Windows 7 Hidden Second Screen? How can I disable it? [Nvidia]

[culip]

Hi, I have an odd issue: my system recognizes a hidden, secondary monitor though I only use a single one.

My monitor has the resolution of 1980 x 1200 px, and there is an additional area which I can't see next to it. When I accidentally move a window into the additional area, that's a disaster--I need to do this trick: "How do I move an off-screen Window in Windows 7? (Ask Leo)" (Some tricks in the article, namely [Alt]+[Space] and [Alt]+[Enter] don't work with my computer.)

The funny thing is that both Windows & video card driver (nVidia) monitor settings suggest only one monitor (i.e., no secondary monitor.)

However, applying the Windows troubleshooting tool "Find and fix problems with transparency and other visual effects", the result suggests the secondary monitor--in 8 bit color depth--as a result, I can't even use Aero!


If you have any suggestion to disable the invisible secondary monitor, please advise. Thanks.

-Culip

• Windows 7 Professional (64-bit, US English, the latest updated)
• GeForce 9600GT w/ v320.49 Driver (the latest updated)
• Monitor: BenQ G2400W (connected via a single DVI cable)

 

[nmsuk]

You can't disable it. But I wouldn't worry about it as it isn't wasting any resources, it's just the way windows works with cards capable of multimonitor support.

 

[culip]

But I wouldn't worry about it as it isn't wasting any resources, it's just the way windows works with cards capable of multimonitor support.

As I mentioned, it's really tiresome when I move a window into the invisible desktop. Also, like I said, I want to enable Aero again.

I've used the same system on the same machine for 4 years, and I hadn't had this issue until recently.

You can't disable it.

If you have no idea, you don't have to respond.

 

[Jimbo22]

Just a suggestion, have you tried refreshing the monitor itself from the monitors menu or looking through the monitor settings. What is the refresh rate of the monitor...60htz or 75htz?

 

[culip]

Thanks Bassfisher! : )

I'm not too sure what you meant for the monitor settings; I've never changed any setting before and after this issue occurred. I also checked the monitor setting on the monitor's on-screen display (OSD) and everything seems fine.


To answer your question,

• monitor: 60 Hz
• video card: 60 Hz
• Windows: 59 Hz (weird but it's a common phenomenon I think.)

Also I could get a nice screenshot which may clarify my issue.


Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

-Culip

 

[Jimbo22]

Yep...I meant the OSD of the monitor....good catch.

I noticed in one of your screen shots that you're not using any scaling at all. I'm not sure if it would have in baring with your issue but I would use aspect ratio. Usually the monitors OSD is best used to set the scaling.

If you could change the windows from 59 to 60, see what that does. Have you tried uninstalling your GPU driver and reinstalling it? Use the windows key + p to bring up your monitor view (don't know what it's really called) and see what's it set to, it should be computer only.

 

[culip]

Very sorry for the late responding, and thank you so much for your support, bassfisher! (In fact, I had tried your suggestion, that is, to uninstall nVidia video driver completely, then install their latest one, but it didn't work.)

ISSUE
See Post #1 & #5.
CULPRIT
An undesirable display, such as "Air Display Graphics Adapter" is used.

SOLUTION

1. Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager
2. In Display adapters, make sure that the only appropriate display is selected. If you see any undesirable display adapter, just disable it. Then reboot your system.
   
   For example, in my computer, I could see "Air Display Graphics Adapter" which used to be a remote secondary monitor for my Kindle Fire HD, and so I disabled it.
   
   
   
   As in the screenshot, Aero has come back! Also now I can watch a blu-ray on PowerDVD!

 

[badrobot]

good job figuring it out!

 

[Jimbo22]

Hey Culip, glad you found a fix for your problem. So, this leads me to ask "what have you downloaded" to have that driver show up in device manager? You have downloaded something, which is/was the essence of your phantom monitor as your screen shot shows. Now the real task is founding out where it came from and was it attached to some other software that was downloaded.

 

[Jimbo22]

This is what I found so far.....a part of Apple's crap for connecting an Apple tablet or laptop as a 2nd monitor.

What is Air Display?
Air Display is an app that will let you connect an iPad, Android Tablet, or Mac computer as a secondary display device to a primary Mac or PC desktop using your wireless network.

By default Air Display is set to function in Extended Desktop mode, which will have the display device behave just like an external monitor once connected over the wireless.

There is also the option to enable Mirror Mode, which will have the display device show the exact same content that is on the primary display.


http://avatron.com/forums/read.php?52,15119

 

[badrobot]

Bass, it's an app like a Teamviewer. you can control your PC on iPad. Or watch movies on iPad from your PC.

 

[Jimbo22]

Bass, it's an app like a Teamviewer. you can control your PC on iPad.

LMAO...I found it....just a little to late with it....freaking Apple products, well their software.....lol.

 

[Jimbo22]

See....


http://avatron.com/apps/air-display

 

[badrobot]

See....


http://avatron.com/apps/air-display

For an instant second monitor, this is the instant solution..

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_1195_700_1186&item_id=058990

it can be used with a laptop on the go..

 

[Jimbo22]

Damn....that's pretty freaking cool....it's got me intrigued. I just watched the video fromt the link you posted....way cool.

 

[badrobot]

Damn....that's pretty freaking cool....it's got me intrigued. I just watched the video fromt the link you posted....way cool.

Well it's on sale on tigerdirect.com for $90.. get it online if you want one... it will sell out soon for sure!

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1375995&CatId=164

I want one too but I don't know where to put it on my table right now..


.

 

[culip]

Hey Culip, glad you found a fix for your problem. So, this leads me to ask "what have you downloaded" to have that driver show up in device manager? You have downloaded something, which is/was the essence of your phantom monitor as your screen shot shows. Now the real task is founding out where it came from and was it attached to some other software that was downloaded.

It's a bit long story, so I sum it up here:
Summary
What was I doing?

1. I bought and installed Air Display (software for Android/iOS & Windows which allows you to use your tablet as a secondary monitor for your Windows PC) onto my Android tablet and Windows PC in 2012. It worked perfectly.
2. I stopped using Air Display, but Air Display manager started up every time I booted up Windows. Annoying. I disabled its start up by configuring msconfig (but didn't uninstall it.)
3. Updating nVidia driver triggered the problem.

Is Air Display Malware?

• No, I don't think so. Air Display has received extraordinary reputation at app stores despite being paid software. Also their designers mightn't have concerned if users would disable the driver on msconfig without uninstalling it.
• Today's Air Display may/may not be different than the one I installed in 2012.
• I also scanned the whole system with Microsoft Security Essentials and Spybot. No adware had been detected; the result implied that Air Display might not be adware.

What should we learn from this incident?

• Removing applications from the startup list on msconfig may cause troubles. Instead, we should uninstall applications/drivers even though it's usually more tedious.
• We'll have more opportunities to sync our Windows PCs with tablets/smartphones as these have become more popular, and making big changes in our hardware settings. Therefore, we are very likely to encounter this kind of problem in the future, and so it must be worth learning how to solve it. This problem is not Air-Display-specific.

The Whole Story
On November 18, 2012, a friend of mine asked me if he could use an Android tablet as a secondary monitor of his own Windows 7 laptop. Fortunately, I had already owned both: a Windows PC and a Kindle Fire HD (Android tablet which has Amazon App Store instead of Google Play). In Amazon App Store, I could find the popular software called "Air Display" that was exactly what I was looking for, so I bought it for $10. I also installed Air Display for PC which was free ($0) onto my Windows 7 PC. And it worked just perfectly as advertised, and so I took a picture of it and sent it to the friend.


A few weeks later, I returned my Kindle Fire HD since it didn't match my expectation. Then I felt guilty about it when I was asking Amazon for the full refund, and so I told them not to revoke & refund Amazon apps I had purchased.

However, every time I rebooted Windows on my PC, Air Display manager started up too--and I didn't like it. I disabled it on the start up list in msconfig. As a matter of fact, I didn't uninstall the Air Display driver.

Afterward I updated nVidia driver several times, and problem occurred--sometimes (strange enough) problem was fixed--and the problem occurred again with the latest version (v320.49). As I said, I uninstalled nVidia driver, but the problem had never fixed. That's why I'd suspected nVidia driver rather than Air Display.

 

[Jimbo22]

Hey Culip, thanks for the update.