Dual Moniters

[Viper87227]

I just found a moniter in my basement I didnt know I had, so I figured why not set up a dual moniter system. I have a 9800Pro, so I would just use the DVI adapter for the sencond moniter, but before I go thru the hassle of making desk space...how does this even work? Would whatever I am doing be spread across both monitors (taht would suck) or coudl I have it as two seperate desktops. THe idea im shooting for is playing a game on one screen, and having the other at my desktop for if I get an IM or Email or am trying to get a friend into my server and need to give an I.P. or somting like that...is this possable to do? How do you switch between the two moniters (as far as what your mouse and keyboard control)?

 

[Alyosha]

Whoa, lots of questions here.

First off, to run dual desktops:
-Go into the display properties (right click on the desktop)
-In the settings tab, you'll see a window with a couple rectangles that say "1" and "2", those are your 2 displays.
-"1" is your primary display and is already activated.
-Click on the "2" display to highlight it and down below the resolution slider click "extend my windows desktop onto this moniter", apply it and you're done.
-Also, where those boxes are on the screen is where windows thinks your moniters are in respect to each other so if you want "1" on the left and "2" on the right, just drag "2" to the right of "1" and you're set.


Next, go to major geeks and download "ultramon" its a multi-display utility and its extremely useful.

Now you have dual desktops. You can game in one window and have other stuff going in another but that can cut down on your FPS a bit. Also, some games don't play nice with a second moniter enabled but you'll find that as you go. When you want to get to your IM, just alt-tab to it and you're good.

I think that's everything. I have to say, once you get multiple displays its hard to go back to just one, its really handy.

 

[Viper87227]

For games that dont work with it do I have to shut everything down and unplug the monitor or is there a way to disable it?

Whoa, lots of questions here.

First off, to run dual desktops:
-Go into the display properties (right click on the desktop)
-In the settings tab, you'll see a window with a couple rectangles that say "1" and "2", those are your 2 displays.
-"1" is your primary display and is already activated.
-Click on the "2" display to highlight it and down below the resolution slider click "extend my windows desktop onto this moniter", apply it and you're done.
-Also, where those boxes are on the screen is where windows thinks your moniters are in respect to each other so if you want "1" on the left and "2" on the right, just drag "2" to the right of "1" and you're set.


Next, go to major geeks and download "ultramon" its a multi-display utility and its extremely useful.

Now you have dual desktops. You can game in one window and have other stuff going in another but that can cut down on your FPS a bit. Also, some games don't play nice with a second moniter enabled but you'll find that as you go. When you want to get to your IM, just alt-tab to it and you're good.

I think that's everything. I have to say, once you get multiple displays its hard to go back to just one, its really handy.

 

[Alyosha]

All you need to do is do the reverse of enabling the moniter. Just un-check the "extend my desktop" box and windows will only think you have one moniter again.

 

[Nomad]

I have been running 2 monitors for almost 3 years now and have never had any problems with it (re: games). The primary monitor is the only one that will display the game if you have the "extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" box checked. It creates 2 seperate desktops that can run independent resolutions, color depths, profiles, ........

There is another option, that I have never used for more than a few minutes in testing, that may show up depending upon the video card / monitors that you have selected. This will actually make for 1 large desktop - I think that it is worded like "stretch my desktop". What I mean by this is: 1 taskbar that stretches across both monitors. Your desktop resolution would be something like 3200x1200 (1600x1200 with it stretched). This sucks for most games because of the really slow framerates and the fact that you will have a line in the middle of the screen.

 

[Viper87227]

I have been running 2 monitors for almost 3 years now and have never had any problems with it (re: games). The primary monitor is the only one that will display the game if you have the "extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" box checked. It creates 2 seperate desktops that can run independent resolutions, color depths, profiles, ........

There is another option, that I have never used for more than a few minutes in testing, that may show up depending upon the video card / monitors that you have selected. This will actually make for 1 large desktop - I think that it is worded like "stretch my desktop". What I mean by this is: 1 taskbar that stretches across both monitors. Your desktop resolution would be something like 3200x1200 (1600x1200 with it stretched). This sucks for most games because of the really slow framerates and the fact that you will have a line in the middle of the screen.

So, how do you switch between the two? When you move your mouse des it move on both desktops...same for the keyboard?

 

[Alyosha]

Your mouse is only on one desktop at a time and you can just move it between the two. The desktops are independant of each other, so you can just throw different windows between the two. For instance, I usaully have a web browser running on my primary display, then have a media player, IM window, and whatever else up on the other one and so they are visible but not in the way of what I'm acually doing.

 

[dukie]

So, how do you switch between the two? When you move your mouse des it move on both desktops...same for the keyboard?

it will only move on both if they are set to mirror each other, if it is an ati card then it is when you enable the 2nd monitor in the ati control panel with out clicking "extend desktop" in the view properties. other then that the mouse/keyboard should work independent as long as the window you want to work in is curretnly selected.
cheers

your friendly neighborhood noobie

--MD-- dukie--

 

[Kruzin]

There are 3 basic ways multiple monitors can run.

Clone Mode. Both displays run the same resolution/refresh rate, and show the same thing at all times. This is good for when you are using a TV as your second display, like in a home entertainment rig.

Stretch Mode. Both displays (or as in my case all 3 displays) run the same res/refresh, and the desktop is 'stretched' across all displays. The system sees this as one single display. By doing this, I can run at 3072x768 (or higher, if my crappy monitors could handle it). Surrounnd gaming joy Stretch mode is only possible when all displays are running from a single video card.

Independant Mode. Windows can run 10-16 displays (depending on the version of windows), off as many video cards as you can cram into your system. Windows will treat each display independantly, and each can run an whatever res/refresh you want. I use this mode on my work rig, where I have a 21" and a 17" that need to run at different res. This mode can be used with dual head or multiple video cards.

 

[zandor]

I've had issues with certain games running with >1 monitor enabled. GTA3 and Baulder's Gate 2 come to mind as troublemakers. Basically some games will let the mouse wander off the game and onto the desktop, then if you click on the desktop or another app the game suddenly minimizes. It's easy to deal with though. You just try out a game on 2 screens and it it has problems disable the 2nd one when playing it.
As far as leaving IM, etc. open on the 2nd monitor, Windows will shift things around on the desktop if the game is running full screen in a different res than the primary monitor is displaying. If the game is in lower res, everything on the primary screen and screens to the right of the primary screen will shift to the right. If the game's in a higher res (say a 1280x960 desktop but you're running UT2K3 at 1600x1200) it'll shift to the left. If you've got 2 screens and can reasonalby set things up this way, I'd put the secondary monitor to the left of the primary. That way you don't have to deal with things moving around whenever you fire up a game.

 

[Viper87227]

allright, I got it all set up. But its not quite working the way I want it to. For one, its really blurry, is that becuase I have to use a VGA to DVI adaptor or becuase its a shitty monitor? Also, the biggest thing I wanted to do was move the clock and all the icons at the bottem of my screen to my 2nd moniter. I have motherboard moniter 5, and I wanted to be able to see the temps and also know waht time it is while playing a game. Im sure this is possable, anyone know how? THe other thing, is how do I change start up positions. I pretty much want my seconds moniter to be for instant messages, and I have my aim budyd list over there, but whenever I get or send an IM, the window still opens on my primary monitor, any way to fix that?

 

[stumpy]

Are you running any multi monitor utility? There are a couple that will fix the problems you're talking about, can't think of any names right now but look around.

I really need to get another monitor and this thread has only made me want one more...

 

[Viper87227]

Yeah, im using ultramon...

and another problem I just came across... when I load a game, the gamma increases on both monitors, so the game iwll play normal on one screen, but my other one still at the desktop gets annoyingly bright, any fix here?

 

[TimothyB]

If you unlock the task bar on the main monitor, you should be able to drag it to the 2nd monitor on any side you want. With ultramon, it extends the blue bar to show only the open windows on that screen.

With ATI, you just move between screens the same way walking into a room. You can browse on one screen while working or browsing another page on the other screen. You just simply drag a window to the other, leave half on each monitor if you wish. You can watch videos on the 2nd display, though some apps don't support it. I drag my TV window to my 2nd display and once it's more than halfway over the overlay switches to the 2nd monitor. I also use to play EVE MMORPG windowed on my main screen while the TV was running find on the 2nd screen, didn't effect the game.

My setup:
http://premium.uploadit.org/TimothyB/My_workstation2.jpg

I'll never go to single display again.

 

[DanK]

when I load a game, the gamma increases on both monitors, so the game iwll play normal on one screen, but my other one still at the desktop gets annoyingly bright, any fix here?

None that I know of. Seems to be an ATi-specific problem, since my friend's 9500 does that for the second monitor, but my card doesn't.

 

[Viper87227]

allright, I got it all set up. But its not quite working the way I want it to. For one, its really blurry, is that becuase I have to use a VGA to DVI adaptor or becuase its a shitty monitor? Also, the biggest thing I wanted to do was move the clock and all the icons at the bottem of my screen to my 2nd moniter. I have motherboard moniter 5, and I wanted to be able to see the temps and also know waht time it is while playing a game. Im sure this is possable, anyone know how? THe other thing, is how do I change start up positions. I pretty much want my seconds moniter to be for instant messages, and I have my aim budyd list over there, but whenever I get or send an IM, the window still opens on my primary monitor, any way to fix that?

Still wonding about this stuff. I tried just moving the taskbar, but I dont like that because It doesnt acutally show the tanks on that monitor. I would rather have it stretch across both, and have the start button on my primary and the clock and crap on my secondary. Also wondering about the IM Thing still, any way to check where the pop up? Lastly, Every time I reboot my computer, AIM, my mailbox and crap, all pop up on the primary monitor instaed of on the second one like thre supposed to, its a pain in the ass to resize and move them every time