How to remove phantom screens

[NoxiousOdor]

Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me with an issue I'm having with my screens.

 

Right now I have two screens connected to my computer. One acer screen that is 1920x1080, and one dell screen that is 1440x900. The problem that I am having is that windows thinks that I have a third screen and nothing I do seems to make it go away. 

 

Here is what it looks like in the screen settings, I want #2 to be the #1 screen (it is currently set as default but I can't make it #1). #3 should be #2 and the screen labeled #1 should not exist. I have moved the phantom screen off to the side like that for not to help prevent me from dragging windows onto it.

Spoiler

 

I have tried going into Device Manager and uninstalling the screen but that has not worked. Sometimes disabling it will work but only temporarily. I have tried so many times to get rid of it and as you can see below it is still there.

Spoiler

 

 

I have updated all of my display drivers and done everything I can think of to fix it but I am out of ideas. The only thing that I can think of that might possibly be causing it is that my smaller screen (labeled as #3) is connected to my gpu via a displayport to dvi adaptor but I don't see why that would be doing it. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it.

[emosun]

are you able to move things onto screen 1 and loose them?

[emosun]

you'll know if you can if you can move the mouse all the way off and it takes a bit to return to an active screen.

[NoxiousOdor]

4 minutes ago, emosun said:

you'll know if you can if you can move the mouse all the way off and it takes a bit to return to an active screen.

Yes except when on occasion it lets me disable that screen

[emosun]

if you unplug monitor 3 does it disappear from your options?

[NoxiousOdor]

2 minutes ago, emosun said:

if you unplug monitor 3 does it disappear from your options?

Screen 3 does but not the phantom screen

[emosun]

is there any port you can plug a single monitor into that reconizes the monitor as being screen number one?

[NoxiousOdor]

15 hours ago, emosun said:

is there any port you can plug a single monitor into that reconizes the monitor as being screen number one?

Possibly, unfortunately I am at work now so I won't be able to check until I get home. Is it common to have port dependent screen numbering?

[emosun]

3 hours ago, WhisperingKnickers said:

Is it common to have port dependent screen numbering?

it happens on older video cards back in the day all the time. for example , old cards that used to use dual dvi but also s-video. the s-video port would always refuse to be monitor 1.

 I know newer gpu's have trouble displaying the bios sometimes via hdmi or display port , and will sometimes default to only using the dvi port. So yes the port you plug the monitor into can effect what it can/can't do.

[NoxiousOdor]

1 hour ago, emosun said:

it happens on older video cards back in the day all the time. for example , old cards that used to use dual dvi but also s-video. the s-video port would always refuse to be monitor 1.

 I know newer gpu's have trouble displaying the bios sometimes via hdmi or display port , and will sometimes default to only using the dvi port. So yes the port you plug the monitor into can effect what it can/can't do.

That is really good to know thank you, I will play around with that when I get home. Right now the screen I primarily use us connected to my gpu via dvi and the second screen is connected to it via a dvi - DP adaptor. 

 

That could explain why I cant change their numbering but does that play into the phantom screen? Maybe because my two screens might be plugged into ports that might be listed as 2 and 3 it thinks there must be a number 1 as well?

[emosun]

the dp adapter might be messing with it as well does the gpu not have native dp support? what gpu is it?

[NoxiousOdor]

1 minute ago, emosun said:

the dp adapter might be messing with it as well does the gpu not have native dp support? what gpu is it?

It is a 1060, the gpu has DP support but neither of the screens do