Excellent KVM switch

I often have three computers running in my home workspace. One is a laptop with no docking station and thus requires some desk real estate. The others are a win2k tower and linux tower. My wife decided for me that I needed to unclutter the desk, so a trip to Fry's was in order to find a kvm switch.

The GCS62 was on sale and is an all-in-one package (the old switch boxes do not come with cables), so I got one.

UPDATE: The cables included are 4 feet long; i.e., you can have about 8 feet of separation between the two pc's you are controlling. The switch itself is tiny, measuring only about 2.5 inches square by less than 1 inch thick (or maybe I should say thin). Weight is inconsequential. The switch is powered by the video signals, so you don't need to add yet another power cord to one of the several power strips that no doubt lurk on the floor near your computers. All of these factors contribute to my high rating of the GCS62.

If you have more than one pc at home you will probably be able to figure out how to set this up without reading the instructions. Still, the manual is clear and easy to understand. All you really need to know is that you switch control by double tapping the scroll lock key. There is no software to install.

Anyway, I set up my systems and connected them to my Dell flat panel monitor and booted up. The win2k system came up without a hitch, and the GCS62 tried to switch between it and the linux box when the scroll lock key was hit twice.

Initially I only got an input error msg on the monitor when I tried to switch to linux. The problem was that I needed to tell linux that it's nVidea card was now driving a Dell flat panel monitor. This is where my only gripe comes in, and it's not a big one: I went to IOGear's website when troubleshooting the problem. It's not easy to find relevant information there. Dell's site wasn't any better. I did finally clue in to the cause and the fix was easy (and free).

Since then I have used the GCS62 daily and never had a problem. It has an LED on it to indicate which PC you are controlling, but I never use that; it only controls two pc's, and the difference in placement of desktop icons between the pc's alone will be enough to tell you which one you are using.

The cables that come with this KVM switch are stiff. It's not a problem for me, as I just pushed the whole assembly behind my desk where it can mingle with all the other cables, power cords, AOL free offer disks and discs and DVDs, Jimmy Hoffa and anything else hiding back there. For some, however, the fact that the GCS62's cables have a mind of their own might prove frustrating.

Overall, I think this kvm switch is great. If you want to clear off some desk space and can deal with one keyboard, monitor and mouse, then get the GCS62.