Grumbles, Glory and Covid-19

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Profile Dave
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Message 88068 - Posted: 14 Sep 2018, 15:41:43 UTC

Currently John Lewis and Royal Sun Alliance are battling it out in the uselessness of their call centres.

Prior to them introducing the call centre, one would call the bit of John Lewis where the problem was directly and get things sorted in hours if not days. Currently running over a month with promises of a call back that never happen and calls chasing problem on a weekly basis.
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betreger
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Message 88069 - Posted: 14 Sep 2018, 18:03:35 UTC

I woke up this morning with no internet, called ISP and went thru a rater tedious automatic procedure with them trying to reset my modem, finally got a person who told me they had a power failure. Finally got on line 3 hrs later.
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Profile Jord
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Message 88275 - Posted: 30 Sep 2018, 17:00:29 UTC

Google, your new Gmail interface sucks. It's impossible to see if there are new mails in folders when using certain backgrounds, because the text is then all white and the background is similar. It doesn't show on the folder how many new emails you have, you have to click the folder before it says how many there are.

When checking mail I now have to wait more than a minute for whatever it is that loads to load, then click a folder, click it again because it didn't register, click it again because it didn't register. Then click a mail, click it again because it didn't register, click it again.... really? It's slow, it's irritating.

I've set my interface to simple HTML. All problems above cleared up immediately.
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Profile Gary Charpentier
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Message 88276 - Posted: 30 Sep 2018, 21:36:09 UTC - in response to Message 88275.  

I've set my interface to simple HTML. All problems above cleared up immediately.
BINGO, simple web always best.
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Profile Jord
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Message 88325 - Posted: 6 Oct 2018, 8:36:44 UTC

Got myself some new kit and have been busy setting it up over the past hours. I bought a new AOC 32 inch UHD monitor (max 3840x2160p) and have been fighting with it since connecting it. The first hours I had the problem that whenever I tried to grab a window and move it, it would maximize on the monitor.

A stuck mouse button is what most people would answer, it registers a double click... yeah, but for that when I would disable the new monitor and only work on the old BenQ 22 inch (max 1920x1080p), it would work fine.

No, I found out eventually that it was the AOC ScreenGrid program that started a t Windows startup. With this program you can simulate multiple monitors on your one monitor. Why it needed to enlarge each window to maximum is beyond me, but I disabled it and it's no longer doing that.

So then the other thing. As I had connected the monitor via DisplayPort (DP), and wanted to use the built-in speakers, I needed to add the audio cable. Too bad that doesn't work. Apparently the built-in speakers aren't powered, or they are but they don't work with a SoundBlaster Audigy and the audio cable. Had to resort into removing the DP cable and putting in HDMI. Can't have both HDMI and DP cables connected, their connector ports slightly overlap so that the connectors of said cables can't both fit at the same time.

Now there's still that idiotic thing where you can only tell Windows to enlarge text and icons on all monitors, not just one. So if I leave everything normal, 100%, text and icons on the 4K monitor are illegible. Do I increase text and icons, they're getting humongous on the 1080p monitor. Grrrr.

Also, I have only a small 'gate' through which I can move my mouse from the big monitor to the small one. Moving at the top or bottom won't work, there's a blockage there, probably because of the difference in resolution.

So then, gaming:
- Ghost Recon: Wildlands is awesome at 4K, it's just that movements are over-exaggerated and so it needs some getting used to. Play slower. Point slower.
- The Elder Scrolls Online are nauseating at 4K. There's so much field of vision and everything moves, it gives a real 3D effect. I'll probably go play this in a windowed screen.
I haven't tested the rest of my games yet. My AMD RX 470 - 8GB is still powering this beats with ease. :)
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paul

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Message 88334 - Posted: 6 Oct 2018, 22:53:38 UTC - in response to Message 88325.  

Nice kit. Have fun.
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anniet
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Message 88341 - Posted: 7 Oct 2018, 12:52:10 UTC - in response to Message 88325.  

and have been fighting with it since connecting it. The first hours I had the problem that whenever I tried to grab a window and move it, it would maximize on the monitor.
Do you roar when stuff like that keeps happening?

I would. It helps reduce the risk of hair getting lost by pulling on it a bit too vigorously.
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Profile Jord
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Message 88342 - Posted: 7 Oct 2018, 13:49:01 UTC - in response to Message 88341.  
Last modified: 7 Oct 2018, 17:41:10 UTC

No, I didn't roar. Just groaned. A lot.
Just as with the other problem I had - or may still have: I've moved some of the program- and shortcut icons to my 2nd monitor, but every 24 hours or so, they reset and everything's dumped back on the first monitor.

Searching around on that, I have now moved the second monitor icon down and in line at the bottom with the first monitor icon on the screen resolution window. That should apparently fix the problem. We'll see.

Edit: nope, not fixed. It appears it's to do with the monitors powering down and the second - smaller - monitor powering back up faster than the big one. Somewhere that means that Windows has to remove all icons from the smaller monitor and dump them on the big one.

The games being unplayable are playable when put into a window. I play ESO in 3200x1600, Wildlands in a window I manually moved to size and Shadow of the Tomb Raider in full 3840x2160. The latter is the only one where it's playable. :)
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Message 88343 - Posted: 7 Oct 2018, 22:10:50 UTC - in response to Message 88342.  
Last modified: 7 Oct 2018, 22:36:43 UTC

Okay, so it's something to do with the active refresh of the large monitor. I even switched my second monitor to the built-in Intel GPU and it's still doing it.

What I do to test is:
- Move some shortcuts and folders to the second monitor.
- Turn off the main monitor.
- Wait 7 seconds.
- Turn on the main monitor.

What I see that happens is that the whole desktop switches to the second monitor, while the main monitor initializes. Then while it powers up, the desktop switches back to the main monitor, taking everything with it.

So I really don't know how to fix this. Anyone an idea?

edit: looking further into this:
"Some types of HDMI monitors, and pretty much any DisplayPort monitor will be "disconnected" from the computer when powered off or entering sleep mode. This causes Windows to do a full display re-detection on sleep and resume, which has the nasty side effect of making all open application windows shuffle around. When returning to your computer, all of your carefully placed windows are now in random spots!"

I'm using PersistentWindows for now. It's not perfect, as it still misses some of the things, but let's see if someone comes up with something better. I can probably always switch to a DVI connection.

Edit2: no I cannot switch to DVI as that doesn't have the resolution, it's maximum 1920x1080p.
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Profile Gary Charpentier
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Message 88344 - Posted: 7 Oct 2018, 23:05:04 UTC - in response to Message 88343.  

So I really don't know how to fix this. Anyone an idea?

Fix 1, computer must sleep before the monitor
Fix 2, Linux
Fix 3, Hackintosh

I know, not a fix.
Welcome to Windoze. It knows what you want to do and you will do it the M$ way.

I don't know if there is a way to hack the cable so the computer thinks the monitor is there, but it is all I can think of.
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Message 88345 - Posted: 8 Oct 2018, 6:25:20 UTC - in response to Message 88344.  

Computer sleeping before the monitor also means computer must be awake every time before the monitor. And even then I am not sure it'll work, because wouldn't the desktop re-init still be done as soon as that monitor wakes up? It does it now every time Windows is awake and I temp turn the monitor off, then back on.

Linux apparently has the same trouble, or so my in-house guru tells me. She's been struggling with this thing for the past months and all her OSes are versions of Linux (6 of them).
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Profile Gary Charpentier
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Message 88351 - Posted: 8 Oct 2018, 13:51:13 UTC - in response to Message 88345.  

Computer sleeping before the monitor also means computer must be awake every time before the monitor. And even then I am not sure it'll work, because wouldn't the desktop re-init still be done as soon as that monitor wakes up? It does it now every time Windows is awake and I temp turn the monitor off, then back on.

Linux apparently has the same trouble, or so my in-house guru tells me. She's been struggling with this thing for the past months and all her OSes are versions of Linux (6 of them).

No, the monitor has to be awake before the computer is woken, power cycle monitor then wake computer.
If doze is still seeing the change while asleep, then try hibernate.
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Message 88352 - Posted: 8 Oct 2018, 14:03:34 UTC - in response to Message 88351.  

I am by default using hibernate. That doesn't matter. It's kind of hit&miss for now, one time I'll start the monitors before Windows and everything is fine. The next I do exactly that and I find all icons again moved all the way to the left on the main monitor. Sick of moving things around, I'll learn to put things on the second monitor when I need it, like when gaming, open the browser there to check for help. Put the heat measuring tools on there. Then when gaming's done, kill everything again and turn the monitor off.
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Profile Gary Charpentier
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Message 88354 - Posted: 8 Oct 2018, 18:11:54 UTC

I had said hack a cable, and by that meant have one that makes the video display card think the monitor is connected and powered even when it isn't. But thinking about it, I'm wondering if someone makes an active KVM switch that does so?
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 88355 - Posted: 8 Oct 2018, 18:35:41 UTC - in response to Message 88354.  

I use a couple of DVI KVM switches by ATEN. The newer 8-port seems better at spoofing the connected monitor, but the older 4-port doesn't (and runs very hot, and eats wall-warts).

They do have a 4K display port range - https://www.aten.com/gb/en/products/kvm/desktop-kvm-switches/?f3071%5B%5D=9 - but they won't be cheap. I haven't dared look at the price, and remember you'd need oodles of cables.

The biggest problem I have is that I have to set both KVMs so that both screens are connected to any machine I need to reboot. If I reboot without - especially - the older KVM pointing to a live monitor, it'll never register above 1024x768 until I reboot again: the native resolution of that one is 1600x1200.

If I reboot without a monitor connected, all the desktop icons shuffle themselves around on whatever screen it can find (possibly even the fake dummy plug in my Intel GPU output). It can take a while to sort everything out if there's a power outage and all the machines reboot at once. Once everything is up and running, I leave the computers pumping out the full signal (no monitor sleep), and switch off the monitor power buttons.
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jglrogujgv

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Message 88362 - Posted: 9 Oct 2018, 7:43:28 UTC - in response to Message 88345.  

Linux apparently has the same trouble, or so my in-house guru tells me. She's been struggling with this thing for the past months and all her OSes are versions of Linux (6 of them).

Ubuntu 18.04 with whatever desktop it installs stock does not have the problem. I have 3 monitors on mine and the icons stay put regardless of the on/off state of any of the monitors on powerup or reboot. I think it has less to do with the version of Linux and more to do with Xorg and the desktop in use and how those two are configured. Don't ask how I configured them because I didn't do anything, just took it out of the box, put it on my HD and it worked. Oh, did I mention it was free?

You might suggest to Micro$oft devs to subscribe to the Ubuntu, Xorg and Gnome dev lists for tips on how it's done. I sent them copies of the (open) sources but apparently they can't figure it out.
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Message 88365 - Posted: 9 Oct 2018, 8:04:31 UTC - in response to Message 88362.  

I have 3 monitors on mine
Which size and how connected?
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jglrogujgv

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Message 88371 - Posted: 9 Oct 2018, 14:19:42 UTC - in response to Message 88365.  
Last modified: 9 Oct 2018, 14:26:51 UTC

No KVM switch or cable hacks.
The adapters mentioned below are simple (say cheap) adapters, I doubt they have anything that makes the monitor appear to be active even when it's not but maybe they do.
The Toshiba is actually a UHD TV if it makes any difference.

22" LG Flatron W1942TQ, VGA out to VGA in
23" HP w2007, DP out adapted to HDMI in
49" Toshiba 49L621U, DP out adapted to HDMI in

This is a mini form factor machine so no add on display adapter thus just stock display drivers.
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Profile Jord
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Message 88372 - Posted: 9 Oct 2018, 15:27:01 UTC - in response to Message 88371.  
Last modified: 9 Oct 2018, 15:27:28 UTC

The DP to HDMI may throw things off. I had a DP to DVI cable on the old setup, with one 1920x1080p connected DVI-VGA and the other DP-DVI. There I didn't have a problem. It's since the large monitor runs off of HDMI or DP (I tried both) that I have this problem. So perhaps that a DP to HDMI doesn't shut off the cable once the monitor is off.
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Message 88379 - Posted: 9 Oct 2018, 18:50:53 UTC - in response to Message 88372.  

So perhaps that a DP to HDMI doesn't shut off the cable once the monitor is off.

Perhaps. And it's easy to test.

<== Disconnects the VGA cable and the DP to HDMI adapter from the back of the computer leaving only the DP to HDMI cable for the Toshiba connected.

Everything (icons and open windows) shifted to the Toshiba which kind of defeats my earlier argument about Linux superiority
. Of course that's exactly what one would want in the event a monitor suddenly dies... you wouldn't want icons stuck on a dead display, you would want them to shift over to a working display.

<== Reconnects the monitors disconnected above.

Ah yes, good ol' Linux moved everything back to where it was before disconnecting cables/adapters. Oh, did I mention Linux is free?
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