Discussion on:

Expand your real estate with multi-monitor support in Windows XP

I though this was a great article on using multiple monitors. I've been doing it since Windows 98 (1st edition) and it never seems to get much press. I did have a few additional comments for readers:


*on page 3, a tip explains that all icons, toolbars, and application windows appear on the primary monitor. Note that you can drag icons to other monitors and they will stay there. Also, many programs (like MS Office apps) will remember where they were when you closed them. For example, if youlast used Outlook maximized on monitor 3, that's where it will start the next.

*Also on page 3, the tip on using RDC mentions that only the primary monitor's screen will display in the terminal window. This is true, but here's another tip. If you connect and start a program only to find that the program is not displayed on the primary monitor, right-click its taskbar button and select the move command (you may have to restore it if it is maximized). You can then use your number pad keys to move the window to the primary display.

*On page 4, the article mentions using DualView on a laptop. Only certain new laptops (right now, just a couple from Acer I think) support this. You can't do it just with any notebook computer that has a video out.

*page 5 on limitations. There is one limitation the article doesn't mention. If one of the adapters you are using supports some special feature (such as a TV tuner function or advanced DVD support) the applications that come with that cardwill only work on the monitor controlled by that card. Dragging these apps (like running movies of tuner windows) to other monitors will often crash the system.

Hope these comments help. Once again, great article!

- Walter Glenn

What if you install a PCI display adapter but it it is unable to expand over to the second monitor. To solve the problem what two these four things would fix it.
1/ Disable the onboard adapter.
2/ Add a new PCI or AGP display adapter
3/ Disable the PCI display adapter or
4/ Add a new onboard display adapter.