Primary DVI Port: Grayscale over DVI, Color over VGA, BEAR IS DRIVING!?

[rabid_pancake]

I don't normally ask other people for help but... I'm having a problem with my graphics card. It all started when I disabled my primary DVI port (I have a higher res monitor on the secondary port) while I was playing Shattered Horizon, exit the game sometime later, turn on the port again and ta'daa, it's in grayscale.


Straight DVI is in grayscale
Taking a screenshot of the desktop and looking at it on the secondary monitor shows that Windows is still displaying in color, the problem is hardware related.
Two monitors were tested on both DVI ports on the video card, concusion was made that the problem only effects primary DVI port, secondary is fine.
DVI -> DVI to VGA adapter -> VGA cable -> VGA port on monitor = Color (yay!... sorta)
HDCP related? Both of my monitors are HDCP compliant.


I've done restarts, driver update (I was one month behind), complete system power down, lots of googling and I still cannot figure out why this is happening. If anyone has any insight into this it would be much appreciated.

Windows 7 Pro x64
Intel C2D E8400
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 1066 Dual Channel
Sapphire Toxic Radeon HD 4870 1GB

[tehboris]

Is the post screen or BIOS in grayscale as well?

[rabid_pancake]

It's in color up until Windows finishes loading, as soon as I get to the "Please Wait" screen just before the user login screen, it's grayscale.

[chrispycritter]

Did you switch cables and monitors around just to see if anything changed? Issues like that can be a pain to figure out.

I did a quick Google search since I am pretty good at wording searches for some reason when others can't find things I almost always find an answer..I read about an issue somewhat similar to yours and the issue turned out to be the saturation was turned down to zero somehow in the settings for the 2nd monitor..well I hope this helps..good luck..links to what I read below :)

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1478580

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035163137&postcount=2

[rabid_pancake]

Problem solved, just as chrispycritter suggested, the saturation was somehow set to 0 inside the Avivo Color settings in the ATI Catalyst. I've had this problem before on other video cards but the new ATI drivers hide the saturation away in Display & Desktops> Display Contextual Menu> Configure...> Avivo Color.

Thanks mates!

[chrispycritter]

Glad I could help..isn't it almost always something really simple yet hard to find an answer for...