Vista keeps losing my dual monitor settings

Scott144

New Member
Hi all. Maybe there's a fix this somewhere deep in the forums - I just can't find it. And I've read in other forums the same problem but no one seems to have the fix.

Just got a new computer - HP with Vista Home Premium 64bit. Video card is ATI Radeon HD4850 with two DVI outputs. I have twin Acer V223W monitors connected with DVI cables.

I can figure out how to set them up in Vista, and also in ATI Catalyst, setting the default and extending the desktop and all that. I had been running dual monitors like this for years on my former XP machine. My problem is, each time Vista goes to sleep, or hibernates, and even on some restarts it reverts back to clone mode. HUGE pain in the butt.

Please help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion d5200t
    CPU
    Intel Core2 Quad Q9650
    Motherboard
    ACPI (I think?)
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4850
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two Acer V223W's
Make sure you have the latest drivers for your monitor under Device Manager, also make sure Acer V223W is under "DeviceManager/Displays" and not Generic or Std PnP Monitors, this can cause problems.

Now, being said that, I was having problems with my Vista loosing internet connectivity after waking up from sleep and I tried everything and then some but to no avail. The consensus on this Energy Saving thing is a toss up and many believe there are no real savings as far as the Electric Bill is concern so, all I do now is set the ScreenSaver for 10 mins and computer NEVER SLEEPS... EVER! No more internet problems here ;)

I know, that is not a solution and I usually feel pretty angry when I can't find an answer but I have learn to choose my fights & battles wisely as of late... more so when it comes to the Quirkiness World that we call Vista :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Built
    CPU
    Intel Q9650 w/CM V8 Cooler...
    Motherboard
    EVGA 780i SLI FTW... Latest Bios & Drivers
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator 8GB (4 x 2GB) PC2-8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX260
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Def Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 22" LCD Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Velociraptor 160GB
    Samsung Sata 750GB
    Maxtor External 160GB
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750w Silencer
    Case
    Thermaltake Speedo Advance
    Cooling
    Air Cooled... See CPU
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15
    Mouse
    Logitech G7
    Internet Speed
    Comcast 6MB Broadband
    Other Info
    Linksys WRT54G router
I tried that. Initially both monitors appeared as PnP, so I forced in the current drivers. That seemed to help... but not for long. What I did today was download the latest drivers from ATI for my card, including Hydravision. I've only rebooted once all day and it ccame back the way it went off, so maybe that was the fix. We'll see what happenes tomorrow.

I also disabled the sleep feature, so I figured that was at least part of the problem. Still plugging away.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion d5200t
    CPU
    Intel Core2 Quad Q9650
    Motherboard
    ACPI (I think?)
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4850
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two Acer V223W's
I downloaded the latest drivers from ATI and that seems to have solved the problem. Or at least I should say, the last 15 hours have been trouble free. You''d think with a brandy-new computer they would have the latest drivers?????
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion d5200t
    CPU
    Intel Core2 Quad Q9650
    Motherboard
    ACPI (I think?)
    Memory
    8 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 4850
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Two Acer V223W's
lul yea you'd think they would have the latest drivers but truth be told most computers you buy out of a store have been sitting there for a little while. When i purchased my 4850 i had to download the latest catalyst before i got everything working also, the catalyst that came on the disc was not the latest.

the update should fix your problem it fixed it for me
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    ME Model #lukeroberts
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x3 720 Black Edition
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte / XFX
    Memory
    6 GB/3 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon 4870
    Monitor(s) Displays
    25.5" Viewsonic / 19" LG / 17" NEC
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    500 GB Seagate Barracuda x3
    PSU
    Rocketfish(lol) 700w SLI
    Keyboard
    Logitech G11
    Mouse
    Logitech
My problem is, each time Vista goes to sleep, or hibernates, and even on some restarts it reverts back to clone mode.

Scott144; I temporarily solved this problem for the past year by installing an old X1300 ATI card for my second monitor in addition to the 4850 on a Gateway CPU. Since ATI's Version 9.4 and higher no longer support this old card, I had to remove it in order to install Ver. 9.5. And Yeap; the problem we both experience is back.

By the way; do you have both monitors set for the same resolution? Someone told me that having the monitors set at different resolutions could cause this problem.

Just for what it's worth; while I had both cards installed, never had a single video setting problem. (Each monitor at a different resolution).

I am considering another 4850 and Crossfire them but will go off the roof if the problem persists.

I wonder if other users out there, using two 4850 Crossfired cards have this problem also.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Gateway
    CPU
    Gateway FX6800-01e.
    Motherboard
    Intel X58 TBGM-01
    Memory
    6Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    1 ATI 4850-512MB & 1 ATI 4550-512Mb
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gateway FHX2300 and Gateway FD1975
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 and 1400x960
    Hard Drives
    1 - 750Gb; 1 - 500 GB; 1 - 160 Gb
    1 - 400 Gb (Sec)
    PSU
    500 W
    Case
    Full Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    USB Saitek II
    Mouse
    Gateway Generic
    Internet Speed
    Verizon DSL 3 Mbps
I downloaded the latest drivers from ATI and that seems to have solved the problem. Or at least I should say, the last 15 hours have been trouble free. You''d think with a brandy-new computer they would have the latest drivers?????

Actually, brand new PC's frequently ship with outdated drivers and without a great many Windows patches/updates.

The reasoning is quite simple: the manufacturer doesn't have the time and resources to ensure that every driver or system update that comes along will work with everything on that computer. Theoretically, when you purchase a new computer from a manufacturer, there should be no conflicts between driver A and software program X. At least, that's the hope.

For me, at least, it's easy to empathise with them. How many of us have ran a Microsoft update or driver update on a brand new machine, only to have that update cause some massive headache that requires us to remove the update or even re-image the drive? I know I've encountered this enough times to empathise w/ the hardware manufacturers, even if it is a huge pita to have to download 2 gigs worth of software updates every time we get a new machine.
 

My Computer

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