The recent Cumulative Update for Windows 10 (KB3213986) cripples multi-monitor gaming, looking at the way Microsoft worded its "known issues" text. After the update is applied, users with multi-monitor setups could experience screen stuttering or clipped screens when running 3D apps on machines with more than one monitor. The only workaround Microsoft suggests for now entails running your 3D apps in non-fullscreen modes, such as windowed-maximized (pseudo-fullscreen) or windowed modes. Microsoft also goes as far as to suggest that people with multi-monitors could try starting their 3D apps with just one monitor connected."Users may experience delayed or clipped screens while running 3D rendering apps (such as games) on systems with more than one monitor," the change-log for the KB3213986 update reads. "To work around this issue please consider the following options: 1. Running the application in Windows mode (not full screen), or 2. Starting the application with only one monitor connected," it adds. The update effectively cripples multi-monitor gaming, using technologies such as AMD Eyefinity or NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround.

66 Comments on Windows 10 KB3213986 Update Cripples Multi-monitor Gaming

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#1 FYFI13

Option 3: wait at least 6 months before installing any update for Windows 10.



Option 4: don't use Windows 10 at all, because all this WU related BS is getting out of control.



What they were smoking to tell people to disconnect other monitors before launching a game?! If update is that broken, stick it back to your a**e and keep working on it. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 2:38 Reply

#2 Arrakis9

Makes me happy that I didn't buy into the "free" upgrade to Windows 10. Microsoft will continue to get its users to beta test its updates just like every other early access trend product in the past decade. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 2:43 Reply

#3 P4-630

Arrakis+9 Microsoft will continue to get its users to beta test its updates That's what I have been saying as well, I will wait at least another year if not longer before I jump on the W10 train....

Windows 10, it's sad that's what it is till now, it's simply an unreliable OS for now! Who knows what will get borked again in a next update!

It's just stupid!



I'm still happy with my stable, problem free Windows 8.1!

There aren't DX12 only games coming soon anyway, you can still run the games in DX11. That's what I have been saying as well, I will wait at least another year if not longer before I jump on the W10 train....Windows 10, it's sad that's what it is till now, it's simply an unreliable OS for now! Who knows what will get borked again in a next update!It's just stupid!I'm still happy with my stable, problem free Windows 8.1!There aren'tgames coming soon anyway, you can still run the games in DX11. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 2:49 Reply

#4 chaosmassive

FYFI13 Option 3: wait at least 6 months before installing any update for Windows 10.



Option 4: don't use Windows 10 at all, because all this WU related BS is getting out of control.



What they were smoking to tell people to disconnect other monitors before launching a game?! If update is that broken, stick it back to your a**e and keep working on it. or dont install any update AT ALL or dont install any update AT ALL Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 2:57 Reply

#5 bug

I don't know, with all updates installed on my dual monitor setup, I don't have any problem playing in full screen mode. At the very least this issue is restricted to certain configurations. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 3:08 Reply

#6 R-T-B

chaosmassive or dont install any update AT ALL You're asking for trouble that way, but waiting certainly doesn't seem to be a bad idea the way things are going down as of late. You're asking for trouble that way, but waiting certainly doesn't seem to be a bad idea the way things are going down as of late. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 3:38 Reply

#7 chaosmassive

R-T-B You're asking for trouble that way, but waiting certainly doesn't seem to be a bad idea the way things are going down as of late. like? I've been used Windows 7 for 3-4 years without any update at all or 'stock' version and it just went well before moving out for windows 10 like? I've been used Windows 7 for 3-4 years without any update at all or 'stock' version and it just went well before moving out for windows 10 Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 3:41 Reply

#8 Evildead666

P4-630 That's what I have been saying as well, I will wait at least another year if not longer before I jump on the W10 train....

Windows 10, it's sad that's what it is till now, it's simply an unreliable OS for now! Who knows what will get borked again in a next update!

It's just stupid!



I'm still happy with my stable, problem free Windows 8.1!

There aren't DX12 only games coming soon anyway, you can still run the games in DX11. As I understand it, there is at least one game coming out this year, that requires the Anniversary update to run.

Its due to the DRM updates in the Anniversary update.

can't remember what the game was though....i'll try and find it again.



edit : Gears of War 4 and Halo 5 are stated (after v quick google search) as requiring the Anniversary update on Win10, to run. Not sure if they are available on lower Windows versions or not....



edit2 : GoW4 will be Win10 Anniversary update as minimum spec... (



edit3 : Same with Halo 5 : Forge. (



I can see a whole bevvy of new games coming out this year that will be Win10/Anniversary update as minimum..... As I understand it, there is at least one game coming out this year, thatthe Anniversary update to run.Its due to the DRM updates in the Anniversary update.can't remember what the game was though....i'll try and find it again.edit : Gears of War 4 and Halo 5 are stated (after v quick google search) as requiring the Anniversary update, to run. Not sure if they are available on lower Windows versions or not....edit2 : GoW4 will be Win10 Anniversary update as minimum spec... ( news.xbox.com/2016/08/16/gears-war-4-in-4k-and-system-specs-revealed/ edit3 : Same with Halo 5 : Forge. ( www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/halo-5-forge-system-requirements I can see a whole bevvy of new games coming out this year that will be Win10/Anniversary update as minimum..... Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 3:54 Reply

#9 RejZoR

Apparently no one from idiots at Microsoft realized selective installation of NON ESSENTIAL updates was a cool thing in older Windows because such problematic updates were just an inconvenience back then, but now tthe are stupendously irritating. Because before, you could uncheck problematic updates and install them later or even never. But no, they clusterfuck all the updates together into one update sequence where user has no control. And then you get shit like this where you don't even know what to do to get things working again. Unplugging hardware because some idiot designed idiotic updater is a very poor and crude troubleshooting method... Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 3:58 Reply

#10 R-T-B

chaosmassive like? I've been used Windows 7 for 3-4 years without any update at all or 'stock' version and it just went well before moving out for windows 10 There's a lot of patched security flaws.



Most of these can be dealt with by simply not running any web-exe and using a firewall, but it's still bad practice and if you do ever get infected, it will be much much worse. There's a lot of patched security flaws.Most of these can be dealt with by simply not running any web-exe and using a firewall, but it's still bad practice and if you do ever get infected, it will be much much worse. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 3:59 Reply

#11 qubit

Overclocked quantum bit btarunr The only workaround Microsoft suggests for now entails running your 3D apps in non-fullscreen modes, such as windowed-maximized (pseudo-fullscreen) or windowed modes. This should be enough to get the conspiracy theorists suggesting that Microsoft is intentionally crippling multi-monitor support in fullscreen mode since games sold on the Microsoft Store all work in the pseudo-fullscreen mode...



Or it could just be an idiotic bug that will be fixed in time. This should be enough to get the conspiracy theorists suggesting that Microsoft is intentionally crippling multi-monitor support in fullscreen mode since games sold on the Microsoft Store all work in the pseudo-fullscreen mode...Or it could just be an idiotic bug that will be fixed in time. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 4:02 Reply

#12 TheinsanegamerN

Evildead666 As I understand it, there is at least one game coming out this year, that requires the Anniversary update to run.

Its due to the DRM updates in the Anniversary update.

can't remember what the game was though....i'll try and find it again.



edit : Gears of War 4 and Halo 5 are stated (after v quick google search) as requiring the Anniversary update on Win10, to run. Not sure if they are available on lower Windows versions or not....



edit2 : GoW4 will be Win10 Anniversary update as minimum spec... (news.xbox.com/2016/08/16/gears-war-4-in-4k-and-system-specs-revealed/)



edit3 : Same with Halo 5 : Forge. (www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/halo-5-forge-system-requirements)



I can see a whole bevvy of new games coming out this year that will be Win10/Anniversary update as minimum..... You forget that those games are MS made, and much like the halo 2 vista requirement, are trying to force people onto newer versions of windows.



Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 still control a bigger market then 10, and game publishers are not stupid enough to throw away that market anytime soon. DX12 is still in it's infancy, as seen with games like BF1 struggling to use it.



windows 10 wont be a requirement until windows 7 is no longer supported, so most likely until 2020. You forget that those games are MS made, and much like the halo 2 vista requirement, are trying to force people onto newer versions of windows.Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 still control a bigger market then 10, and game publishers are not stupid enough to throw away that market anytime soon. DX12 is still in it's infancy, as seen with games like BF1 struggling to use it.windows 10 wont be a requirement until windows 7 is no longer supported, so most likely until 2020. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 4:38 Reply

#13 64K

It shouldn't be too much longer before Win 10 is ready to be released. :rolleyes: Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 4:52 Reply

#14 P4-630

64K It shouldn't be too much longer before Win 10 is ready to be released. :rolleyes: Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 4:58 Reply

#15 Evildead666

TheinsanegamerN You forget that those games are MS made, and much like the halo 2 vista requirement, are trying to force people onto newer versions of windows.



Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 still control a bigger market then 10, and game publishers are not stupid enough to throw away that market anytime soon. DX12 is still in it's infancy, as seen with games like BF1 struggling to use it.



windows 10 wont be a requirement until windows 7 is no longer supported, so most likely until 2020. Ahhh. Good point. It hadn't clicked that they were MS games...... Ahhh. Good point. It hadn't clicked that they were MS games...... Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 5:01 Reply

#16 bug

RejZoR Apparently no one from idiots at Microsoft realized selective installation of NON ESSENTIAL updates was a cool thing in older Windows because such problematic updates were just an inconvenience back then, but now tthe are stupendously irritating. Because before, you could uncheck problematic updates and install them later or even never. But no, they clusterfuck all the updates together into one update sequence where user has no control. And then you get shit like this where you don't even know what to do to get things working again. Unplugging hardware because some idiot designed idiotic updater is a very poor and crude troubleshooting method... I'm with you. I've always liked being able to skip patches for, let's say, SCSI functionality, knowing there's no SCSI peripheral on my machine.

On the other hand, I imagine having the same configuration everywhere makes diagnosing problems A LOT easier. And fwiw, Windows' quality has skyrocketed since XP, so I'll give them some credit for the time being. I'm with you. I've always liked being able to skip patches for, let's say, SCSI functionality, knowing there's no SCSI peripheral on my machine.On the other hand, I imagine having the same configuration everywhere makes diagnosing problems A LOT easier. And fwiw, Windows' quality has skyrocketed since XP, so I'll give them some credit for the time being. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 5:12 Reply

#17 Solidstate89

Wow, it's even a known bug. I'm actually amazed they shipped it out with such a serious known bug as that. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 5:46 Reply

#18 Diverge

If this is true, then MS should halt the update. Lots of people use multi-monitor setups. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 5:48 Reply

#19 TheGuruStud

qubit This should be enough to get the conspiracy theorists suggesting that Microsoft is intentionally crippling multi-monitor support in fullscreen mode since games sold on the Microsoft Store all work in the pseudo-fullscreen mode...



Or it could just be an idiotic bug that will be fixed in time. It's no conspiracy theory. They hate PC gaming. It's no conspiracy theory. They hate PC gaming. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:15 Reply

#20 Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop TheGuruStud It's no conspiracy theory. They hate PC gaming. I'm pretty sure they don't, at this point. They want a piece of that sweet cake.



Does it happen if you have the 3d app (game) spread across several screens or does it happen when you just have the game on screen as well? The only thing I've noticed lately is that the bottom bar didn't go behind Stellaris when in Windowed Full Screen today, but that might just be a random Paradox bug. I probably haven't had the update installed yet.



Anyway, I like Windows 10, and Microsoft. I really do. But they really shouldn't have fired their QA teams and just make end users fill that role for Enterprice, because that is how it feels. This would be ok if you were on the fast track or whatever it's called, but not on a stable version. At least it's a known bug though, unlike that webcam thing. I'm pretty sure they don't, at this point. They want a piece of that sweet cake.Does it happen if you have the 3d app (game) spread across several screens or does it happen when you just have the game on screen as well? The only thing I've noticed lately is that the bottom bar didn't go behind Stellaris when in Windowed Full Screen today, but that might just be a random Paradox bug. I probably haven't had the update installed yet.Anyway, I like Windows 10, and Microsoft. I really do. But they really shouldn't have fired their QA teams and just make end users fill that role for Enterprice, because that is how it feels. This would be ok if you were on the fast track or whatever it's called, but not on a stable version. At least it's a known bug though, unlike that webcam thing. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:25 Reply

#21 hyp36rmax

What a beech! I just updated this morning not knowing this... Could we remove this update? I'll have to test this later. Microsoft's solution has some ramifications to it since most multi-monitor users generally have an SLI or Crossfire setup as well. Basically disabling this ability by running in window or borderless window mode to span all three monitors.



Sounds like my 7680x1440P 144hz monitors are gonna qq for a while until this is fixed if ever... Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:32 Reply

#22 bug

Frick Anyway, I like Windows 10, and Microsoft. I really do. But they really shouldn't have fired their QA teams and just make end users fill that role for Enterprice, because that is how it feels. This would be ok if you were on the fast track or whatever it's called, but not on a stable version. At least it's a known bug though, unlike that webcam thing. I don't think that's what happened. It's just that PCs come in so many configuration, it's simply impossible to test any change in the lab until you're 100% sure it works as expected, without affecting anything else. Admitting the problem, they made the only sensible thing: collect telemetry data to allow them to fix problems that pop up outside their labs. This particular bug is a little different, as it was released knowing it breaks some stuff. But it probably fixes more than it breaks...

Fwiw, I don't particularly love MS, but they have the PC afloat for decades and seem to be doing a lot fo things right lately (probably because they must, not because they want to, but that's another discussion). I don't think that's what happened. It's just that PCs come in so many configuration, it's simply impossible to test any change in the lab until you're 100% sure it works as expected, without affecting anything else. Admitting the problem, they made the only sensible thing: collect telemetry data to allow them to fix problems that pop up outside their labs. This particular bug is a little different, as it was released knowing it breaks some stuff. But it probably fixes more than it breaks...Fwiw, I don't particularly love MS, but they have the PC afloat for decades and seem to be doing a lot fo things right lately (probably because they must, not because they want to, but that's another discussion). Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:40 Reply

#23 Hood

TheGuruStud It's no conspiracy theory. They hate PC gaming. They hate that everyone else is making serious money off PC gaming, while they're making chump change from kids with Xbox... They hate that everyone else is making serious money off PC gaming, while they're making chump change from kids with Xbox... Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:44 Reply

#24 Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop bug I don't think that's what happened. It's just that PCs come in so many configuration, it's simply impossible to test any change in the lab until you're 100% sure it works as expected, without affecting anything else. Admitting the problem, they made the only sensible thing: collect telemetry data to allow them to fix problems that pop up outside their labs. This particular bug is a little different, as it was released knowing it breaks some stuff. But it probably fixes more than it breaks...

Fwiw, I don't particularly love MS, but they have the PC afloat for decades and seem to be doing a lot fo things right lately (probably because they must, not because they want to, but that's another discussion). Sure, but then we have the webcam thing when like every webcam in the world died. Sure, but then we have the webcam thing when like every webcam in the world died. Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:45 Reply

#25 Slizzo

Solidstate89 Wow, it's even a known bug. I'm actually amazed they shipped it out with such a serious known bug as that. In the grand scheme of things, people that meet these three requirements are in the very, very small minority:



1. Game

2. Have more than one monitor

3. Have Windows 10 In the grand scheme of things, people that meet these three requirements are in the very, very small minority:1. Game2. Have more than one monitor3. Have Windows 10 Posted on Jan 11th 2017, 7:45 Reply