Posted on 02/27/2009 10:33:26 PM PST by george76
Think about how much time you spend switching from one application to another, searching for windows that are hidden behind other windows, or opening and re-opening applications. It adds up. And depending upon the type of work you do, it can add up to a lot - a lot of frustration and a lot of lost productivity. The solution may be to add a second monitor.
With today's PCs, adding another monitor to your setup is fairly easy, and the advantages are manifold. Not only will you be able to give an entire application - such as your e-mail program - a permanent home of its own during the day.
But you can also use a second monitor to store parts of applications - such as the toolbar or toolbox palette of your favourite photo or video editing application - so that the other monitor can be used for your working space or documents.
By far the most elegant and least troublesome option is to have one video card that supports two displays. The reason: if you want to add a second video card to your current system, you'll need to determine the type of card to buy, and you'll need to try to get a card that uses a similar video chipset as your existing card.
Let's say your current computer supports only one monitor, and you'd like to add a second video card. You'll need to find out, first, what type of bus connections are available in your PC.
Replacing a video card is quite easy. But if you have not done it before, you are well advised to find some illustrated instructions on the Web
(Excerpt) Read more at earthtimes.org ...
Two is nice - three is even better. I currently use two 30 inch HP flat screen monitors each running at 2560 x 1600 pixels and a 22 inch CRT running at 2048 x 1536. That adds up to desktop that is 7168 pixels wide.
Connecting a second monitor to a laptop is usually a piece of cake. Simply plug it in and use the special keys to set the bios to two monitor mode. I have a second monitor in my office at work and a second monitor by my TV chair at home.
You will need to configure the second monitor in XP and tell it where it is relative to your primary screen. XP is pretty good about this. It detects the type of monitor plugged in and matches the settings based on what you usually do. My primary monitor is to the left of the laptop at work, but I use the laptop as the primary with a secondary on the right at home. XP has “learned” this and sets up my desktop automatically on the reboot.
I sit in front of three flat screens. It is terrific. I can’t give any advice on them, though. I’m merely a computer user. My husband set them up, and now I don’t know how we ever managed with just one screen... ;-)
I forgot to mention that I also use MSVDM, Microsoft Virtual Desktop Monitor. It was a free download from Microsoft. This software gives me four different desktops. Since I use dual monitors, I get four separate sets of desktops.
I put my company email, Lotus Notes, in the first pair. Xwindow desktops to linux consoles go in the second pair. Open documents to read in Acrobat or Word go in the third pair. (The two are nice for cut and paste between documents.) Web browsers go in the last pair. (I prefer Firefox and usually have over 30 tabs open.)
I have about 1.25 GB of memory, but this is enough even with Lotus Notes running.
I can cycle through the desktops by using a button on the task bar.
In Windows XP (or 2000, or probably Vista) you can just right-click your desktop background and hit “Properties”, then “Settings”.
You’ll see screen “2” (or 3, 4, etc) grayed out. If you click it and check the box marked “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor”, it’ll become active.
You can drag the monitor where it is in relation to your primary one so your mouse moves smoothly from one to the other, and drag the screen resolution slider until it looks right.
99% of the time that’s all you need to do.
That’s good to know. Thanks.
been itchin’ to upgrade bump.
If you know: You mean, in XP Pro if I just throw a leftover video card into my PC (which has integrated eg; on-motherboard video) and hose up another monitor (and check the “2 monitor” desktop option as you said) BOTH video outputs will work; and the add-on card won’t “override” the integrated video?
Joyful if true! Now I have a Saturday experiment!
Have people never heard of multiple desktops? I honestly don’t know how people get by without them; at work I often end up with 3-4 open windows per desktop, what a pain it would be if they were all stacked in a heap!
I just added a second monitor for my desktop. I am so much more efficent now especially since I have three computers attached to the left monitor through the kvm and the right feeding the huge desktop which is always on the right monitor.
The add-on card will probably automatically disable the onboard video. At least, that's what my PC did.
but we’re in the “greatest depression”!!?? how can ppl afford this! lol
BTW, I'm using Windows 7 instead of Vista and it makes everything a snap. A little freebie program called John's Background Switcher manages different wallpaper backgrounds for the two monitors.
We got new PCs with digital displays at work last year. The PC supports both a digital and analog monitor in the standard configuration. As they were taking the old unit away, I asked what they were going to do with the old, analog monitor. When they told me they were going to pitch it out, I offered to save them the trouble, and kept it.
Now I have two flat panel monitors driven off my work PC, and am the envy of all my co-workers. It was as simple as jacking the analog monitor into the available port and setting up the display properties by right clicking on the desktop.
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