KVM switch question

I have a Sony DVI LCD monitor, one PC has the DVI vid card, the second has just
VGA video.

I want to switch between the two PC's on this monitor. Do I just use a standard
DVI switchbox and put one of the cable adaptors on the port for the vga only PC?
Will that work?

Henry Bemis wrote: >

I have a Sony DVI LCD monitor, ...

Multiple input?
I presume it has both HD15(VGA analog) and DVI connectors,
but does the monitor itself provide input selector switching?
If so, you might just hook up both PCs, and switch at the mon.

... one PC has the DVI vid card, the second has just VGA video.

You can use an adaptor to extract the VGA signal from
the DVI-capable card, and switch VGA externally, but
then you abandon the benefits of an all-digital connection.
Most DVI (all DVI-I) cards include VGA analog. There's a
small chance your DVI card is DVI-D and has no analog.

and put one of the cable adaptors on the port for the vga only PC?
Will that work?

No. Passive VGA(card) to DVI(display) cables do not exist.
No VGA cards include any digital (DVI-compliant) video signal
on any of the 15 pins. No DVI port, no DVI.

Further, there is the question of keyboard/mouse switching.
PS/2 switching is relatively simple. USB is not, and unless
it's handled elegantly, the bus will take a few seconds to
re-enumerate the devices every time (and may fail to save the
state of capslock, numlock, extra mouse mode buttons, etc).

The existence of KVM switches should not be taken as an
indication that any K, V or M connection was ever originally
designed to be switched. Potential problems lurk.

--
Regards, Bob Niland mailto:name (AT) ispname (DOT) tld
http://www.access-one.com/rjn email4rjn AT yahoo DOT com
NOT speaking for any employer, client or Internet Service Provider.