Second Monitor Problems - Help Sought

[tom]

I'm having an intermittent problem with a second monitor.

I run a Viewsonic 26in monitor (1920x1200)as the primary. On the RHS I have set up an Acer 17in LCD (1280x1024) for addons like Plan-G, Rex weather etc, as the secondary display.  I Simply plugged it into the second outlet from the 9800 GX2 - and set it up using the nvidia control panel - it all seemed to work fine for a few hours, and I shut the system down the first night wondering why I hadn't done it a year ago.

When I fired things up the next day, it came on just fine - BUT .... after a minute or so, the secondary display blanked out with a "no signal" message.  Went into nvidia control panel - all seemed OK - tried reversing primary/secondary (with nvidia panel) - and bingo, screen came to life again, so let it revert back and all was well again.  All stayed as should be for hours, and I shutdown as normal that night.

Next day, and since (week or so now), the procedure has been the same, BUT, some days the secondary refuses to start at all (but will run as the primary if I reverse the plugs at the computer, indicating that the monitor is fine), some days it stops after a few minutes and will restart by switching to primary then back again (via nvidia panel), other days it stops after a couple of minutes and refuses all efforts to restart, and still other days it restarts and runs without further problems. I think the problem is getting worse.

The 9800 GX2 is stock standard (not OC'ed) - the OS is Vista 64. Have tried a new DVI cable to no avail.  Would seem to be a GPU problem, or setting or something. The GPU runs at high forties to low fifties degree range, which to me would seem in order. There are never any heat spikes or apparent instability.

It is really great (when it's working), but I think its sporadic operation will quickly drive me insane.

Is there some setting I've overlooked - or is it more likely one of those intermittent faults with the GPU that would be best handled by an upgrade to a 275 or 285 ??

I'm currently running the 195.62 driver - installed during this problem period - made no difference to the problem, or anything really.

Any thoughts anyone ??

Cheers 

[jgruschow]

Probably caused by mixing crt and lcd monitors.

I had the same problems when I bought my first lcd.

A second lcd fixed it.

[tom]

Thanks for your input Jack, but no, they're both LCD.

Cheers

[Sniper31]

Tom, that is such an odd problem....but then, aren't all PC issues odd

Anyway, have you tried reseating the video card in it's slot on the motherboard? It's a basic troubleshooting step, but is often overlooked.

Also, do you by chance have an extra video card available to swap out and test?

Those are the only suggestions I have ATM.

[tennyson]

Tom, have you set up your sleep mode and turned hibernation off?

It's the first thing I do after an install, but have occassionally been caught out.

Also, what are your cables like? Check the pins to make sure you haven't got a bent pin.

Frank

[tom]

Thanks for your suggestions guys - all help is greatly appreciated.

@ Sniper31 - No I haven't ventured into the box re this problem yet, but have put reseating the card on the list of things to try when I go in there. I'm not hugely comfortable doing this, so am holding off in the hope that there may be a setting or procedure I've overlooked.

And no, unfortunately I don't have a spare card to try. I've been thinking of upgrading the card soonish ... maybe I will have to bring it on.

@ tennyson - Sleep and hibernation are definately off - I don't usually use them, and have double checked.  This problem does not affect the primary monitor at all ... it is solely the secondary one. It will however affect the primary monitor if I reverse the plugs at the computer ... such that it is only an output problem from the second socket on the card.

Have checked the plugs/sockets - have tried a brand new DVI cable - all to no avail. I'm beginning to think that the only options firming up for me are to reseat the card, then replace it if unsuccessful ( if I decide I really do need this second monitor after all)

Cheers guys, and thanks again.

[Maurice_King]

OK first off have you set the monitors existence in Windows, thats windows . Right click on desktop screen and select properties then settings and NOT nVidia control panel.

Now set your Monitor location and resolution here and also make sure you have the "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" ticked too.   

You may need to actually install a driver for that particular monitor (I did for a Dell LCD- Totally blank untill I installed the driver and rebooted) so this could be necessary too. Currently windows set's things up and looses the plot (sounds familiar)

Make sure that the monitor Powersave setting cannot be set individually and isn't set to blank due to lack of activity.

[tom]

Thanks for your time Mozz.

Have been through the process exactly as you outline a few times now with Windows, and also with the nvidia control panel. Both produce the exact same result.

Now, .... I just swapped the plugs on the 2 outlet sockets on the card, and the little Acer LCD works perfectly as the primary boot up screen - the main 26in Viewsonic came on as the secondary, and in about 2 minutes it blacks out with no signal. ie behaves exactly as the other one does when plugged into second socket.

So it would definitely seem that the second outlet socket on the card is playing up.

The pooter recognises the second monitor as a Generic PnP, and tells me that the driver is up to date.  I guess that as it works fine in the first socket, this makes sense.

Where to from here .... I dunno ... whilst I don't feel too comfortable playing around with the card, I'll probably try reseating it over the weekend and check out as best as I can the output socket area of the card and take it from there.

I'd be more than happy to try any other suggestions, but I'm not a techno savvy guru type who gets his jollies from inside the "box" ......

I guess a GPU upgrade wouldn't hurt anyhow ... and at least everything is working fine with the one 26 inch monitor in the meantime.

Cheers, and thanks mate.

[Maurice_King]

Well that would rip the fork right outta ya nighty then  . What happens when you swap as you describe and then assign the 26 as your primary. The Primary socket is the bottom one relative to the MoBo to.

Interesting behaviour.

[tom]

Dunno about the fork outta the nightie ... I'll have to check,... but it certainly ripped the buttons right offa ma vest!!! LOL

Have tried what you suggest a few times - if the top socket (secondary) is in "ornery" mode (ie producing no signal), then that is precisely what I get. If the socket decides to send a signal, it generally closes down after almost exactly 2 minutes, and leaves me with SFA on the now 26in primary, and a lovely desktop image on the 17in that I can do motherless nothing with .... and the problem of doing a forced reboot and resetup of things.  All a bit of a pain in the rectum!!!

Anyhow, I'll go back to enjoying all this FSX/FTX/REX etc on the 26in primary, and ponder an upgrade of the GPU.

Thanks for your time .... always appreciated,

Cheers mate.

PS Haven't had a chance to reseat the card as yet - will do, and report back if it proves successful, though I have "me doots".

[Maurice_King]

It would be interesting to at least try a different high end card in place of the one you have to assist in eliminating whether it is a hardware issue or not.

[Sniper31]

It would be interesting to at least try a different high end card in place of the one you have to assist in eliminating whether it is a hardware issue or not.

I concur.

[tom]

Hi again guys, and thanks for your perseverance.  I also concur .... but I don't have access to another card.

There is an interesting thread over on the REX forum re SLI (http://realenvironmentxtreme.com/forum/index.php?topic=7062.0). The inference is that you cannot run two monitors off a GPU card if it is configured in SLI mode. Now the 9800GX2 is essentially 2 cards bolted together, and whilst it only occupies 1x PCIe slot, I'm told that it essentially operates as if in SLI mode. 

Maybe ... just maybe this could be the nub of the problem, but I must admit it is a tad difficult to know just who knows what they're talking about .... and who doesn't ...on lots of these forums.

All food for thought eh?

Cheers

[Maurice_King]

Mate if the nVidia driver interface does NOT specifically say it is operating in SLI mode then it isn't ,  I really do not think that that is your issue.

[tom]

Bit more of a development

Today in Sydney it's much much cooler than it has been for a week or so ... and ... bugger me if the second monitor hasn't been performing faultlessly.

Monitoring of the GPU temps has shown them to be operating in the 50 +/- 3 degree range all day so far.  Last week they were up into the low sixties, which I would have thought would not have caused a problem, but it seems not so, as the secondary spent most of the week inoperative !!!

So, is there a setting somewhere that would control the point at which I'm assuming a cutout happens to the second signal so as to preserve the GPU from overheating and destroying itself ?? Or am I giving the system credit for sophistation that it wouldn't possess ??  Where would you find the setting if it exists - I haven't noticed it in the BIOS ?

Sorry to trouble you further on this minor matter ... I assume this will probably be the last gasp for this issue.

Cheers

[Maurice_King]

OK in light of that revelation I'd pull your existing Video Card out and blow some compressed air throught it to clean any residual dust out.

I'd also look at the case ventilation and how the average temp inside the case it , it sounds like you really do not have sufficient volume of air moving through the case.