Strange problem with dual display setup

pradeep1

Golden Member
Jun 4, 2005
1,099
1
81
Hi guys,

I've got two matching ACER AL1916 19" LCDs (yeah, I know, they are like 3 years old) powered by a Nvidia GeForce 6200 and the other by a GeForce 6600GT.

I am having problems on startup. One LCD (the one powered by the 6600GT) will take a long time to come on. The little light at the bottom blinks and it will take anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes to display an image. The other one powered by the 6200 turns on instantly. Once the troubled one is on, it works fine, but this problem repeats everytime I bring the LCD back from autoshutoff or on a cold start.

It seems to be getting worse as it gets colder. I've checked the cables, connections, etc. and everything seems to be fine. The video card also seems to be functioning okay.

Any thoughts?
 
Last edited:

lifeblood

Senior member
Oct 17, 2001
999
88
91
Have you swapped which card each monitor is plugged into? That will confirm if it is the monitor, the card, or the driver. It sounds like the LCD is going on you, which is disappointing as three years really isn't that old (or shouldn't be).

I run a dual display setup and the LCD that is set to my primary monitor (on the discreet video card) comes on instantly while my secondary monitor (on the onboard video port) does come to life until windows gets to the login screen.
 

aka1nas

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2001
4,335
1
0
Why are you running them on separate cards? With such small displays, you won't really notice a difference between DVI and VGA. Have you tried moving the second display off the 6600 to see if it resolves the issue?
 

pradeep1

Golden Member
Jun 4, 2005
1,099
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I've tried your suggestions and it seems the LCD is the problem. I'd replace both in a heartbeat since the prices of LCDs are pretty cheap, but these are the old 19" squarish LCDs and not the newer widescreen formats. I like this format, but they are hard to find.
 

CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
Oct 21, 2006
5,401
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I've tried your suggestions and it seems the LCD is the problem. I'd replace both in a heartbeat since the prices of LCDs are pretty cheap, but these are the old 19" squarish LCDs and not the newer widescreen formats. I like this format, but they are hard to find.

Unfortunately 4:3 non-widescreen monitors are going the way of the dinosaur. Once you switch to widescreen and get used to it, you'll appreciate how it fills your field of vision a lot better.

All I see on Newegg is a bunch of 19" 4:3 monitors for anywhere from $150ish to $300ish (and more for professional displays). If that's what you want, they still have a somewhat decent selection. The money could be better spent on newer tech, like a 22" Dell 2209WA with a superior panel.