8800 GTS problem with dual monitors

[silentinjection]

Hello again,
I posted not too long ago about my EVGA 8800 GTS not posting anything and thanks to the advice from you all I RMA'd it and got a new one. So this new one works...kinda. I installed it and it will only display something on my hanns G 19" wide screen LCD hooked up through DVI. I have an Olevia 27" multi-purpose tv/monitor hooked up through DVI as well. The Olevia one will not display anything. The computer recognizes it, and tells me that everything is there and hooked up properly, yet there is no picture. I tried just that monitor hooked up, and it doesnt work. I updated to some newer 8800 gts drivers for windows xp, but still nothing. Any ideas? Thanks in advance :P

[Panda Man]

HAH! You think we're going to take it easy on you!! I've got some... questions, for you first :hmpf:

:P J/k, but seriously:

Does the monitor clone the image during POST?

Does your monitor work when plugged into the other DVI port?

Are you using a VGA to DVI adapter?


If you are sure your monitor is working correctly, go to Control Panel > display > Settings > And make sure there are 2 boxes showing (and that the box with a 2 in it is not greyed out). If so click on the one labeled 2 and try checking the "extend my desktop" option. You can also try adjusting the resolution and refresh rate to make sure they are set to something the monitor can support. Make sure you have the correct monitor selected when adjusting settings.

[Quakindude]

On big LCD TV/monitors, the resolution will be a lot lower than you would think. Like 130x768 or something weird like that.

[Panda Man]

Originally Posted by Quakindude

On big LCD TV/monitors, the resolution will be a lot lower than you would think. Like 130x768 or something weird like that.

indeed. Standard CRT televisions run at 320x240@30Hz. That's why the text is always so tiny on screen and the desktop itself kinda screwy looking. So most TV (cable, etc.) is broadcasted to accommodate this, thus odd TV's have to accommodate it as well.

[silentinjection]

The 27" LCD tv doesnt ever post anything except for random times when im screwing with all the settings and switching cables.

They are both direct DVI hookups.

I have the two boxes in the display properties panel and neither are grayed out and it is set to extend. I have tried clone, span, and dual view, with it telling me that its working and windows popping up on the 27", but nothing is actually showing on the screen. Its just "no signal."

[Panda Man]

Originally Posted by silentinjection

The 27" LCD tv doesnt ever post anything except for random times when im screwing with all the settings and switching cables.

They are both direct DVI hookups.

I have the two boxes in the display properties panel and neither are grayed out and it is set to extend. I have tried clone, span, and dual view, with it telling me that its working and windows popping up on the 27", but nothing is actually showing on the screen. Its just "no signal."

POST is Power On Self Test, when you first turn on the computer does the other monitor display anything at all before you get to the loading screen?

It really sounds like a resolution/refresh problem to me. (I think the refresh rate is too high)

Control Panel > display > Settings > Advanced > Monitor

And tweak the refresh rate. Leave the box labeled "Do no show refresh rates this monitor can not support" checked for safety. Also make sure you have it set to a resolution the monitor can support. What model monitor is this?

[Quakindude]

Have you tried swapping out the cables between displays?

Also, the TV should have an area in the menu screen where you change it over to DVI input.

[Dr. V]

do not take this the wrong way, not trying to make you feel "low" or anything, but mistakes do happen.

is the setting on the TV set to "DVI" or "PC" or whatever your TV has it set to. make sure you have it on the correct input through the TV.

-cheers to this working eventually!

[silentinjection]

I have used dual monitors for a few years now: the TV is set to DVI, the monitor's resolution is set at 1280x720 (wide) with a refresh rate of 60 (the only refresh rate it has).

Nothing displays on the TV ever, not during post or at anytime. The computer thinks things are on it, but I cant see anything. i.e.: I can move my mouse off my main screen as if to go onto the other monitor, but alas I can see nothing.

It is very weird, and I think maybe its the drivers, but I have tried the standard Nvidia ones from their site, and also a new version from Guru3D listed as only for 8800 GTS/GTX.

Everything was working perfectly with my old card (7800 GTX) which I just switched out for this one earlier today.

Thank you for the help so far, and I hope we can figure this one out :P

[Quakindude]

Originally Posted by silentinjection

I have used dual monitors for a few years now: the TV is set to DVI, the monitor's resolution is set at 1280x720 (wide) with a refresh rate of 60 (the only refresh rate it has).

Nothing displays on the TV ever, not during post or at anytime. The computer thinks things are on it, but I cant see anything. i.e.: I can move my mouse off my main screen as if to go onto the other monitor, but alas I can see nothing.

It is very weird, and I think maybe its the drivers, but I have tried the standard Nvidia ones from their site, and also a new version from Guru3D listed as only for 8800 GTS/GTX.

Everything was working perfectly with my old card (7800 GTX) which I just switched out for this one earlier today.

Thank you for the help so far, and I hope we can figure this one out :P

If you've checked the cables to make sure they're good, I'd try attaching the cable from your video card port to the monitor that's working to the other port on your 8800. If that port works on your computer monitor, and you're sure nVidia drivers aren't an issue, I'd highly suspect the DVI port on the TV may have gone out. You could try putting your old card back in your computer to see if it fixes the problem. I haven't tried dual monitors on this new 8800 I have, so I don't know if there's a setting for HDCP functionality. If there is, and your optical drive and TV don't support it, then the signal should only be degraded and not turned off completely. It may be worth checking into anyway though.