Start8 identifies external monitor as main monitor

Start menu will not show on laptop screen when external monitor is off

from Stardock Forums

I have had this issue several times, and resolved it by restarting, reclicking the right options etc. Now it's not working.

My Dell XPS M1530 runs Windows 8.1 with Start8. Occasionally, I will use an external monitor. Now the start menue is located exclusively on the external monitor again, despite always starting and shutting down windows with this monitor off. When I started my laptop now, there was no start menue at all on the screen. If I tell Start8 to display a start menue on all screens active, the menue itself will pop up on the external screen anyway, even when it's off. Windows and my nVidia graphic card correctly identify my laptop screen as #1, the external Dell monitor as #2.

So how do I make Start8 function when my external monitor is off, and how do I keep my start menue on the right screen at all times? This just changed without me doing any changes, there wasn't even any kind of software update (Start8, Windows, Firefox even...).

start8
6,683 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Start8 uses which ever is the primary monitor based on that the OS tells it (the number does not mean that).  The default setting in Start8 only shows a start button on the primary monitor and not on the others, but you can configure it to show a start button on both.  Start8 will show the menu on which ever one you have clicked the button on, and will show the menu in response to the Windows Key based on which monitor the mouse is on.

If this has changed recently without any software changes, it points to a configuration change of some sort.

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Thanks for your reply. I am not sure Start8 acts as it is supposed then.

1) The laptop monitor is the primary monitor.

2) When I configure Start8 to show a start button on both monitors, and click on the one displayed on the laptop, the menu pops up on the external monitor anyway.

3) There was no active configuration change that I was involved in.

:(

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Sjalabais, reply 2

Thanks for your reply. I am not sure Start8 acts as it is supposed then.

1) The laptop monitor is the primary monitor.

2) When I configure Start8 to show a start button on both monitors, and click on the one displayed on the laptop, the menu pops up on the external monitor anyway.

3) There was no active configuration change that I was involved in.

:(

Are you using the Start8 Windows 7 style menu, or the Windows 8 style one?

From the sounds of it something may be relocating the menu as I have never heard of anything similar ever being reported with the Windows 7 style menu.  It automatically shows on the correct screen based on the taskbar it was launched from.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

It is the Windows 7 style menu, yes. I'm currently at work, but if the error persists, I can upload screenshots later today.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

Once you've obtained screenshots and possibly video, I'd like you to reply to the ticket I'm going to send to you via email. I'll also send you a log tool to see what version of Start8 you have and more.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Sorry for the delay. Here are two videos, I didn't manage to film both screens at once. The issue persists: The start menu will open on the external screen when I click the start-button on my laptop screen.

 

Screen 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQSabp5jims

Screen 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCeakI-DroY

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Can you turn off the setting where it displays Start8 on both monitors, and just display it on the primary. Does it work then? As Neil said, something in your configuration, graphical or OS, is telling Start8 that the monitor marked 2 is the primary. While I do not have Win8 with Start8, my Windows 7 machine identifies my main monitor as 2 and my TV as 1. While my Primary is still my monitor, it's labeled by nvidia as #2, while I don't think it believes the TV is the primary. I hope that made sense.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

Well, that's exactly the trouble: The task bar and start button will not be displayed on my laptop when I start with this function and the external monitor off. If I press the Windows button, the signal goes to nowhere - the off monitor. Also if I turn off the double taskbar now, it will be located on the external monitor only.

I used the PC one evening, everything worked as it should. The next time I turned it on, this issue appeared. Not sure if there was a Windows update in between, but I don't think so.

Thanks for your follow up, in any case. :)

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top

Looking at the videos, it looks like Windows believes the laptop monitor is the secondary screen as the taskbar has no clock.  The clock only shows on the primary monitor.

Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top

It would seem something in your display configuration is causing this to happen. Maybe you can uninstall the driver and reinstall it without the external monitor plugged in. Then see if you can figure out the cause.

Try running through this article and seeing if your external is set as the main.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089102/teach-your-laptop-to-treat-a-secondary-monitor-as-the-primary-display.html