Windows get moved to the primary monitor after waking from standby with mixed DisplayPort and DVI-D dual-monitor setup

displayportdvihotplugmultiple-monitorsstandby

Problem Description

I am using the following setup:

  • nVidia GeForce GTX 680
  • Dell UP3214Q (Ultra-HD, 3840×2160, run in its native resolution, connected via DisplayPort 1.2, i.e. DisplayPort on GTX –> mini-DisplayPort on monitor, setup as primary)
  • Dell 3008WFP (2560×1600, run in its native resolution, connected via DVI-D, setup as secondary)
  • Windows 8.1 Pro x64
  • Latest nVidia- and monitor drivers

I am experiencing the following problem:
Even when only waking up from Standby, all previously running applications get moved to the primary monitor.

Own Research into the Problem

Coming from a dual-monitor-setup using two DVI-D connections to the same graphics card, which did not exhibit the erratic window-rearranging, I suppose, that the current behaviour with the new setup might result from the nVidia GTX 680 treating DisplayPort and DVI-D somehow differently, which might trick Windows 8.1 into "forgetting" the secondary for at least a moment.

Further research

I found this collection of slides on DisplayPort from VESA, from which I deduce, that the UltraHD may not provide a (proper) signal on the Hot-Plug-Detect pin when soft-powered off or in the process of "awaking" from standby, while the 3008WFP seems to provide this signal on the DVI-D counterpart. So, my UltraHD does not get detected in time, leading to all applications being transferred to the 3008WFP first, and when the UltraHD finally reports its presence, all windows get moved back to it, since it is the primary. 😐

Questions

  1. How shall I proceed to have my windows on their respective monitors after a wake from standby as I left them before going into standby?
  2. Would there be a possibility to fake the Hot-Plug-Detect signal on the UltraHD without losing the interrupt capability (see page 21 here)?

References

DisplayPort Technical Overview

Best Answer

Have you considered just not going into standby? Personally, I disable standby because of performance issues and never wanting the disks to spin down. Could be a simple, permanent solution or a temporary one while you try to figure out why the monitor loses it's signal.

Additionally, splicing in a 5v power transformer into the "hot wire" of the display port might be a trick into making it think it's always got signal. ---Risky---

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