Windows 7 doesn't recognize second monitor.

[Kevin86]

I got a new pc running windows 7. I have a VGA splitter that I used with my Vista pc and was able to run 3 monitors. Now when I connect a second monitor using the VGA splitter and I can only clone the second monitor, for some reason Windows 7 doesn't recognize there is a second monitor connected.

Amy help appreciated

 

[Kevin86]

bump

 

[petko131]

I got a new pc running windows 7. I have a VGA splitter that I used with my Vista pc and was able to run 3 monitors. Now when I connect a second monitor using the VGA splitter and I can only clone the second monitor, for some reason Windows 7 doesn't recognize there is a second monitor connected.

Amy help appreciated

Kevin, welcome to the forum!
Did you try: right click on desktop>screen resolution; in order to see if the second monitor is recognized?
(any way,make a print screen preview, or use snipping tool(in start type "snipping tool"))

p.s. My attachment is a example of what window you should post back.

 

[Kevin86]

Thanks for the reply Petko.

Yes I did try that already, the second monitor is not recognized...

 

[petko131]

Thanks for the reply Petko.

Yes I did try that already, the second monitor is not recognized...

Did you try the "Detect" button?
And did you install the device drivers after installing windows7?

 

[Kevin86]

I did try the detect button which shows the number 1 on both monitors. I have not installed any device driver. By 'device' drivers, you mean the drivers for the monitor that Windows doesn't recognize I assume?

Thanks again.

 

[petko131]

I did try the detect button which shows the number 1 on both monitors. I have not installed any device driver. By 'device' drivers, you mean the drivers for the monitor that Windows doesn't recognize I assume?

Thanks again.

Open device manager from start, and then open "Monitors" as shown here. post a screen shot of yours!

 

[petko131]

I did try the detect button which shows the number 1 on both monitors. I have not installed any device driver. By 'device' drivers, you mean the drivers for the monitor that Windows doesn't recognize I assume?

Thanks again.

Open device manager from start, and then open "Monitors" as shown here. post a screen shot of yours!

As for the monitor drivers follow this picture!
Do this for the monitor that windows doesn't detect, but witch you can see in the screen resolution settings.

Always willing to help

 

[Kevin86]

I did try the detect button which shows the number 1 on both monitors. I have not installed any device driver. By 'device' drivers, you mean the drivers for the monitor that Windows doesn't recognize I assume?

Thanks again.

Open device manager from start, and then open "Monitors" as shown here. post a screen shot of yours!

As for the monitor drivers follow this picture!
Do this for the monitor that windows doesn't detect, but witch you can see in the screen resolution settings.

Always willing to help

When both monitors are connected I don't see any monitors in the device manager list, see the screenshot

When I have both monitors connected and follow the steps, properties is 'grayed' out and not available to click. When I disconnect one of the monitors, I AM able to follow the steps and Windows tells me I have the latest drivers already installed...

 

[Kevin86]

*forgot to upload the attachment. Here you go

 

[petko131]

What GPU (Graphics card) do you have?
If you don't know, check in device manager under "Display adapters"

 

[Kevin86]

AMD Radeon HD 6530D

 

[alphanumeric]

You mentioned a "VGA splitter" in your first post, could you provide more info on what that is exactly? If it's what I think it is it just sends the same VGA signal to two monitors at once. One monitor will mirror the other. If so, to use dual displays each monitor must be on a separate video connector on your video card. Each monitor needs its own source.

 

[petko131]

AMD Radeon HD 6530D

That's an integrated card, so could you possibly connect both monitors to the card (from the net specifications i see that it has 1 VGA and 2 DVI, so it is possible) if you have the needed cables, and if the monitors support this kind of connection...
I'm suggesting all of this in order to avoid using the VGA splitter you mentioned earlier.
I assume that your VGA splitter looks like this:

 

[Kevin86]

It's weird, online it says my graphi card suppose to has two dvi slots, but there are no dvi slots at all, just one VGA and one HDMI...

This is the splitter I'm using

 

[petko131]

It's weird, online it says my graphi card suppose to has two dvi slots, but there are no dvi slots at all, just one VGA and one HDMI...

This is the splitter I'm using

To be honest, the splitter doesn't make the difference, but it's weird that your GPU doesn't have the mentioned connectors (2 DVIs missing)...
You say that you have only changed the operating system (upgraded from Vista to 7), and now you can't use the 2 monitors you used before?
No hardware changes???
~Then the Drivers are left to be checked out...
When you have both monitors connected, what appears on the "left" and "right" monitor?

 

[Kevin86]

No sorry, I bought a brand new pc. When both monitors are connected my desktop is cloned on to both monitors.

 

[petko131]

No sorry, I bought a brand new pc. When both monitors are connected my desktop is cloned on to both monitors.

Ok, then i didn't read carefully the first post.
As alphanumeric said:

You mentioned a "VGA splitter" ... it just sends the same VGA signal to two monitors at once. One monitor will mirror the other. If so, to use dual displays each monitor must be on a separate video connector on your video card. Each monitor needs its own source.

It's 100% true, but, then i can't explain how it worked on the vista PC?????

 

[Kevin86]

Using Vista I used a DVI splitter and it worked fine. Could that be the reason?

 

[petko131]

Using Vista I used a DVI splitter and it worked fine. Could that be the reason?

"DVI is better than VGA for TFTs because they are digital and VGA is analog. A TFT displayes its picture digitally, pixel per pixel. Via DVI the panel gets data for each pixel, so the picture generated in the graphics card will match exact with the pixels on the panel itself.

Not so with VGA. First, the picture is generated digitally in the graphics card. Then it's converted to analog. In the TFT they will be converted again to digital (=> senseless twice conversion => quality loss), using the phase and the clock, and it'll be calculated which pixel should display what color. As the phase and clock can't be adjusted so precisely that a pixel of a picture generated by the graphics card will be displayed by the appropriate pixel on the panel. Means that the picture will be interpolated a little bit, which again means quality loss.

The electron cannons of the CRT need analog signals, that's why VGA is the best for CRTs and DVI would make no sense here.
For TFTs, DVI is the best. I won't get a TFT with no DVI."

This is from the internet, think that the VGA output has not enough quality for the 2 monitors... can you try connecting the 1st monitor to the VGA (with out splitter), and the 2nd to the HDMI (if you have a cable, but your monitor doesn't support it, try connecting it to a tv )