Why does it show i have two moniters??

[daryl]

Win 98 se ..In my properties menu when i go to moniter it shows 2 moniters...Default moniter and Plug and Play moniter.Why would it show that.I have a problem at start up where i wont have any video...after about 3 times it will finally show up and identify my video card.Thanks in advance.. Daryl

[Dan]

hi daryl
when you open the display properties window found in the control panel, on the settings tab there is an "advanced" button.
click this, and you will find a monitor tab, click it. here there is a box for the option to "automatically detect plug and play monitors". uncheck it.
then open your device manager, and find the two monitors listed. remove the default monitor and leave the plug and play monitor.
reboot. check the device manager again, and you should only have one monitor listed now.
hope this works for ya'........

[GaryRouth]

Dan's advice should get you going - but I'm wondering if you might have other issues to watch for, too. Even without an exact ".inf" file for your monitor, you should see a display on your screen during startup: this is only using Standard VGA settings - [sort of the lowest-common-denominator - with only 16 colors].

Just to make sure you are getting your money's worth out of your monitor, search at the website of its manufacturer for an ".inf" file for it. Sometimes they are referred to as "monitor drivers", although "information files" would be more accurate. ".Inf" files help inform Windows what your hardware is capable of: what refresh rates, screen resolutions, etc. Some manufactures bundle all their monitors into one ".inf" file. From that same "Monitor" tab in your video driver than Dan mentioned, you can select Update and then point to the .inf file ("Browse"), then select your model from the list. After this, you should see the exact make and model of your monitor in Device Manager.

But if you continue to get no display periodically, try switching your display driver to Standard VGA (from Update display driver in Device Manager), reboot into Safe Mode, in Add/Remove Programs uninstall all your graphics drivers listed, and double check under Display - and remove everything listed there. Then reinstall your graphics card at reboot.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[I'd also recommend a run of RegClean 4.1, which works well with Windows 98 2nd Ed. Some things just don't uninstall well, and RegClean helps with that. http://download.com.com/3000-2094-881470.html?tag=list ]

[Trent Steel]

What video card do you have? Does it have two VGA ports and do you have the correct one connected to your monitor, that is the number 1 port not 2? Just wondering if that could be your problem.

[daryl]

Ok i did what Dan said to do.I have a G Force MX440 nvideo agp card 64mb.Boxed as a chaintech mx440.Now when i was in the display menu i noticed that in the nvideo card show 2 monitors.I am wondering if remove the second monitor will that take care of my problem.Because it now shows my actual monitor brand and also default monitor.I am not sure how to remove the sencond monitor from the nvideo properties menu.Does any of this make sense...lol Racing and cold beer later today ..That will fix it all. lol
Thanks for your help so far...Daryl

[Dan]

daryl-
you need to answer Trent's questions before any furhter assessment is possible.....
(enjoy the races...and the cold beer!!)

[daryl]

The answer to Trent.My card only has 1 port with a tv out port.I am not sure if this helps. Let me know ..Daryl..

[GaryRouth]

I don't have an nVidia with tv-out at the moment, though I do have several Ati with tv-out. Usually what you are looking at in the driver tabs are options to enable or disable your choice of your computer monitor, and your TV display. (Some cards also have support and outputs for two computer monitors nowadays, too, like Trent & Dan mention). If you aren't using the TV-out, disabling it should keep any funny business from bothering the startup VGA display.

. . . and in Device Manager, do you see only your current computer monitor? = you should be OK.

[but we might get some techs responding with video cards like yours who can give us a more definitive answer]
. . . Gary

[daryl]

I still show my ctx monitor and a default monitor in the properties tab.I am not sure what i should do at this point.I have deleted both monitors and they both still come back.My next step may be to get in the bios and check my setting.Thanks again so far..Daryl