Computer in Multimonitor Setup Hangs If You Click Refresh in Device Manager or Start Add New Hardware

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This article was previously published under Q261382

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SYMPTOMS

On a computer that is configured for multimonitor support, if you either click Refresh in Device Manager or start the Add New Hardware tool in Control Panel, the computer may stop responding (hang) and the secondary monitor may display a blank screen.

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CAUSE

This behavior can occur if you have ATI Rage PRO All-In-Wonder PRO PCI video adapters installed for both monitors, or if you have an ATI Rage PRO AGP video adapter installed for the primary monitor and an ATI Rage PRO All-In-Wonder PRO PCI video adapter installed for the secondary monitor.

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RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, disable and then reenable the video adapter for the secondary monitor:

Disable the secondary video adapter:
1. In Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the Device Manager tab.
2. Expand the Display adapters folder, click the secondary video adapter, and then click Properties.
3. Click to select the Disable in this hardware profile check box, and then click OK.
4. Click Yes to restart the computer. Only the primary monitor is now available.
Enable the secondary video adapter again:
1. In Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the Device Manager tab.
2. Click Refresh, and then click OK.
3. In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware, and then complete the Add New Hardware Wizard process.
4. In Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the Device Manager tab.
5. Expand the Display adapters folder, click the secondary adapter that you disabled, and then click Properties.
6. Click to clear the Disable in this hardware profile check box, and then click OK.
7. Restart your computer.

When the secondary monitor starts, your existing settings for extending the desktop are in effect.

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MORE INFORMATION

This behavior can also occur with other video adapters that are in a multimonitor configuration where an ATI Rage PRO All-In-Wonder PRO PCI adapter is the secondary video adapter.

The ATI Rage PRO All-In-Wonder PRO PCI secondary video adapter may display a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

For information about how to contact ATI Technologies, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/65416/EN-US/ ) Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/60781/EN-US/ ) Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/60782/EN-US/ ) Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

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APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

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kb3rdparty kbdisplay kbenv kbhardware kbprb kbsetup KB261382

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Retired KB Content Disclaimer

This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.

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