Dual Monitors - One not displaying drop-downs

[Scott D Davis]

I'm having display issues! Here's the setup:

ATI Mobilty Radeon 9600
HP CompaQ NC8000 laptop (on docking station at my desk)
iiyama 22" monitor

I've set my display settings to recognize both screens when the laptop is docked. It's been fine for at least a few weeks now. Windows desktop is across both monitors, and I can maximize application windows on one or the other.

So today, using Revit on the iiyama (with 'normal' windows XP stuff on the laptop screen, ie start menu, task bar, etc.) and I discover that pull-down menus in Revit from within the properties dialog boxes do not pull down! I can click the pull-down arrow, but nothing happens! Now, with that same dialog box open, I can slide it over to the laptop screen, and now the pull-downs work!!???

Any ideas?

[hand471037]

A friend of mine with a Gateway is having the exact same issue- docked Laptop with a second monitor, and on the second monitor Revit's drop-downs don't work.

When I get home I'll dock a second monitor onto my laptop, it's got the same vid card yours does, and I'll see if it behaves the same. I just assumed that my friend's laptop was acting that way because of some software driver setting, but you've got the same 9600 card I do and I don't know what my friend's got...

[david.kingham]

Same problem here on the non primary monitor with a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200, not a laptop so I just use the other monitor....

[adegnan]

This is a known issue that I've posted before. Can you reverse which is your primary monitor? Make the laptop your "secondary" and the docked one the "primary"? This is about the only solution that I know of. On my former dual-montor setup I had a NVidia AGP card as primary, and an ATI Radeon PCI card as secondary. The performace was horrible, and ultimately I kept all the main stuff on the main NVidia monitor and just pulled the project browswer to the 2nd monitor.

Now I have my 20" wide screen LCD and I'm happy!

[Scott D Davis]

I'll have to experiement with swtiching the primary and see what happens. Funny thing is, I don't recall having the problem for the first few weeks I ran it this way!

Jeffrey, did you get a chance to test out your laptop?

[hand471037]

Jeffrey, did you get a chance to test out your laptop?

No, I've been too busy swinging a hammer, we're separating our workspace into shop and office, so the main server that's got a monitor is wrapped in plastic. However, I finished taping & mudding the drywall yesterday, and got my desk set back up, and so I think it's safe to unwrap the server and I'll try it tonight.

[mlgatzke]

Yes, Abe's right, Revit dialogs get troublesome on the secondary monitor. We've run into this too. Really, all you have to do is slide the dialog (only the dialog box) over to the primary monitor and it works just fine.

[hand471037]

Funny thing tho is that several people here run duals, but don't have this issue. Maybe it has something to do with running two different sized/resolution monitors that triggers the bug.... hmm...

[Scott D Davis]

I'm running 1600x1200 on both....hmmm, but different refresh rates???

[mlgatzke]

Both of mine are running the same res with the same refresh. Both are EXACTLY the same.

[Scott D Davis]

I can't run anything but 60Hz refresh on the LCD laptop screen. I'm at 85hz on the CRT screen (60 on a CRT 'flickers')

strange....

[adegnan]

Mine were same refresh rate, same size, but 2 different video cards. I figured the 2-card NVidia/ATI thing was the cause. But who knows.

In fact, though, I do know it is a Windows problem or a video card problem, because I experience the same problem with Quickbooks. If I run QB on the 2nd monitor the pull downs don't work either.

[david.kingham]

I have the exact same monitors both at 1800x1440 both off the same video card. I have never had a problem with any program except revit

[FK]

One final thing to look into is whether the primary monitor is to the right of the secondary, so that the secondary gets negative coordinates.

[Scott D Davis]

My primary (#1 monitor in the Display Properties) is my laptop screen, and the laptop sits to the left of my screen. #2 is the CRT monitor which I use for apps when I'm in the office, and this is the monitor where pull-downs in Revit don't work.

Laptop LCD has the taskbar, start menu, all the desktop icons, etc. CRT has only a desktop background.

[hand471037]

Laptop LCD has the taskbar, start menu, all the desktop icons, etc. CRT has only a desktop background.

Maybe that's it. My friend who has this same issue is doing the same thing, as in the second monitor doesn't have a taskbar and isn't a continuation of his primary desktop.

All our folks here using Duals and Revit without this issue *are* extending their desktops across both monitors, so that icons and taskbar are on both.

[Scott D Davis]

extending their desktops across both monitors,
I can't seem to locate where that would be an option for me.

[Steven Campbell]

Scott,
It is in the display properties dialog under settings it is a check box located below the screen resolution slider. It maybe grayed out until select the second monitor above. Click on the blue box of the #2 monitor and the option will be come available.

Steven Campbell
Autodesk Revit

[mlgatzke]

I'm running both of my monitors from a single Nvidia Quadra FX 3000 card. My primary monitor is to the left and the secondary is to the right. So, the secondary monitor's coordinates "should" be positive coordinates.

I'm not worrying too much about it. I know what's causing it (basically) and I know how to work around it.