Question Main display on dual monitor setup losing connection with certain programs

[JustAnotherPerson]

Hey guys, i recently decided to pair my old monitor with my new one and create a dual setup. I got it working relatively easily and at first had no issues at all.

The problem started when i opened one of my games and my main monitor lost connection. The odd part is when i alt-tabbed into another window (on the same monitor) it just came back like nothing happened. So i thought that, that specific game was the issue and/or fullscreen mode but i debunked both of those points since its now happening with all sorts of intensive programs from photoshop to camtasia to even indie games with windowed/windowed borderless/fullscreen (But not all).

I would like to add this issue does not happen when i drag the program to my second monitor. it displays it without any problems. Which is weird since its older and less "capable".

So far the only solutions i have found are restarting my computer or running the nvidia display port firmware updater each time this issue happens. i mainly use the latter option which is faster.

So here are some relevant specs:

Main display: Acer KG251Q 165 hz using display port and g-sync (its not officially compatible but it works)
Secondary display: Samsung S22D300 60hz using a DVI-D connector

GTX 1060 6GB
16GB DDR3 RAM
i7 4790 4 cores max clock 4.00 Ghz
Thermaltake 600W PSU
And of course (as of today) the latest Nvidia drivers.

I highly doubt this is a cable issue because my main monitor was working 100% before i hooked up the second one.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Thermaltake is the brand while 600W is the wattage, that doesn't state the model of the unit. You should also mention the age of the PSU. What OS are you working with? If you're on Windows 10, which version(not edition) are you on? BIOS version for your motherboard? Model of said motherboard?

 

[JustAnotherPerson]

Thanks for the reply!

https://www.thermaltake.com/smart-rgb-600w.html
this is my PSU, specs should be on that page. I bought it in 2018 so its still relatively new.

My windows 10 version is 1909.

https://www.ecs.com.tw/en/Product/Motherboard/H81H3-M4_V1.0A/specification
Motherboard model (Note: in 2018 i upgraded most of my pc but my Motherboard and CPU have stayed the same since 2014)

I can not currently verify my BIOS model but i know for a fact that i havent ever updated it. So it's most likely a version from 2014.

Also important note, my motherboard does not officially support windows 10. It's selected as Windows 8.1 in the BIOS settings. (But it has never ever created a problem for me)

I must say that i fail to see how any of these except for maybe the power supply could be related to the issue. And even so, these programs work fine for hours when i just run the Nvidia firmware updater and restart the programs.

So the screen losing connection is more of a minor issue, but i would still like to find the cause since its very peculiar.

 

[JustAnotherPerson]

UPDATE: I HAVE FOUND A VERY CONVENIENT WORKAROUND FOR THIS PROBLEM

Simply resetting the graphics driver via;
Windows + Control+Shift+B

It immediately fixes the main display losing connection after resetting both screens.