The computer I'm using is older (3+ years) and has frustrated me a few times, most notably in the past 2 months.

That said, this is a new problem. My second (DVI) monitor is detected by Windows but doesn't display anything. In both the display settings and the NVIDIA control panel, I can see a second (Impression) monitor, but it's blank and I can't get it to show anything. In fact, the monitor doesn't seem to recognize that it's connected, because the orange "power but no input" light is on rather than the green "power and input" light.

This is a Windows 7 64-bit installation on a Dell Dimension E520.

Any help you can give me is much appreciated - I want my productivity back!

Thanks in advance,
- JSB

What is the make and model number of your video card? Nvidia ?????

Are you sure the DVI cable is good? Try swapping the two and see what happens.
Try connecting the 2nd monitor by itself to where the 1st monitor is currently connected using both cables, one at a time.

NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE

The problem is that one is VGA only the other is HDMI, so I haven't swapped them over. I've only got the one HDMI input on the card, and don't have a HDMI-to-VGA adapter.

Okay, thanks. Which is which? Is the 1st display HDMI, 2nd VGA or vice versa? If yes, is the VGA cable part of the monitor or one that has removable connectors at both ends so the cable can be swapped out?

If not, do you have another monitor you can try?

Is there a setting in BIOS that controls the 2nd head of the Nvidia card?

The reason I'm pushing this is the 2nd monitor is not even detecting a signal from the video card (remains orange) so it comes down to a few possibilities:

1. Monitor is no good
2. Cable is no good
3. Video card 2nd head is no good
4. 2nd head disabled in bios (or in the Forceware control center)

You might also want to post in the Nvidia Legacy forum: GeForce Legacy - NVIDIA Forums