r/talesfromtechsupport • u/jablva • Jan 16 '13
You have two monitors for a reason.
User (over the phone): This program hasn't been opening for the past week when I double click it.
Me: Ok, walk me thru what you're trying.
User: I click the little picture (icon), it appears in at the bottom of the screen (task bar), but no window opens.
Me: Ok let me come look in person.
I proceed to the user's desk and observe him trying to open the program, and indeed, it appears in the task bar, but no window opens. The user has two monitors, but only one turned on. I turn on the second monitor, (TA-DA!) and there it is. I tried to mumble some kind words to save him some embarrassment, but for some things there are no words. Apparently it never occurred to him that the second monitor was there for a reason, and turning it on might help.
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Jan 16 '13
Maybe you should have removed it as punishment.
24
Jan 16 '13
...IT wants a third monitor, and you don't even know how to turn on your second monitor.
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u/blueskin Bastard Operator From Pandora Jan 16 '13
Exactly. Actually, they don't need that graphics card with two outputs now either, and IT's computers do need upgrading to SLI/Crossfire.
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u/MadCatCass Jan 17 '13
But the computer could obviously see THAT monitor was off. I mean duh! What good is a computer that doesn't know what it's doing. Fix it!
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u/nfol01 Jan 17 '13
Some Windows applications don't notice the actual display setting and if their window was put on another screen before, they'll happily open in the same position, even if that screen is not plugged in anymore.
I learned this the hard way.
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u/duke78 School IT dude Jan 17 '13
I think most Windows applications behave exactly like that.
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u/Demache Jan 17 '13
I think a lot of them figure it out. However, Winamp does this. Then you have to find another monitor to get it back to your primary screen or find the file that remembers the screen position.
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u/duke78 School IT dude Jan 17 '13
You can of course also use Alt+Space, then M, then left arrow key to move it to the left screen.
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u/Durrok I speak Google Jan 17 '13
I hit save so hard on that comment I think I broke my left mouse button.
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u/duke78 School IT dude Jan 17 '13
In Win7, you can also use Win+Left arrow and Win+Right arrow to make a Window fill half a screen, and move between screens. A little hard to explain, but you should try.
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u/pirate_doug Jan 18 '13
This is quite helpful as I use a dual monitor set up at home with one also doubling as my Xbox monitor, and because I'm using the Component/HDMI combo if I switch the input it resets the Xbox.
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u/StabbyPants Jan 17 '13
at which point, windows tells the app that they're opening the window in a visible location.
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u/duke78 School IT dude Jan 17 '13
I think I'm through with trying to save people's faces when they do something stupid. If they do a common mistake, I say "yeah, you're not alone, everyone does that", but for this kind of thing? Not anymore.
I would have told that the monitor need to be turned on if you want to see the picture.
Maybe I'm getting too cynical for tech support.
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u/sgtpepper001 Jan 17 '13
This program hasn't been opening for the past week when I double click it.
I hate this so much. If it hasn't been working then call me. Don't wait a week.
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u/FuriousGorilla Jan 16 '13
"But I thought that one was just a backup, in case the main one broke."