View issue using Dell FX100 zero client and multi-monitor

[joelwehr]

I've begun rolling out VM's to my desktop users, who will be using Dell FX100 zero clients, and two widescreen monitors. Since the latest firmware upgrade, this is working quite well.  I do have an issue with some VM's where, when you use the View logon from the FX100, only the primary monitor shows up. If you disconnect the session, (not logging off of Windows) and reconnect, you will pick up both monitors. However, if you log off of Windows and log in, you are back to a single monitor.  Both monitors are always active when viewing the Dell FX100 client login screen.

Windows 7 x64 Enterprise - View 4.6

[joelwehr]

I have set the DesktopLayout to MultiMonitor.. but no luck.  if you log on to a view desktop through the FX100, only one monitor.

[tacticsbaby]

I had this issue when we updated to View version 5. The things that worked to solve this problem for me have been:

1) Upgrade your thin client firmware to the latest version.

2) Disconnect the second monitor

3) Do a hard reset on the thin client

4) Power up the thin client and login to your VM

5) Once successfully logged in with one monitor then plug in your second monitor.

After I did these steps I was then able to use View with my Dell FX100 and Wyse P20 thin client without any problems. I don't know why this happens, but this tends fix it. Good luck.

[joelwehr]

Thanks, I'll try this tommorrow. Does this resolve the issue permanently, or have you seen it come back?

[joelwehr]

I haven't had any luck in trying that solution. The interesting thing is that I have a VM in a manual pool that has no problems connecting both monitors on Windows login.  I have the non working VMs configured the same way.  I'm going to create another test VM and see if it could be a pool policy issue.

[tacticsbaby]

I doubt this is a pool policy issue. I think it is a problem between View and the Teridici based thin client such as the FX100. Once you get this solved it usually sticks. What do you see from he console while a user tries to login to his vm? Are you trying to set up the second monitor after the VM has been assigned and logged into the first time? If not, that is a good thing to try. Could you destroy the VM and create a different one? If so then try the same general steps I listed on the first login.

[joelwehr]

After checking nearly everything else, I finally remembered that I had changed some settings in MSCONFIG, as recommended by VMWARE.  I had checked, NO GUI BOOT, and BASE VIDEO under the Boot tab.  As soon as I unchecked those, and returned it to Normal startup.. problems solved.

Argh. Thats a lot of time wasted. I think VMWARE needs to be made aware of this.

[tacticsbaby]

Thanks for sharing that one. I will remember to NOT use those optimizations in my View Win7 environment.

[joelwehr]

No doubt. I'm sure the optimizations are good for some applications.. Ill keep them in the VM's that I want to run as lean as possible. Just wish I had remembered that before I tried darn near everything else to fix the problem. Oh well, glad its resolved.

[WilliamReid]

Hi there,

Sorry I didn't spot your post earlier I don't hop into the forums too often.

This issue also happens when using the soft client and connecting to the VDI desktop.

While the documentation says select those options, we quickly published a KB to correct what was published in the documentation a long time ago.

Here's the article...

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1027899&sl...

Wm

[joelwehr]

Thanks, William. Unfortunately, I did a number of searches and never found this article..