Windows ID nonsense for multi-output EDIDs

[JJ Myers]

I'm not sure if any one else using multi-ouputs in v5 has come across this, but I'm trying to get my head around it...

 

My machines all have ATI Firepro V7900 cards for multi-output use. For those who are not familiar with these cards, they have 4x DP physical ports, arranged very nicely across a single PCI plane. Looking at the back of the card, my logic thinks.... hmmmm... Top --> Bottom must either equal outputs 1 --> 4 or 4 --> 1.

 

However, my latest experiences seem to result in some (in my humble opinion) illogic from Microsoft, when assigning IDs to connected displays. Call me crazy, but it seems like Windows 7 'remembers' certain combinations of connected displays, and assigns IDs based on 'remembered' EDID info of those given displays for different combinations. Furthermore, I cannot figure out how Windows 7 determines these assignments of IDs, when it determines and 'remembers' and why it refuses to follow a logical, sequential order.

 

As I've come across these experiences, I have learned to NOT fight the illogic and just take what Windows gives me. Lucky for us, we are able to sort it all out in the WATCHOUT environment. None-the-less, it is very annoying to anal-retentive, engineer, propeller head types like me.

 

So my question to the WO community? Does any one know any clever tricks or have some further insight on how to force Windows to assign IDs according to their physical backplane order? If so.... perhaps, I can take a P-touch labeler to my GFX cards, and be free from Microsoft trying to be smarter than me

 

JJ

[JG]

I've run into this same issue. At first glance, it looks like the "primary" display is always one. The next attached display is two, regardless of what connector it's in, and so on. I agree, not very intuitive, but probably very home user friendly.

 

Jim