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The Starview 2-port KVM Switch isn't fancy but works. The installaton was straigt forward the after hook both computers up, they both function well.
Eventually it became so frustrating and time consuming, I removed the monitor connection all together. Everything was recognized on the first try. Connection was easy. I often had to unplug and replug the USB connection to get them to work.I had the same issues using two different laptops. That worked for a while. Either one or the other failed to be recognized by the desktop upon switching over from the laptop.
On the laptop I was going from a 15in display to the display on a 20in monitor. It was the laptop that proved to be a problem. The resolution on the laptop was 1440x900. On the monitor is was 1280x1024. I bought this at the end of May so that I could use one set up with both my desktop (running XP) and my laptop (running Vista). I reset them, but again when I switched to the desktop, they were once again lost. After going back and forth for a while, and setting and resetting, I found that if I made sure the laptop was the first to start up, the settings would hold.
I even tried connecting the monitor directly to the laptop to make sure the settings were correct and then connected the KVM. Again that held for a while. This worked for a couple of weeks with no problem. I had absolutely no problems with the desktop connection. Sometimes the only resolution I could get on the monitor through the laptop connection was 800x600.
After a bit of tweaking, I finally got the laptop connection to display on the monitor under the correct resolution. After that couple of weeks, anytime I switched from the laptop to the desktop and stayed on the desktop from longer than 10mins, the laptop connection "lost" the correct resolution setting. What's the point of a 20in monitor if the best resolution I could get is 800x600.Anyway, after a couple of months of sharing nothing but the keyboard and mouse, even that began to fail. At beginning of October, I disconnected it completely.
I tried a different brand KVM first and it was DOA. and best of all one button switching between computers.It has an extra USB port so you can run a common printer, etc. This one works great. Very easy to set up. for both computers. Just what I needed.
Starview 2-port KVM is a very good, and reliable switch and behaves well with all my platforms (Mac, Win XP, Ubuntu). I have had it connected to a couple of test servers and it has worked flawlessly.
This KVM is made of metal and feels solid and well-built. It comes with an AC power adapter,but it works fine for me without the adapter.Overall I give this product thumbs-up, it has been working fine with no glitches or odd behavior at all.To switch between computers you have to press the button on the unit, there is no keyboardshortcut that will toggle between computers, a feature that some other KVM's have.Comes with a pair of bonded KVM cables which are kind of stiff and heavy, as cables go.A VGA-male to VGA-female cable is bonded to a USB-A to USB-B cable.Another plus is that this KVM is covered by a 3-year warranty direct thru Startech.
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