Forcing primary monitor by interface

[JGuy3]

I believe the following description to be reasonably true, and I'm writing it as background.

When booting up some component - hardware, Windows or video driver - something chooses whichever of the available video interfaces, with an active monitor, to be the primary monitor.

Then Windows checks to see if it has seen the connected screens before and loads those video properties.

• If the monitor(s) are found in the registry then registry data will provide all the properties Windows, or the vid chip driver, need to re-order the monitors, and set resolution, etc.
• If the monitor(s) are unknown then Windows decides - or some component - which monitor becomes the primary monitor, and negotiates with all active monitors to set a best case resolution for each, etc.

There's the background that sets up my situation.

I have a "6th generation" motherboard with the Q170 express chipset, and with an HD Graphics 510 embedded video chip. So it supports 3 video interfaces. And I have 1 each of Display Port, HDMI and VGA interface. My configuration is dual monitor. I'm using a video driver version 20.19.15.4424. I'm running Windows POSReady 7.

I need a way to force which interface is made to be the primary display in Windows. And this behavior should kick in any time it sees new screen(s) and tries to figure out which to make primary. I can set the resolution via an external utility, but setting resolution and scaling to become my defaults would be much better.

My need is to make the screen connected to the Display Port the primary video interface. Period. Currently Windows, or the vid driver - whichever - forces the screen on the VGA connector to be primary. That won't work for my situation.

There has to be a way to control this. I cannot be the only person in the world who has this kind of need. Win7 is a nice improvement over previous video resiliency in Windows, but it insists on knowing best which port should be primary. The downside is huge amounts of support time resolving screen config issues.

Hoping someone here can help. Thank you in advance!!

[idata]

Jim359_StL: Thank you very much for joining the Intel® Graphics communities.

In regard to your inquiry, on the link below you will find the latest version of the graphics driver for the Intel® graphics 510 controller, which is 4678:https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26836/Graphics-Intel-Graphics-Driver-for-Windows-15-45-?product=88351 https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26836/Graphics-Intel-Graphics-Driver-for-Windows-15-45-?product=88351 Once you installed that graphics driver you should be able to get into the Intel® graphics control panel and look for the option "display" then select "multiple displays" and choose which will be the primary display. Any further questions, please let me know. Regards,Alberto R

[JGuy3]

I didn't mention that my Windows is 32-bit, not 64.

Your instructions are rudimentary. I'm an advanced user, an administrator, and I do professional integration work. So yes, I know how to CHANGE a display to be a primary display. I'm needing to configure what Windows is going to do without me when it boots up and sees new screens. There's a lot behind that question that has to be understood.

In other words if I set up a golden image system, and I connected two screens and configured whichever I wanted to be the primary display I'd be good as long as those two screens were the only screens that PC would connect to (and as long as I didn't connect them differently). But when Windows sees new screens it throws away everything it knows about screen configuraitons, and it decides on its own which new screen to make primary, and it sets the best resolution it can for all the connected screen(s), etc, etc.

Make sense? You with me?

So I make my golden image and then I clone my golden computer onto 100 other identical computers. And I ship each computer, along with 2 brand new screens, to 100 sites. All 100 of those computers are going to boot up and decide on their own which screen to be primary because that specific computer has never seen those new screens before. They may be the identical models I used in my lab when I built my golden image, but they're different serial numbers so Windows knows those screens are not the same as mine. And as a result Windows, on its first startup with those new screens, says to itself I need to start my video configurations from scratch - from the beginning.

It's tough to communicate via written words here.

--->> In my solution my two screens are totally different models and sizes. My app has to run with a specific screen as the primary - its a touch screen. The secondary screen is not a touch screen, and it's a bigger screen. I must connect the touch screen via the Display Port interface. And when Windows boots and sees new screens I want Windows to make the screen connected to the Display Port connector to be the primary screen. The touch screen has to be the primary screen. And I have to connect the touch screen via the Display Port.

The motherboard I'm using wants to make the VGA interface the primary screen. Is that the Q170 chipset at work? The 520 vid chip? The motherboard design? I don't know. Who cares? I need to force Windows into choosing the Display Port as the primary screen every time Windows sees new displays and goes into self analysis mode in order to reconfigure the screens. Every time. Over the life of this computer it may see 2 or 3 different screen changes. Each time Windows must on its own decide that the primary interface is the Display Port.

User intervention - actually help desk intervention is not an option. That takes huge manpower, and delays users from getting on with their work, and is nothing but a hassle to everyone involved.

So that's where my need lies. *** I *** have to decide ahead of time for Windows, or the vid driver, which display interface Windows is going to choose as its primary display. I have to pre-determine that answer.

How do I do that?!

[idata]

Jim359_StL Thank you very much for providing all those details and information about the configuration you are using.

Based on that report and in order to answer your question about how to set the display port as primary screen even if the monitors are changed, I will do further research on this subject, As soon as I get any details or a possible resolution for this scenario, I will post all the information on this thread. I apologize for any inconvenience. Any questions, please let me know. Regards,Alberto R

[idata]

Jim359_StL: I just sent you a private message. Please check your inbox.

Any questions, please let me know. Regards,Alberto R

[idata]

Jim359_StL: I just received and update on the research we were doing on this matter. Based on that information, at this point the best thing to do will be to get in contact with a Field Application Engineer (FAE) to get further assistance.

In order to request the assistance of one of them, please access our Intel Premier Support first:https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/design/support/ips/training/access-and-login.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/design/support/ips/training/access-and-login.html Any questions, please let me know. Regards,Alberto R