Quake3World

ok so I picked up a second monitor and wanted to run a dual monitor setup. I plug one into the VGA port and the other into the DVI port, no converters are used. when I boot the PC POSTS fine but when it would go to load windows the screens go blank and nothing happens. I unplugged the DVI'ed monitor and it booted fine. I unplugged the VGA monitor and plugged in the DVI monitor and it goes back to the black screen after POST. I grab a DVI--> VGA converter and try the DVI monitor on the VGA port and it works fine.

If I plug the second monitor in while windows is booting it'll work fine also. This problem ONLY occurs on boot.

So it's not the monitor so that leaves the vid card right? I'm running the latest drivers (downloaded from nVidia today) what else can I try?

Did you mess about in the nvidia control panel (there are options for multiple monitor setups)

yeah the problem is the computer wont boot if both monitors are plugged in.

"I unplugged the VGA monitor and plugged in the DVI monitor and it goes back to the black screen after POST."

Going by this it sounds like it wont boot whenever the DVI monitor is connected?

bingo, but only if it's plugged into the DVI port, if i use a DVI--> vga adapter it works fine.

i wonder if it's a power issue.

Fury wrote:bingo, but only if it's plugged into the DVI port, if i use a DVI--> vga adapter it works fine.

Can you just take a look at the DVI socket on the monitors cable for me? Which one of these does it look like:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DVI_ ... _Types.svg

DVI-D single link
third one down

Fury wrote:bingo, but only if it's plugged into the DVI port, if i use a DVI--> vga adapter it works fine.

You mean converting the VGA socket on the graphics card to a DVI socket and connecting the DVI monitor, or converting the DVI socket on the graphics card to VGA and then connecting the VGA monitor?

Because I would only expect the second method to be possible, as I wasn't aware that a graphics card VGA socket could output a digital signal (which it would have to in order for you to be able to convert it to DVI-D)

Also, can you detach the OTHER end of the DVI cable at the monitor end, and check the DVI socket that the MONITOR has on it? It should be DVI-D single link also, but if it's a flavour of DVI-I then I might be able to take a guess at the problem.

Also, model of monitor?

There's a VGA port on the DVI monitor i just used a VGA cable sorry for the poor description.

both ends of the DVI cable are DVI-D single link

The VGA is an Envision H191W
the DVI is an Acer AL 1916W

Not the end of the DVI cable. The DVI socket on the monitor itself. What kind of socket from that image is it?

DVI-D Dual link

I bet you're on Vista.

If so, you have a couple of choices. Throw down a nominal sum for a dual-link DVI cable to match that dual-link monitor socket, or roll back/forwards your graphics driver.

The issue revolves around Vistas new content copy protection support, and the fact that its buggy as shit with some nvidia driver versions with your particular setup.

actually i'm running xp sp2, but i'll fiddle about with drivers. went looking for DVI cables today and fuck buying them in store. $80 for 6' of cable is insane

I'm outta ideas guv.

DVI cables should be cheap though... around $10 max.