’t need the adapter. I’ll go DVI to the DVI port in my video card. It works, but not very well. I have to boot up the PC with ONLY the DVI plugged in, and then add the VGA after and reconfigure dual monitor. Every time I boot. I’m not sure why. Sometimes if both monitors are plugged in, the system won’t even boot. It shows the POST, and then nothing happens. If I enable the second monitor now, and it’s on the left instead of the right, the system halts, the monitors turn off, and it doesn’t respond. Yes, the video drivers are up to date.

    Thanks for any reply. I may have to format.

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    • #2466846

      Clarifications

      by link470 ·

      In reply to [SOLVED] Dual Monitor Issues, DVI and VGA

      Clarifications

    • #2474394

      Not quite sure what you want to know here as you have only

      by oh smeg ·

      In reply to [SOLVED] Dual Monitor Issues, DVI and VGA

      Stated what is happening but I’m supposing that you want to use the DVI and still have a Dual Monitor system on every Boot.

      Well it ain’t going to happen because when you use the DVI it becomes the default Monitor and there is nothing that you can do to prevent this from happening. The DVI to VGA adaptor doesn’t notify the Video Card that you are using the DVI take off so I would suggest that you revert to the VGA Adaptor and run the monitor from the VGA option that should cure your current problem unless the new monitor has something in it that tells the computer that it’s there. Did you install any software when you fitted the new monitor?

      Col

      • #2474356

        Update

        by link470 ·

        In reply to Not quite sure what you want to know here as you have only

        That’s part of the problem. The DVI isn’t the default. My new 22″ running on DVI isn’t even on when the computer boots up. It defaults to the VGA monitor, which didn’t make any sense to me. The VGA monitor [17″ Benq LCD] is supposed to be the secondary on the left. But instead the one in front of me, the samsung 22″ is completely asleep and the 17″ next to me is on. I have to reconfigure everytime I boot. Or plug in ONLY the 22″, and then plug in the 17″ and configure it when Im booted. Since I posted, I’ve backed up the image of my main drive with Acronis, and will probably format. I’d just like to think there’s hope. I haven’t formatted in 4 years and that may be what I need but I try to keep a very clean system. The displays are my only complaint. I’ve had to cold boot maybe 30 times today while I’ve been setting them up because when I save the settings it using Display Settings>Settings tab, it either accepts it but displays it wrong, or the system halts and both shut off.

        • #2474747

          Backup all your Data & Reinstall the OS

          by oh smeg ·

          In reply to Update

          Sounds like you are using some form of Windows and it’s corrupted.

          Col

    • #2474136

      hmm

      by thevirtualone ·

      In reply to [SOLVED] Dual Monitor Issues, DVI and VGA

      what os are you using?

      • #2475980

        Windows, and I think it’s fixed

        by link470 ·

        In reply to hmm

        I managed to trace the problem back to a bad video card. I swapped the cards and everything seems to be alright. The card didn’t pop out at me as being a solution at first, because it still displayed alright. It was an ATi RADEON 9800XT, and true ATi, not one of those Sapphire, Powercolor, or Asus RADEON cards. What I did was made an image of the OS hard drive first [36GB Raptor] over to my 1 TB MyBook drive. Then I attempted to reinstall the operating system and install drivers for the ATi card. I noticed that something was wrong with the card when the monitor went black every 5 seconds, and came back with a worse picture every time, until it came back with just static about 30 seconds later. Swapped it out with a BFG 7800GS 512MB and everything worked great. Transfered back my old image, updated it with the new video card drivers, and it works perfectly. Thanks for your replies!

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