dual screens

[steveh]

Hi all

I have been asked to set up a user with dual screens (damn greedy if you ask me), so I bought a Splitter from Amazon and I can now see the current screen on both monitors but this is not good enough for her she wants to see 2 different programs (i.e. Word on one Excel on the other etc. )

If I go to display options and click identify it shows the number 1 on both screens but it does not give me an option to change one to screen 2, I am purely guessing having Googled that maybe the VGA card does not support 2 monitors but how could I check that out?

[Rudi]

Have you modified the Multiple Displays option to be Extend these displays?

SC484.jpg

[HansV]

A splitter will send the same video signal to both monitors, so that is not what the user wants.
Most modern video cards have two monitor ports; if you connect one monitor to each of these ports, it should be possible to use an extended desktop. Look at the back of the computer to see if the video card has multiple ports.

You could also click the Start button, type Device, and start Device Manager from the search results.
Expand Display Adapters to see what video card the computer has. This may provide a clue.

[Rudi]

Sorry...sometimes I forget I work from a laptop.
My reply is based on a laptop (obviously with a VGA port for an extra monitor!) Silly me!!!

[StuartR]

Do you have two separate connectors on your PC, where you could connect these two screens. If so then connect them without using the splitter. Then when windows is running type Windows-P (hold down the windows key and type the letter P). That will get you this display...

Projector.png

Choose Extend from the menu and it should do what you want.

[stuck]

...dual screens...

Everyone in our office has been working like this for many years now, as in possibly as far back as when we used Win 2000. My PC was the first we upgraded, we bought a dual head graphics card, opened up the case, fitted it and plugged in two 17" CRT monitors (yes I did have a big desk). On booting the PC it found the card and then using the Control Panel Display applet to tell Windows how to utilise the two monitors.

After about 5 mins of using a dual monitor set up you'll wonder how you ever coped with only one screen. These days I find myself thinking I could really do with a third monitor.

Ken
PS Even Win 98 supports dual monitors

[BobH]

FWIW, the 2 graphics ports do not have to be of the same type, ie, one might be DVI and the other an EVGA. That is my arrangement because I wound up with this configuration, not because I planned it; but it works.

[stuck]

..2 graphics ports do not have to be of the same type...

Good point. Some of the newer Dell PCs we have do have two Display Port connections on the back but most modern systems will have a std VGA plus one other (perhaps DVI perhaps HDMI perhaps Display Port).

Ken

[steveh]

Hi all

thanks for all of the responses, I have tried all of the software (Control Panel options) but it always shows both monitors as number 1, as Hans pointed out the cable I have used purely allows 2 monitors from one monitor port. On the back of the Dell that I have there is only one monitor port, a serial port and a parallel port. Do you think a USB to VGA cable would add a second monitor capability or would that 2 just duplicate the current screen (I mean if I have one screen connected to the current display monitor and a second to a USB to Monitor cable?)

[HansV]

If your video card has only one output port, I fear you're out of luck.

[stuck]

...On the back of the Dell that I have there is only one monitor port, a serial port and a parallel port...

In that case you need to buy a separate dual head graphics card and fit it to a spare slot on the motherboard. You can pick up something simple for about £20, e.g. the top two featured items here:
http://www.cclonline.com/category/430/P ... ange-0-50/
have three outputs (VGA, DVI and HDMI).

Ken