Multiple displays, with primary being HDMI
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
dandy72 wrote:
when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays?
Nope. Just tried it when reading this message. The primary is HDMI with this message on it and when I turn it off the other screen remains blank. Far as I can recall it has always done it this way. Multiple computers. Certainly all of Windows 10. If you want it to switch you need to pop the display setup and set the other to be the primary.
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dandy72 wrote:
when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays?
Nope. Just tried it when reading this message. The primary is HDMI with this message on it and when I turn it off the other screen remains blank. Far as I can recall it has always done it this way. Multiple computers. Certainly all of Windows 10. If you want it to switch you need to pop the display setup and set the other to be the primary.
The windows don't move when powering off. They move when powering it *back on*.
jschell wrote:
If you want it to switch you need to pop the display setup and set the other to be the primary.
That's exactly what I *don't* want it to do. Windows move on their own - I don't want them to, even if a monitor is not turned on. Specifically - I leave my system on 24/7, except for the monitors. First thing I do in the morning is power on the monitors. That's when windows shift around. And not just from primary to others, but windows that were on #3 switch to #1, and what was on #1 switch to #3 - that sort of thing.
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
dandy72 wrote:
Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA.
VGA? This a server? :omg: :omg: :omg:
Jeremy Falcon
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
dandy72 wrote:
Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on...
Also, to address the question... not sure. I do know that Windows always had issues with window placement on laptops for external monitors. Can only assume it was signal related (or maybe power since monitors auto shut off, not sure). It was such a problem that MS supposedly fixed it in Win11. I supposedly because it's not perfect, but it is better than on Win10.
Jeremy Falcon
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
I'm not sure that me case is a proof... but I have two HDMI monitors and when turning off the main all moves to the secondary... When turning it on everything stays there until computer restart...
"If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg
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dandy72 wrote:
Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA.
VGA? This a server? :omg: :omg: :omg:
Jeremy Falcon
My old 24" and 27" VGA monitors are working fine as secondary monitors, I'm not gonna replace them just because of the connection type they're using. In fact the 24" is the last of a set of 3 identical ones I bought at the same time, and is still going. The two others died over time.
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dandy72 wrote:
Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on...
Also, to address the question... not sure. I do know that Windows always had issues with window placement on laptops for external monitors. Can only assume it was signal related (or maybe power since monitors auto shut off, not sure). It was such a problem that MS supposedly fixed it in Win11. I supposedly because it's not perfect, but it is better than on Win10.
Jeremy Falcon
It's not a laptop, and power-saving is the first thing I disable with any PC I setup - including displays. Something else maybe worthy of note - nothing changes when I power down a monitor (any of them). When I power the one using HDMI back on, I hear that noise Device Manager makes whenever it detects a new device. Not so when I power off/on any VGA display.
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The windows don't move when powering off. They move when powering it *back on*.
jschell wrote:
If you want it to switch you need to pop the display setup and set the other to be the primary.
That's exactly what I *don't* want it to do. Windows move on their own - I don't want them to, even if a monitor is not turned on. Specifically - I leave my system on 24/7, except for the monitors. First thing I do in the morning is power on the monitors. That's when windows shift around. And not just from primary to others, but windows that were on #3 switch to #1, and what was on #1 switch to #3 - that sort of thing.
Your BIOS settings should include things like "OnBoard" and "Auto" and the third option, all under VGA. Mine, set as OnBoard will not present any signal on the card video. Only the VGA hookup to the motherboard. When I release that default by specifying "Auto" (usually) the video card in the PCIe (double in this case) will kick in and even though the VGA of the motherboard is still allowing a signal, take over the boot splash screen and load under that. It's tricky but once you've got which setting in the BIOS handles which monitor(S), the hand-off to the Windows console for Display/Monitor settings will take everything plugged in into account.
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dandy72 wrote:
Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on...
Also, to address the question... not sure. I do know that Windows always had issues with window placement on laptops for external monitors. Can only assume it was signal related (or maybe power since monitors auto shut off, not sure). It was such a problem that MS supposedly fixed it in Win11. I supposedly because it's not perfect, but it is better than on Win10.
Jeremy Falcon
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
Windows always had issues with window placement on laptops for external monitors
My issue isn't with Windows, it's with the monitor manufacturer (LG). The "I ain't got no signal so I'm gonna power off" time is so short (3-4 seconds) that if I'm powering the entire machine up the monitor turns itself off before Windows sees it, which causes Windows to default to my laptop's display. I then have to futz with the Windows display settings to get it to see the external monitor again during the 3-4 seconds it stays alive. Round and round we go. Once it works, it's great. :rolleyes:
Software Zen:
delete this; -
My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
It's nonsense like this that led me to buying a large (55") 4k TV screen as my single monitor. It is 4 1080p screens all in one. I can put two VS Code instances side by side, each with side docs open, and see everything fine. Given my short term memory challenges it has paid for itself in spades in terms of my boosted productivity and I've not once had to deal with the monitor madness that comes from having more than one.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
I don't think windows cares how a display is connected. You can configure it to show any way you want
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dandy72 wrote:
Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA.
VGA? This a server? :omg: :omg: :omg:
Jeremy Falcon
I have 2 laptops on my desk, a "KVM" switch (it actually switches USB and video) and 6 monitors. The primary monitor is directly connected to the "KVM" switch via VGA cable, the other 5 are connected via USB-to-VGA adapters, so when I push the button on the "KVM" switch, all 6 monitors, the mouse, keyboard and 2 printers (1 label, 1 inkjet) switch between my personal and work laptops. I have thought about getting one big screen (like the witch) but firstly I don't think the laptops could drive one and secondly I find it useful to maximize windows to specific monitors.
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My primary monitor is connected via HDMI. Secondary monitors are connected via VGA and USB-to-VGA. Am I right to conclude that if you have a mixture of HDMI (primary) and VGA (secondary), when you power off the display connected via HDMI, its windows all move to the other displays? Or rather, the windows stay in place when the display is powered off, but move around to other monitors when the one connected via HDMI is powered back on... It's been like that for years, it seems, but I don't believe I've ever solicited feedback on this topic. The PC on my desk has changed over the years, so it's not system-specific (although I *could* just be unlucky). This is getting annoying. As more and more display devices switch to HDMI, I suspect this is only going to get worse, unless Windows stops messing around like this.
Yeah, multiple monitors and windows is often a mystery. My previous setup was an ACER AIO with an external ACER HDMI monitor. Every now and again when the monitors switched off the external one did not switch on again. I had to power it off and on again to reactivate it. 2 months ago the AIO display died so I replaced it with a new desktop PC and a new display port monitor + the existing external HDMI monitor. Ever since both monitors have never missed a beat: both of them switch off and on exactly when they are supposed to. The previous setup worked OK with windows 10 but behaved erratically with windows 11. The new setup again uses windows 11 but this time it works OK: go figure?
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Your BIOS settings should include things like "OnBoard" and "Auto" and the third option, all under VGA. Mine, set as OnBoard will not present any signal on the card video. Only the VGA hookup to the motherboard. When I release that default by specifying "Auto" (usually) the video card in the PCIe (double in this case) will kick in and even though the VGA of the motherboard is still allowing a signal, take over the boot splash screen and load under that. It's tricky but once you've got which setting in the BIOS handles which monitor(S), the hand-off to the Windows console for Display/Monitor settings will take everything plugged in into account.
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It's nonsense like this that led me to buying a large (55") 4k TV screen as my single monitor. It is 4 1080p screens all in one. I can put two VS Code instances side by side, each with side docs open, and see everything fine. Given my short term memory challenges it has paid for itself in spades in terms of my boosted productivity and I've not once had to deal with the monitor madness that comes from having more than one.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
Well...the problematic display is exactly that - an LG 4K 40" TV connected via HDMI. So I have the same resolution as you do, only, with smaller pixels. I do get the 4x1080p goodness. Combine that with additional monitors, and I'll bet you'll be seeing windows shift around when the TV powers back on.
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I don't think windows cares how a display is connected. You can configure it to show any way you want
Right, but what I suspect is happening is that - because I hear the "device connected" sound, just as if a new keyboard/mouse/printer/whatever device is connected, it gets added as a brand new device showing up dynamically in Device Manager, and then goes through this additional initialization phase that doesn't take place for VGA. And I think that's this extra initialization/reconfiguring of the desktop layout that messes up what goes where.
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Yeah, multiple monitors and windows is often a mystery. My previous setup was an ACER AIO with an external ACER HDMI monitor. Every now and again when the monitors switched off the external one did not switch on again. I had to power it off and on again to reactivate it. 2 months ago the AIO display died so I replaced it with a new desktop PC and a new display port monitor + the existing external HDMI monitor. Ever since both monitors have never missed a beat: both of them switch off and on exactly when they are supposed to. The previous setup worked OK with windows 10 but behaved erratically with windows 11. The new setup again uses windows 11 but this time it works OK: go figure?
I have a relative with a plain ol' desktop with a video card with two outputs, and once in a blue moon, one of the monitors won't get a signal. The solution is inconsistent. Powering off/back on, physically disconnecting/reconnecting exactly where everything was, *swapping* the connections and then back...it's never the same solution, but ultimately we've narrowed it down to these 3 options, so I stopped getting phonecalls...but I'm told it's still happening. Very strange. But, nothing to do with me in this case...
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The windows don't move when powering off. They move when powering it *back on*.
jschell wrote:
If you want it to switch you need to pop the display setup and set the other to be the primary.
That's exactly what I *don't* want it to do. Windows move on their own - I don't want them to, even if a monitor is not turned on. Specifically - I leave my system on 24/7, except for the monitors. First thing I do in the morning is power on the monitors. That's when windows shift around. And not just from primary to others, but windows that were on #3 switch to #1, and what was on #1 switch to #3 - that sort of thing.
Ah...I misunderstood the original post.
dandy72 wrote:
They move when powering it back on.
Double ah. I cannot ever have that specific problem because when I power down a computer it is actually powered down. There are no windows at all when it starts back up. ---------------------------------------------- Perhaps related or not I do know that when I close a window (especially browser and the editor I use) on my secondary display if that is the last window of the type that I close then next time when I start up then the app opens on that display. So maybe the problem is how it ends up closing windows when you power down?
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Ah...I misunderstood the original post.
dandy72 wrote:
They move when powering it back on.
Double ah. I cannot ever have that specific problem because when I power down a computer it is actually powered down. There are no windows at all when it starts back up. ---------------------------------------------- Perhaps related or not I do know that when I close a window (especially browser and the editor I use) on my secondary display if that is the last window of the type that I close then next time when I start up then the app opens on that display. So maybe the problem is how it ends up closing windows when you power down?
