Single Monitor detected as Multiple Monitors

joots

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I have just rebuilt my PC and decided to make the jump from Windows XP to Windows 8. The jump has not been smooth, but it looks like I have ironed out my biggest problem (incorrect installation due to not creating a system partition therefore WIN8 = no DVD, no boot; rookie error).

Now I am stuck with an issue that is a real pain - windows detects my only screen as more than one. Sometimes it thinks I have two, more often it thinks I have 3 or 4. Installing the current nVidia drivers did not help.

What I have at the moment is 2 generic non-PnP monitors and 2 generic PnP monitors detected, according to device manager. nVidia control panel calls them Dell SX2210, VGA display, (i can't recall the 3rd one, I'm on my laptop now), and TV. Windows display setup calls two of the SX2210, and the other two are either generic non-PnP or PnP monitors. In nVidia control panel it looks as though I have a clone setup (2 screens enabled) with the Dell SX2210 and the VGA display. In windows display setup it looks as though I have a clone setup (2 screens enabled) with Dell SX2210 and generic monitor.

I have repeatedly unchecked the secondary monitors in both nVidia control panel and windows display setup, leaving me with what should be a single monitor arrangement and 3 disabled monitors. This works until I restart my computer, which then reverts back to what it was before. This is OK as a workaround most of the time, but sometimes when I boot up the computer it detects the wrong screen as the primary and I get a monitor which goes to power save mode. The solution to this is Win Key + P and change the display selection while blind, which works now I know how. Sometimes my screen will refresh (installing programs or drivers) and I get the same result. Detect displays also results in no signal to my monitor.

Currently using DVI from the graphics card to DVI on the monitor.

What the hell!!

System specs:
CPU: Intel 3570K (stock clock)
MB: ASRock Extreme4 Z77
RAM: 4 x 4GB 2133 GSkill
VIDEO: Gigabyte GTX260 OC
MONITOR: Dell SX2210 @ 1920 x 1080
OS: Windows 8 64bit

*Yes I know the 260 is an older card, it has come from my old system for economics reasons (to be upgraded later), but it was working perfect on that machine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
Did you disable the built in video on the mother board?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7/8 Mint
    System Manufacturer/Model
    lenovo W530
    CPU
    intell i7
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16gb
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    512 gb ssd
    Other Info
    Around 13 million employes
I have not. How would I go about doing that?

**Edit: I found this on Toms Hardware forums. I did wonder what igpu support was and whether I should disable it... I'll try that when I get home tonight.

Hey dude,
I had the same problem... just got it fixed..

you are suppose to disable "igpu multi monitor" settings..

In bios => Advanced => North Bridge configuration => igpu multi monitor -> Disable..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
Some where in the bios for your mother board or a switch or jumper on the mother board. The info should be in the docs for the mother board.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win7/8 Mint
    System Manufacturer/Model
    lenovo W530
    CPU
    intell i7
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16gb
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    512 gb ssd
    Other Info
    Around 13 million employes
Happy days, changed the setting in the bios and it looks like things are fixed. Windows only detects one screen and has booted up with signal to the display a couple of times in a row. Fingers crossed I have no more issues, because it would really sour my windows 8 experience, which looks promising at the moment.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
So I am having problems again. The previously mentioned fix worked for a while, but now I am having the exact same problems again except this time I also am getting a BSOD frequently as well.

The Win8 BSOD is a bit different from what I'm used to but the message it gives is 'System_Service_Exception: nvlddmkm.sys'.

Ideas right now are:
1. My drivers are bad (currently running nvidia driver 310.90)
2. Video card is faulty (was working fine in my previous PC, but I suppose something could have happened to it during the swap)
3. Motherboard is faulty
4. DVI cable is faulty (seems unlikely)
5. Monitor is faulty (seems unlikely)
6. RAM is faulty (why would this affect it? Possibly because Win8 seems to expand the video memory by sharing with system memory, but the errors have almost always happened before I run programs or games so far, so not much memory would be filled)
7. Power supply...

Any ideas what might be most likely? Or other options?

I'm starting a trial and error from tonight, starting with drivers - rolling up to 314.07.

*EDIT: Just unistalled my nvidia drivers and changed from a dvi to a hdmi cable (with hdmi to dvi adapter as the gtx 260 has no hdmi input). I still have several monitors showing up in display settings and my installation of the 314.07 drivers failed soon after starting. I guess that pretty much rules out drivers and cables :'(
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
Also something I have noticed, sometimes I don't have any display until I get to windows (no POST screen).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 64bit
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