W8.1 with two monitors (need help)

[wrugoin]

I upgraded from W7 Ultimate to W8.1 last month and I'm struggling getting my ideal setup with my 2 monitor configuration. Currently I have a landscape (main) and portrait (secondary) monitor setup. 8.1 seems to have limitations to this setup I was hoping would be resolved in the first update. If anyone has workarounds for my issues listed below, please let me know.

1. the inability to run split window with a horizontal separation (Top/Bottom) on a portrait monitor

2. the inability to put the clock and taskbar notifications on the 2nd monitor.

3. the inability to have two different, AND STATIC, wallpapers on each monitor. I can get separate wallpapers, but I can't turn off the daily wallpaper cycle. Every day 8.1 will cycle to the other and I have to reset the configuration. One pic works for landscape, while the other works for portrait.

4. the inability to easily launch all games on the 2nd monitor with an easy setting adjustment without having to manually switch the game each time I open it.

5. the lack of any good clock app that has a consistent and accurate metro live tile update. This ties back to the inability to have the clock on the 2nd monitor. I've literally hug a wall clock in my office behind my monitors because I never know the time when gaming.

 

[Unknown-One]

2. the inability to put the clock and taskbar notifications on the 2nd monitor.

- Right click the taskbar
- Un-check "Lock the taskbar"
- Click-and-drag the taskbar to the monitor you want it on.
- Right click the taskbar
- Re-check "Lock the taskbar"

Works fine on Windows 8 (even with multiple taskbars enabled) for moving the primary taskbar to a secondary monitor.

4. the inability to easily launch all games on the 2nd monitor by default without having to manually switch the game each time I open it.

Just go into Display properties and set the monitor you want everything to launch on as the primary monitor (it's one check-box).

Tada! all your games will launch on the desired display. This setting also moves the taskbar to the new Primary display, but you can drag it back to your preferred position afterwords.

5. the lack of any good clock app that has a consistent and accurate metro live tile update. This ties back to the inability to have the clock on the 2nd monitor. I've literally hug a wall clock in my office behind my monitors because I never know the time when gaming.

Not sure how a tile would help, since calling up the start screen would cause any running game to minimize... in which case, the taskbar clock is clearly visible.

If you're looking for an in-game clock, MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision include an On-Screen-Display overlay that can be configured to display the current system time. You can even toggle the visibility of this in-game overlay with a hotkey.

 

[Tsumi]

1. Right click the task bar, select "Show Windows Stacked"

2. It will only appear on one or the other. You will need to use 3rd party programs, like Ultramon or DisplayFusion to enable that.

3. Not sure about this behavior. Ultramon or DisplayFusion should be able to set static images.

4. Set your 2nd monitor as the primary monitor.

5. No idea. I would use a gadget on your desktop (8gadgetpack).

 

[wrugoin]

- Right click the taskbar
- Un-check "Lock the taskbar"
- Click-and-drag the taskbar to the monitor you want it on.
- Right click the taskbar
- Re-check "Lock the taskbar"

Thank you. That worked and took care of 3 other issues I had. I only wanted to launch games on the 2nd monitor because I couldn't figure out the clock issue.

1. Right click the task bar, select "Show Windows Stacked"

2. It will only appear on one or the other. You will need to use 3rd party programs, like Ultramon or DisplayFusion to enable that.

3. Not sure about this behavior. Ultramon or DisplayFusion should be able to set static images.

5. No idea. I would use a gadget on your desktop (8gadgetpack).

1. Show windows stacked only works for windowed programs. Thank you for that tip, but I'm looking for metro apps to run split stacked like they can be split side to side on a landscape monitor.
2 & 3. Thank you, I'll check out Ultramon or DisplayFusion
5. I didn't know we could get gadgets back. Again, thank you. I have a system monitors that I really miss from W7

 

[Tsumi]

Ah, I don't think Metro has that ability (yet). To me, Metro feels very much like a beta program at this stage in time, it's still being refined and adjusted. ModernMix will allow you to treat Metro apps as windows, but Update 1 should add that ability natively.

 

[wrugoin]

Ah, I don't think Metro has that ability (yet). To me, Metro feels very much like a beta program at this stage in time, it's still being refined and adjusted. ModernMix will allow you to treat Metro apps as windows, but Update 1 should add that ability natively.

Cool, I'll check out ModernMix. My ideal setup, the one that's influencing all these questions is the ability to play a game in front of me on my landscape monitor.

To the left is my portrait monitor. I want the top of the screen to have a netflix show/movie going while below, split screened, I have a browser window open with whatever webpage I'm browsing while below all of that is the task bar with clock.