Windows 10: Main & external displays switched

Hello,

I have a Lenovo laptop running as my main display and a 24" external monitor for my extended display. I frequently do presentations and have one coming up this week. I went in this morning to run through it and my main and external displays have switched screens. My external monitor now has my main display icons on it and my laptop screen has no icons. The screwy thing is that the laptop screen shows as being the main display in Display settings, but it is not showing the main display icons. Any ideas on how I can fix this?

Thanks.

:)

 

Windows 10 issue with multiple monitors and KVM

I have a personal laptop and a work laptop. I use the built in LCD screens on the laptops as the main screen for each.

I also have an external monitor that I share between the two laptops with a KVM switch. So, whichever computer is selected by the KVM has the external monitor as a secondary display.

I have happily used this configuration for months.

Recently, I upgraded the personal laptop from Win7 to Win10. The work laptop is still Win7.

Now, when I switch the external monitor from my personal laptop to the work laptop, everything that was being displayed on the external screen for the personal laptop is transferred to the main screen of the personal laptop. This means that when I switch back
to the personal laptop I have to move the programs I want displayed on the external monitor back to the external monitor. It still works properly on the work laptop (Win7), so I am concluding that the issue is Win10. Is there some setting that I can change
so that when I switch from the personal laptop to the work laptop it doesn't move the programs displayed on the extended monitor back to the main display?

Thanks for any help!

 

Windows 10 external monitor with lid closed but only when connected

When I try to do this, the check box for "Make this my main display" is grayed out. I can't select the box. any advice?

 

Opening and closing the lid on the laptop will change these settings, If you really want things to run smoothly set everything up before you start your presentation.

I would make sure that all power setting's are set to disable all sleep, hibernate, turn off hard drive and screen saver are turned off. You can find all these settings by typing " power " in cortana search box and select "power and sleep settings" then select advanced settings.

 

Try this, press the Windows Logo key *Start and the P key. Then select PC Only. Then do it again and select Extend. That should put things back to normal. I run triple screens on my desktop and dual on my laptop. I have yet to ever see that happen, not yet anyway.

 

I fought all day yesterday with this, trying everything you both suggested. This morning all was fine. As I said, weird. Thanks for the ideas.

 

Weird things can happen if you set your main display to be an external plugged into a laptop. Then boot up with that external display off or disconnected. Windows "should" then set the laptops built in display as Main. It also has to do with the monitor. Some are still detected if plugged in but turned off. Some are MIA if just turned off but still plugged in.

On my desktop PC I run triple monitors. I can boot up with them all off, then turn them on and all is fine. The only time things get changed is if I unplug the video cable to one of them.

On my laptop my second display is USB DisplayLink. If I don't plug the USB cable in my laptop automatically switches to PC Only mode. If it is plugged in on boot up it automatically switches to Extend with my laptops built in screen as Main.

I don't put any tiles on my Desktop. I do everything either from my taskbar or Start Screen. One thing that can happen, either by accident or on purpose, is your Taskbar can be moved from monitor to monitor. I can put mine on any one of my three displays. That will make it look like its the main monitor when its not. Especially if your only displaying your taskbar on one monitor. I display mine on all three, but with all icons only on the main. My secondary diplays only show the Icons for what is running on that display on their taskbars.

 

Yes, but I don't have my main display the external display - ever. There was no rhyme nor reason for yesterday's glitch. At least it is not screwed up now. Thanks, again.

 

Yes, I meant to but a "but that's not what you did" or something comment in lol, but forgot. My best guess is your taskbar got moved to the second display somehow. Or it was just one of those Windows WTH moments. At least its back to normal.