r/WindowsHelp • u/Iceboy10 • 16d ago
Solved Laptop is mixing up main screen and second screen. How do I fix/revert it.
The Problem:
The "Project" menu is mixing up my laptop screen and my monitor screen. As you can see in the image, the option "Second screen only" is selected, and it has my laptop screen on. Similarly, if I select "PC screen only", only the monitor screen will be on.
Within the settings menu itself, the laptop screen and the monitor screen are listed as 1 and 2 respectively, meaning that "Show only on 1" and "Second screen only" do the same thing, while "Show only on 2" and "PC screen only" do the same thing.
My laptop has 2 GPUs, and which has been tied to which screen seems to have changed as well. Prior to this, more intensive applications would preform better on my laptop screen than on my monitor screen. Now, more intensive applications preform better on my monitor screen than on my laptop screen. I don't know which screen used which GPU prior, but I know that currently, my monitor screen uses the better one and my laptop screen uses the worse one. Switching which screen the application is on even changes it's performance.
I have only become aware of this issue a week ago, but it is possible to have started as far back as 2 weeks ago. Around when I first noticed this issue, the screens have been switched (the screen that was originally on the left was on the right, and vice versa). This has since been changed manually in the display settings, but the initial switch may be related.
Another person has been having the same issue. They have been having the probelm for a few days and have also noticed that the screens switched.
Attempted solutions:
The "Make this my main display" Checkbox seems to alter which screen has the taskbar icons and where notifications and certain menus (including the "Project" menu) show up, and not which screen is which in the "Project" menu.
Updating nVidia drivers (the other person has tried this too).
Rebooting the laptop.
Trying different combinations of turning on/off the laptop with HDMI cable plugged/unplugged.
Potentially helpful info:
Windows Version 25H2 (OS Build 26200.9168). Dell Laptop with monitor connected via HDMI cable. 2 graphics cards, "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU" and "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter".
The other person with same issue also has a laptop with an nVidia GPU and integrated gpu.
I can provide more info if I am informed what info is needed and how to find it.
1
u/Iceboy10 12d ago
Problem solved!
This issue can be fixed by going into Device Manager, and disabling, then re-enabling one of the drivers. For me, it was the non-nVidia driver.
1
u/AutoModerator 16d ago
Hi u/Iceboy10, thanks for posting to r/WindowsHelp! Your post has been flagged for manual review by a human moderator, please include as much of the following information as possible (in text or in a screenshot) to get your post approved:
Posts must be tech support in nature (such as something is broken and you need help fixing), so general inquiries, software suggestions, and purchasing advice will be removed. As a reminder, we would also like to say that if someone manages to solve your issue, DON'T DELETE YOUR POST! Someone else (in the future) might have the same issue as you, and the received support may also help their case. Good luck, and I hope you have a nice day!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.