Andy 2012-08-26 23:11
Hi again. As a reference post I am this guy from last year where you customized a script for me to switch between three monitors on a laptop (http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/forum/messages.asp?Topic=11425&tmpl=)
So I am back now after a year of flawless Ultramon operation with that script you made me and have been very pleased. I just got a new Lenovo Y480 Win7 64bit laptop with Optimus Ivy Bridge/Nvidia switchable graphics and I want to confirm that my new behavior with this same customized script is new (to me) normal operation or are problematic.
I have Ultramon 3.2.1 64bit installed with an external 20" monitor hooked up via VGA and a projector hooked up via HDMI. I am going to list the two new different behaviors in order:
1) On my old (5-year old) Win7 32-bit Core2Duo computer, whenever I pressed WinKey+P I would just get an exclamation ding and nothing would happen (I would get no switching monitor option). I always assumed that was Ultramon disabling WinKey+P. Now with the new Lenovo I do get monitor switching option when I press WinKey+P. Is this normal or was the old Acer laptop behavior normal? Is Ultramon supposed to disable WinKey+P?
2) With my new laptop, I can only hotkey select over to my projector (via HDMI) and get a picture on the projector when it's actually on and running. With my old laptop I could hotkey select over to the projector even with it off and even with no power on its surge protector. All I needed was the HDMI plug plugged in and I could hotkey over to the HDMI projector (laptop & external monitor screens then would be off). But the new behavior is not the same. Even if I am working and using my external monitor (via VGA), if I turn on the projector, the display automatically switches over to the projector via HDMI even though I didn't tell it to. That didn't happen with old laptop, I actually had to hotkey over to the HDMI projector if I turned it on while working on the VGA external monitor. Which behavior is normal?
So umm, I guess these two long questions are just me either 1) needing to get used to this new Ultramon behavior with Optimus graphics (?) or 2) something is amiss and the old laptop behavior was normal.
Thanks kindly for your help...
Andy
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Christian Studer 2012-08-27 09:10
1) I don't know what might have caused this on the old system, but UltraMon doesn't disable WIN+P.
2) This isn't related to UltraMon, most likely the video card driver handles this differently. If you don't want the projector to get enabled automatically, try disabling it and restart the system, Windows will then probably store the new display configuration and won't enable the projector automatically again.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Andy 2012-08-27 10:45
Hi, thanks for your reply. You said "If you don't want the projector to get enabled automatically, try disabling it and restart the system."
Can you please explain how to "disable it"? What do you mean by disabling the projector?
Thanks....
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Christian Studer 2012-08-28 08:28
To do this, turn on the projector, Windows will then detect that a new display has been connected and will extend the desktop to it, once this has happened disable the projector either via UltraMon or Windows Display Properties.
When you turn on the projector the next time, most likely Windows will no longer automatically extend the desktop to it.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Andy 2012-08-28 15:41
Hi again, I need specific instructions please on what steps to do when you said "disable the projector either via UltraMon or Windows Display Properties"
Ok, just to be clear, I will turn on the projector and wait til the desktop extends to it from the external monitor. Then I have a choice of two options of how to "disable the projector" using either:
1) Using Ultramon - I poked around in the settings and really don't see any settings that I would feel comfortable changing without your specific guidance.
2) Using Windows Display Properties - Again lost. Where are these settings and what options should I choose once I get there?
Do you recommend this course of action better through Ultramon or Windows Display Properties? If it doesn't matter then just please explain via Ultramon as that would probably be easiest.
I thank you for this help (and I know I am being dense but I don't want to screw anything up). I'm sure you can understand that...
Andy
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Christian Studer 2012-08-29 12:18
You can do this via UltraMon menu > Display Settings, select the projector from the list of available monitors, then uncheck the 'enabled' option and hit Apply.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Andy 2012-08-30 04:16
HI, thanks for your help. I got the projector start up sorted. I can now turn on the HDMI projector with my VGA external monitor still selected and the desktop will now not automatically go to HDMI.
However, got a problem shutting down the projector. THe desktop will now automatically go back to VGA external monitor when I turn off the projector which is fine. However when I turn the power strip off that the projector is plugged into then the desktop automatically extends back to the projector (weird eh? Cuz the darn thing isn't even plugged in anymore yet the desktop automatically extends to it?)
Could that be a problem of the script (mentioned in the first post)? Or is there a way to reset the laptops VGA-HDMI-internal screen display settings because something perhaps got screwed?
Appreciate any tips or guidance and thanks ever so much...
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Christian Studer 2012-08-30 08:13
Seems odd, it's not the script though. Try disabling the projector again via UltraMon menu > Display Settings when this happens, that should cause Windows to store a new display configuration for that specific hardware configuration.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Andy 2012-08-30 12:27
Well, I thought about doing exactly what you said but since the projector is off (and electically unplugged) how can I see what I am doing to get to Ultramon and disable the projector? Remember that the desktop moved itself to "Projector Only" when I electrically unplugged the projector and I can't see the desktop anymore. I have to Ultramon hotkey the desktop back to a visible monitor and by then the display setting for the projector is already unchecked under "Enabled". Is there a way to reset all these settings?
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Christian Studer 2012-08-31 08:54
Once you have used the UltraMon script to switch back to one of the visible monitors, shut down the system. This should cause Windows to save the new display settings.
The automatic enabling/disabling of monitors in response to hardware changes is done by Windows 7, and can't be prevented/changed by UltraMon.
Christian Studer - www.realtimesoft.com
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Andy 2012-08-31 22:19
Well, guess I figured out why it was doing it. Seems Win7 only "sees" my HDMI projector whenever:
1) HDMI is plugged into the back of it but unit is not actually powered on (and also not electrically plugged in)
2) When HDMI is plugged into the back of it, unit is electrically plugged in and the power button is actually pressed to on.
If the projector is just sitting there with the HDMI plugged into the back and just electrically plugged in (not powered on) then Win7 doesn't even recognize it.
So what was happening after I was finished using the projector I was just shutting it off. This caused the desktop to revert back to my VGA external display because Win7 stopped recognizing the projector (stopped seeing it). Then when I hit the surge protector switch removing power to the projector (as per Number 1 above) then Win7 recognized the projector again and since I had moved the desktop to the projector previously it still thinks I want it there so it moves it back to the projector even though it is totally off and electrically removed from power.
If I move the desktop back to the VGA external monitor first before shutting off the projector then that odd behavior doesn't happen.
So I guess it's either the fault of Win7 not recognizing my projector when power is applied to it but not actually turned on or it's the projector's fault for not allowing Win7 to see it. Personally I think it's Win7's fault for thinking Hey, this projector is electrically plugged in but since he didn't turn it on yet he actually doesn't want to use it. So I just won't see it/recognize it until he actually turns it on. But why Win7 then recognizes it when electrical power is totally removed from it I have no idea
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