Solved OT technical help needed--dual monitors

[3WC]

I obtained a second monitor, but had to connect via DVI instead of VGA, as my video card only had one of each connection. (Intel onboard graphics) The first monitor had issues with the DVI connection, fuzzy lines and weird color, so I switched monitors. The other monitor seems to work ok, except on occasion when I move the computer, the screen turns green or purple. And the first monitor, after going to sleep, refuses to wake up unless I push the menu buttons a few times.

I've tried to troubleshoot this. All scans say I have the newest drivers for my device. Maybe a bad DVI cable or connection? This is Windows 7 by the way, is there any reason to believe a WinX upgrade would help?

 

[Glitterati3D]

Did you go into the Windows "Personalize" screen and set which display should be the primary display? It sounds like Windows thinks your primary is the secondary display.

 

[DigiDotz]

I have a dodgy lead on another pc, and that turns the screen purple unless i twist it slightly (technical haha) so may be part of the problem

 

[3WC]

Did you go into the Windows "Personalize" screen and set which display should be the primary display? It sounds like Windows thinks your primary is the secondary display.

Yes, the HP monitor is connected to vga and is the primary monitor. The samsung is connected to DVI-D and is the secondary monitor. Though the hp is listed as monitor 2 and samsung as 1. Don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[Glitterati3D]

Yes, the HP monitor is connected to vga and is the primary monitor. The samsung is connected to DVI-D and is the secondary monitor. Though the hp is listed as monitor 2 and samsung as 1. Don't know if that makes a difference.

Yes, as I suspected, they are reversed. Drag the one that should be the primary display to the #1 position.

 

[English Bob]

I have a dodgy lead on another pc, and that turns the screen purple unless i twist it slightly (technical haha) so may be part of the problem

Agreed. I work with digital video all day long, and I've examined many off-the-shelf leads as part of my job. There are an awful lot of extremely dodgy ones out there, let me tell you. (Dodgy: another technical term. )

 

[seachnasaigh]

Just to maybe help someone avoid puzzling problems, be aware that there are digital signal DVI ports, interleaved/analog signal DVI, and dual-link digital DVI. There's also a related DMS-59 connector which is intended for running two monitors (displaying the same image) which you may encounter on servers/workstations.
Most DVI connectors will have white plastic filler. "I" is interleaved (like old analog TV video); "D" is digital. "A" is analog.
Modern LCD monitors driven by PC video cards will want the DVI-D (1920x1200 max resolution) or DVI-D dual link (up to 2560x1600 pixels). These will have no pins around the blade.

Use the DVI-D dual link (left) for big 30" 2560x1600 pixel monitors.

Brief DVI wiki:

Here's the oddball DMS-59 connector; notice that it is trapezoid rather than rectangular, and that it has no blade. If you have one of these, get a splitter cable with one DVI and one VGA output, or two VGA outputs.
DMS-59 to 2x VGA splitter

 

[English Bob]

Most DVI connectors will have white plastic filler. "I" is interleaved (like old analog TV video); "D" is digital. "A" is analog.

Your advice is sound, @seachnasaigh, but if I may correct one small error? The "I" stands for integrated - that is, the connector carries both digital and analog signals. Interleaving belongs in a different kettle of video standards. In other words, it's fine to use a DVI-I connector to drive a DVI-D monitor.

 

[seachnasaigh]

By all means, please do, and thank you - we want to get it right, so that the thread is useful.

I have seven of those 2560x1600 monitors using DVI-D dual link cables, and two server/workstations which each have two DMS-59, plus some single link DVI-D stuff on security cameras. So, lots of DVI around here!

 

[Pendraia]

I use win7 and run two monitors with no problem...I think that the dodgy leads sounds most likely also.

 

[seachnasaigh]

I recall someone posting that they set up dual monitors and had a problem with shortcut icons going missing. They had used monitors with different vertical pixel counts. This left unseen strips of desktop above and below one of the monitors. Sometimes you'll be lucky and one of the larger pixel count monitor's resolution options will match the native resolution pixel height of the lesser, but then you're settling for the lowest common denominator.

My advice is to use monitors with the same vertical pixel count. It's fine to use a second monitor with a different horizontal pixel count.
I bought four enterprise surplus HP monitors with 1600x1200 pixels which could rotate 90' to be 1200x1600.
I can set one beside my laptop Pixie (1920x1200) in landscape orientation (1600x1200) and the vertical dimension matches at 1200 pixels tall.
I also have one beside workstation Urania's 2560x1600 monitor, but that HP is rotated to portrait (1200x1600) to match the 1600 pixel height.

 

[seachnasaigh]

I obtained a second monitor, but had to connect via DVI instead of VGA, as my video card only had one of each connection. (Intel onboard graphics)...

Oooops. I missed this. OP is using an onboard graphics chip. Those are notorious for having very limited display bandwidth; they just can't drive a lot of pixels. The DVI port of the onboard graphics may also be defective. It would be interesting to see if the issue disappears when a modest dedicated graphics card is added.

 

[3WC]

I guess I never replied to say that this is working for now. I would guess that "dodgy lead" is the problem, as it works fine unless I start moving things around. And yes, someday I will get a dedicated graphics card and a big hd monitor. ☺