Windows 10: Can't duplicate display on HDMI and VGA outputs (ATI Radeon HD4200)

I'm running Windows 10 Pro x64 on my HTPC based on a Asus M4A785D-M PRO board (with an onboard ATI Radeon HD4200). I have the HDMI output connected to my TV. I want to pass a 2nd (duplicate) video feed to another (analog) display using the VGA port. None of the options in the Windows "Project" settings seem to work as I want however. If I select "Duplicate", which seems to be what I want in theory, the HDMI output goes blank while the VGA output displays the desktop. If I select "Extend" I can see the main desktop on the HDMI output, but the VGA output shows a different display (i.e. an extended desktop).Is there any way of getting the same desktop to be displayed via both the HDMI and VGA outputs?

:)

 

Display aspect ratio

Did a factory reset on the monitor. That did not correct the problem.

The computer has an ATI Radeon HD4200 Display Adapter and a Microsoft Basic Display Driver with chip type ATI ATOMBios.

I appreciate your help.

 

Booklet 3g connections accessories

Do you have a picture of this hdmi-vga cable? In theory according to the spec no pins on the HDMI output should have an analogue signal. But it maybe the nokia is non-standard.



Which ATI card was it?

 

I do believe, in duplicate, it defaults to the lowest resolution of the two monitors. And then tries to display that resolution on both. This causes one of the monitors to be at the wrong resolution. Some will display anyway and some won't, they are out of rage. I'm guessing this is your issue, just a guess though. I run triple displays but never in Duplicate Mode. I'm either in Extend or PC only.
To make the best use of the Duplicate mode, both displays should be the same resolution.

 

I suspected that it might be something like that. Is there any kind of software or driver workaround for this?

 

There are likely third party utilities to get around it. A quick google search found this, DisplayFusion I'm sure there are others. You'll have to read the details to see if it will suit your needs.

 

Many thanks for the link. I've contacted them to see if the DisplayFusion product can help with this.

 

It's a shame, in this day and age, that Windows can't do that natively. Hopefully that works for you.

 

Sadly they've replied to tell me that their software can't help :0(

 

There are splitter cables that will send the one Video signal to two displays. You'd have to play around with the screen resolution to find one that will display on both monitors. It wouldn't be ideal but "might" work. LCD displays don' like to be run at anything other than their native resolution. They end up looking funky and it can be hard on your eyes.

The other option is to use two identical monitors, or two monitors with the same resolution.

 

Thanks - yes I think a splitter is the simplest way to go. I'll scout around on eBay...

 

My 3 monitors are 1280 x 1024, 1920 x 1080 and 1280 x 1024. If I switch to Duplicate I get a display on all three, but my center display (1920 x 1080) ends up with black borders on the sides. Shutters so to speak. Just lucky I guess? Your second display must really not like the resolution its getting sent. Do you have to use VGA? If you bought a different cable, DVI or HDMI would it work?

 

That's an interesting idea. There is a DVI port on the graphics card. I'll see if I can get hold of a DVI to component video cable to try it out (the target for the 2nd display only has component, S-Video or composite inputs).

 

I'm not very familiar with component video. The analog output of a DVI-I port (both analog and digital) can be sent to a VGA monitor using a passive adapter. It's RGB. Component video generally isn't RGB; it uses chrominance and luminance information.

It may be possible to cause the graphics card to output component video as the analog output of a DVI port, but I'm unaware of that.

There are active adapters to take HDMI to component. If you don't have an HDMI output, you could combine a passive DVI to HDMI with HDMI to component. (Sounds like a kludge, I know.)

 

It turns out that the graphics card cannot output via DVI and HDMI simultaneously - it's either one or the other :0(