Display Properties Settings, monitor physical arrangement

[mcelligott]

I have a very unique situation I need some help with.

I have computers set up in a Mobile Command Unit (they are mounted in the computer rack). I have a KVM with quad monitor extender for each computer. Each computer/position has 3 monitors at the other end of the KVM. All that works fine. I have designated monitor 3 as the primary monitor (where the icons and start bar are located).

The problem that has arisen is when I turn on the computers, the arrangement in Display Properties, Settings, "Drag the monitor icons to match the physical arrangement of your monitors" does not remain the same.

I was wondering if there was a way to fix this problem. I would like the monitors to appear as so:

Monitor
3

Monitor Monitor
1 2

This is their exact physical arrangement. They are mounted on the wall of the truck at each position. Monitor 3 sits above Monitor 1 and Monitor 2 sits to the right of Monitor 1. Unfortunately when the computer starts up, it puts the monitors in whatever arrangement it wants.

I am trying to make things easier for my users since they are responding to incidents in an already stressful situation and do not need additional stress dealing with the computers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[gbaughma]

The first thing that I would check is that you are doing the monitor arrangement as the administrator (so you have rights to save to the registry and so forth), and make sure you aren't running something that "resets" the settings (such as FoolProof or one of those utilities).



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[mcelligott]

I am using an Administrator sign on.

Monitor 1 & 2 are connected to a dual video graphics card, monitor 3 is connected to a USB to VGA graphics adapter. On start up and shut down, monitor 3 goes shuts down (seems like it is mounted only when it is logged into windows). When monitor 3 is set as primary, when windows logs off it appears that it randomly re-assigns another monitor as primary until it is logged back on. But upon logging back in, it randomly changes the layout of the display properties.

 

[gbaughma]

Ahhh... that makes a difference.

When windows is booting, it hasn't yet initialized the USB... so, if you set monitor 3 as the primary, it doesn't see it when first booting (not until it loads the USB drivers). Meanwhile, the video falls back to the internal monitor card.

You may be able to achieve what you want by making sure that the USB monitor is the last one (and not the primary monitor) that is set up.

OR... you could throw another VGA card into the box, and eliminate the USB to VGA bit.

I can almost guarantee that the USB to VGA is your issue.


Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com