Why does my Start menu keep appearing on the secondary montor?

[SPL Tech]

The computer I have is in my sig. I often switch from extended desk top mode to clone mode (both monitors display the same image). I do this because my games don’t work in extended desktop mode. Well sometimes when I turn off my computer I turn it back on to find the start bar and my icons moved to the second monitor and the only way to get to the first monitor is to mouse to the left of the left monitor and the mouse appears on the left of the right monitor. Well I go into display properties and change the display settings so that I can mouse from the left of the left monitor right onto the right monitor in the right direction. Well the start bar still stays on the right monitor and the only way to get it back to the left monitor is to switch the DVI cables. I even went into the display properties tab and choose “use this monitor as my default monitor” for monitor one (the left one) and the start menu is still on the right.

So my two questions are:

1. Why does the monitors keep switching without me commanding them to switch?
2. How do I fix this and stop it from happening again.


And also is there a way I can have the computer automatically switch to clone mode when I open a specific game so I donÂ’t have to always switch it myself?

 

[htcs]

Check your video card software, for example, ATI cards use Catalyst, NVidia use NVidia Control Panel (Display properties > Settings > Advanced). Run the wizards included in the software to change rather than using the Windows settings.

 

[SPL Tech]

What do I need to check on the software? Its the latest version. And it switches by itself. Sometimes I will reboot and it will be switched and sometimes I will exit out of clone mode into extended desktop mode and it will happen.

 

[SmallGods]

I had similar problems to this, and my recommendation to you would be to move away from NVidia's software for managing monitors as soon as possible. Whilst ok for basic stuff, there as other programs out there which allow a much higher and easier level of customization.

The one I would recommend to you would be Ultramon.
http://realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

It has a profile editor mode which you can use to save the settings you want, and automatically start when your OS starts up. Hope that helps!

 

[SPL Tech]

What are you talking about? I donÂ’t have a Nvidia card or anything Nvidia related. I use the display properties tab in the control menu to go to extended desktop mode and I use a hot key that runs through the ATI Catalyst Control Center to enable clone mode.

 

[SmallGods]

Apologies, I mis-read the other post. What I meant was your problem can be fixed by using 3rd party software to replace the dual screen capability your GFX card software offers. Ultramon would do everything that the ATI Catalyst Control Center can do, but is more reliable when it comes to saving and keeping settings as you want them, and also allows for much more customization.

 

[KSoD]

Easy fix. Get the primary monitor set up. the DO NOT extend it to the other monitor. It shold then put it on the primary monitor. From there you can then extend it back to the 2nd monitor.

 

[infiltrator7]

sorry to get off topic....

Makaveli, you live in Hamburg? I live in Orchard Park, like 15 minutes away. It's a small world after all...

 

[SPL Tech]

Easy fix. Get the primary monitor set up. the DO NOT extend it to the other monitor. It shold then put it on the primary monitor. From there you can then extend it back to the 2nd monitor.

I dont get what your saying? sorry

 

[SPL Tech]

Also I got some picture for you guys:

Whenever I play a game I need to go into clone mode so both monitors display the same image. When I exit out of the game I go back into extended desktop mode. Well what usually happens is when I go into clone mode half the icons move over to the opposite side of the monitor. Then when I exit clone mode back into extended desktop mode, the start menu is on the wrong monitor and I cant mouse over to the monitor from the correct side of the monitor. I have to go to the incorrect side of the monitor to mouse over to the other monitor. Here is a print screen of what I do step by step:

My monitor in extended desktop mode:

Then I go into clone mode and the icons move to the other side of the monitor:

This is what the display properties menu looks like at the moment:

At this moment I choose the default monitor to be the primary monitor ( the secondary monitor for some reason seems to become the default monitor when I go into clone mode)

Here I choose to make the default monitor the primary monitor and I choose the secondary monitor to be the extended desktop monitor. At this point the video card always switches the monitors around. Monitor number one becomes two and two becomes one. Also the mouse does not mouse over correctly. The arrows indicate the direction I need to move the mouse to get over to the other monitor.

Then I switch the monitors around on the little “1” and “2” blue boxes that indicate the monitors position in the display properties menu.

Then I move the icons and secondary taskbar where it belongs and everything is back to normal again.

So how do I skip doing all this bull? The monitors should go into clone mode without moving the icons around and they got back into extended desktop mode without screwing up the monitors position and task bar.



And I have UltraMon. UltraMon does not appear to have any options that will have any effect on my problem. None of the options have any effect on going from extended desktop mode to clone mode and back from what I found. It appears to have a option to alow me to go into clone mode (they call it mirror mode) but I already have that option through the ATI CCC.