I recently migrated VSD from my Win XP Pro sp3 computer to a new Dell Inspiron 3847 (i7 with 16-Gb RAM, 1-Tb drive, dual monitors). Everything is working fine (and fast) except when I go to publish my website www.chisagocountyhistory.org

VSD builds the website fine but when it is ready to publish (actually transfer the data), both monitors go black. They do not shut down, they just show black. VSD does the upload correctly, but I can't see the Publishing... dialog box. If I click at the bottom of the screen where the taskbar hides, the taskbar appears and I can click on the VSD tab. This pops up the icon window which if I mouse over it, the screen comes alive. If I mouse off that VSD preview icon, the screens go black again.

This is repeatable every time on this computer. I am using the most recent VSD version. I don't have another computer with Win 8.1 Pro to test this to see if it is a specific video driver issue with this Dell. I have started VSD using "Run as administrator" and the problem persists.

Any ideas? This effectively ties up the computer while VSD does its upload to my ISP.

This could mean your registry settings have become corrupted somehow. What we will need to do is clear out all your registry settings allowing the software to default back to the initial settings. Please note that after doing this you will have to add your FTP information again.

Step 1:

Download this file here at http://www.coffeecup.com/files/binaries/vsdfix.exe to complete this task.

Step 2 (For Windows 8/7 and Vista Only):

1. Right-click the shortcut icon, and click Properties.
2. Click the Compatibility tab.
3. Here, put a check mark by Run This Program as an Administrator.
4. Next, put a check mark next to Run This Program in Compatibility Mode For: and ensure Windows XP Pro Service Pack 2 is selected.
5. Click OK.

Step 3:
Open your website in Visual Site Designer and go to the File Menu > Save As and save your website into a new folder. Now restart VSD and open the newly saved website. This will be the one you will work with from now on.

Step 4:

Once the above is complete, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Publish Menu and select FTP Account Settings and add your FTP Account.

2. Verify that all information is correct and the Remote Folder path is not empty. Typically you would enter in a / or /public_html here but you need to confirm with your hosting provider what the correct path is. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THIS PATH IS CORRECT.

3. Go to the Publish Menu and select Choose a Publishing Destination and select your FTP Account and then click Save.

4. Finally, go to the Publish Menu and select Re-Sync Website.

With any luck, everything should be back to normal.

Let me know how that goes!

What happens if you use one monitor?

I'll step through those processes, Scott.

Before I do, I will add this information to the observed behavior. After VSD finishes the upload, and my cursor is still in the preview window, the screen shows "Upload successful". I can hit Enter to OK out of that window. Then I right click on the Task Bar VSD tab and select "Close this program." Again I can hit Enter because it defaults to "Yes, save the changes". When VSD shuts down, my screens and activity return to normal operation. It is only during the background FTP (I assume) transfer that the computer is in this funky state.

Also, during my initial troubleshooting I launched Direct FTP 6.9 Build 2015 and it functions properly, allowing me to upload individual files to the ISP server with the monitors working fine.

Eric, I will disconnect one monitor to see if it makes any difference. They are both Viewsonic VA1912's, one driven via DVI / HDMI digitally (the primary) and the other via VGA. Both set to 1440 x 900 resolution.

HAH! Using a single monitor, the program functions properly! Simply unplugging the VGA cable, Win 8.1 removed the secondary monitor, and VSD functioned properly. What is now "odd" is that I replugged the VGA monitor and everything seems to be working as expected with both monitors functional now.

I'll keep an eye on this. Maybe when Win 8.1 removed and then reinserted the second monitor, it fixed whatever registry problem there might have been?

Thank you both for the tips.

Well the joy didn't last too long!

It looks like I'll be trying Scott's recommendation next.

I followed Scott's recommendation outlined above. Unfortunately this did not resolve the problem of the dual monitors going black as VSD goes into the FTP upload phase.

I will need to settle for unplugging the second (VGA) monitor when I am ready to publish the updated website. This works consistently and I can continue to work on other tasks when I replug the second monitor after the upload begins.

From my users point of view, it seems the software does some kind of "screen reset" as the upload process begins. Replugging the second monitor after the upload starts apparently forces Win 8.1 to do a monitor refresh when it detects the second monitor.

With no updates to VSD in quite some time, it appears this product has reached its end-of-life. Or is this something that can be reviewed by the programmers to see if there is an easy fix?

That might be the only solution here for you Bob. VSD will have no further updates and will most likely be discontinued very soon. Yes, the time has finally arrived.

It is important to note that Visual Site Designer builds websites using "absolute positioning". This means everything has a fixed place within your page and cannot adjust based on the viewer’s device size (desktop, tablet, mobile phone etc.). Absolute positioning does not allow for a fluid design. design. With the move towards responsive web design, it might be a good time for you to look at Responsive Layout Maker or our Responsive Site Designer when it becomes available. Remember that Google now gives higher ranking to sites that are mobile friendly.

Okay, it's good to know VSD has approached its EOL. I have been getting more & more feedback that "stuff" is not aligning on our pages, depending upon (even) the OS and browser being used.

I will look into the replacement software and see if I have enough brain power remaining to tackle a new web design product! The society doesn't have the budget to hire the design work and I'm volunteering (hacking) my way along as necessary!

Thanks for your prompt followup on my initial inquiry.

I noticed in my purchased software list that the was an "Update" available for VSD. Apparently this became available sometime after the last post in this thread. I downloaded and installed the new version, although I did not see any change in the "Build" number (Version 7.0, Build 26).

It appears the problem I was having with the dual monitor issue described in this thread went into remission after I launched the new download. Was this really addressed or am I experiencing a fluke?

For what's it's worth, in August I updated this Dell to Windows 10. That did not change the behavior that I was experiencing (both screens go black while website is being transferred to the ISP server).

No changes have been made to VSD. You are still using the same version as before. All we did was place the EXE in a zip file with a TEXT file reminding you that VSD is now Discontinued / Dead / Gone / Retired /. You should now be using Responsive Site Designer!