# Multiple Display 101 - Beta - Your inputs please



## sniperchang

*Multiple Display 101*

Welcome members. I've volunteered to write a 101 concerning multiple display systems.

I posted this 'beta' to get your opinions. Feel free to comment, help find grammatical corrections, any inaccuracies or anything else that comes to mind. Keep in mind that I still plan to add many diagrams and pictures to facilitate understanding of the 101, so if there's anything unclear you might want to wait until I add the diagrams.

Thank you and enjoy 

EDIT: I've removed the 'Beta' status since people seem to like it as it is, and I wouldn't have much time for a revision anyway, since school started.


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## sniperchang

* Multiple Display 101* 

Contents
1. The Basics
2. Setting-up your Multi-display System
3. Multi-display modes, Dualhead and Quadhead
4. Multi-display Management and Settings
5. Multi-display Tips/Tricks/Programs section
6. FAQ/Debugging
7. Resources/Revision History


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## sniperchang

Section 1 - The Basics

_*What is a multiple display system? What is it used for?*_
A multiple display system is simply a PC with two or more monitor connected to the same tower. Multiple displays can be used to increase desktop space, and thus increase productivity. Each screen can have a maximized window, or a window can be stretched across an array of monitors. 

Other ways of naming multiple displays are: Multi-display, multimon, dual-display or dual-screen (usually used for a system with two screen, but it is nonetheless a multiple display system), multi-monitor, etc.

Example:






_*How does it work? *_
Windows 2000 and above have native support for multi-display systems. Working from screen to screen is as simple as dragging your mouse across the screens and dragging windows across the screens. 

_*How do I get a multiple display system? *_
Most computers already have capability for two screens, it simply requires another monitor. Most graphics card have what’s called “dual-head”, which means it has two (2) monitor outputs, this also allows for Span Mode (see section 2). However if you want more monitors, you simply need to add more graphics card (see section 3). You can also purchase other products to achieve multi-display capability (See Matrox Products Here).






_*Will this work with a SLI (or Crossfire) System? *_
SLI (or Crossfire) is designed to use two or three cards (tri-SLI) and *optimize them for one display.* You cannot use the graphics cards for a multiple display system in SLI mode. However, with SLI disabled, your graphics cards will act as independent cards, and therefore will be able to run multiple monitors. If you have cards in SLI, plus an extra card, then you can use the extra card to add more monitors while keeping the first two in SLI to run a single display.

**Please note that newer driver version of SLI and CF can actually support multiple monitors. Update on this coming soon. See this thread.*









_*What about gaming? *_
Quite simply, the graphical power you get depend on which screen your run the full-screen program. Games running on a certain screen will be processed by the graphics cards to which that monitor is connected to. (See section 6 for more information).


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## sniperchang

Section 2 – Setting-up your Multi-Display System

You might be surprise as to how easy it is to build or upgrade a PC to yield multi-display abilities.

_*Video Card roundup *_

Most modern video cards have dualhead which means each can handle two monitors. However older cards and some cards without dualhead can only handle one monitor. Two create your multi-display beast it’s as simple as putting in the amount of cards you need to run all of your monitors. Most motherboards only has one or two PCI-E1.0/2.0 or one AGP slot, however you can add more video cards in other expansion slot like PCI, or PCI-E x1/x4/etc. Once your video cards are installed, all you need to do is plug-in your monitors and ready to go. It’s even possible to use integrated video cards as a secondary video card.

However as simple it is to insert video cards and go, you must be aware that not all cards are compatible with each other. This is especially true if you mix chipset brands (example Nvidia with ATI). As well, beware of Old PCI cards, they don’t always work due to resource conflicts, however it might be possible to fix the problem by changing the primary card (see below), or primary monitor (see section 4 or Ultramon’s Multi-Monitor FAQ).

New cards work just fine in a multiple gpu system*, and it’s unlikely you’ll encounter problems. For Nvidia, anything higher than the GeForce 6200 will work fine in a multi-gpu environment. Both Nvidia and ATI drivers now fully support multi-displays and multi-gpu systems.

*Multiple GPU System: System with more than one graphics card

_*The primary video Card *_

The primary video card is the card on which bios will post on (your secondary graphics are not active until windows activates the secondary monitors). You can change which card is primary via the BIOS menu.

_*Gaming PC VS Workstation *_

The most cost-effective Gaming PCs with multi-display capabilities are with one powerful card (or two in SLI) for gaming with cheap secondary cards to run secondary screens. This configuration allows for fast gaming, and multi-display desktop. Or you could simply get one powerful card and run dual-screen. The gaming performance will not be impaired by the extra monitor (see section 6), and you’ll have the capability to span games across both screens.

Multi-monitor workstation can be accomplished by simply adding many cheap video cards, and presto, you have increased productivity at a relatively cheap price.

There are many possible configurations; you simply need to decide what’s best for your needs.


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## sniperchang

Section 3 - Multi-Display modes, Dualhead and Quadhead

There’s three modes. Multiview mode, Span mode and Clone mode. These modes can be used to accomplish different tasks with multi-display systems.

_*Multiview Mode (Standard mode) *_

This mode is what windows does on it’s own. In this mode, each monitor is independent, which means that windows ‘sees’ the different monitor and the screens can each hold a maximized window or a full screen program. In this mode, one of the screens must be the primary monitor (See section 4). In this mode, each monitor can have different settings (resolution, refresh rate, etc.).

_*Span Mode*_

Span mode is used to make windows believe that two (or more for quadhead video cards) are one big monitor. This can be used to make windows attempt to run full screen programs across the monitor which are in this mode.

In order to do this, the monitors must be connected to the same card(in exception of using some of  Matrox’s products ). Dualhead cards can span two (2) monitors, quad cards can do up to four (4). Span mode can be activated by the video card’s drivers (For example in the NVIDIA Panel).

Most games will work in Span mode, however most video formats can only be displayed on one screen due to overlay limitations.

The monitors that are spanned must have the same settings (resolution, refresh rate, etc.).

_*Clone Mode*_

This mode is used to display the same thing on each screens. This can be useful for presentations or other similar applications. Clone mode can be activated by video card drivers and certain programs.

_Note_

The remainder of this guide will assume the user is in Multiview Mode, unless otherwise noted.


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## sniperchang

Section 4 - Multi-display Management and Settings

_*Settings for your multiple display system*_

When you first install your extra monitors, it will be likely that they will not activate upon boot-up. To activate your secondary monitors, simply go to the “Settings” tab in the Display Properties (right-click on desktop and click on “properties”, then click on the “Settings” tab in the new window). The settings tab will display a graphical representation of your monitors. Simply select a display by clicking on the boxes with numbers to set that specific display. To activate an extra monitor, select the monitor and check the “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor” and select apply. It is normal for your monitors to flicker for a moment.

The graphical representations of your monitors tell windows what physical position your monitors actually are. With out this, your mouse, or windows you drag over, wouldn’t cross the monitors in the right position. To identify which monitor is which, simply click identify button to see which numbered box represent which monitor. You can click and drag the boxes in order to have your monitors in the correct position.

You can also set resolution, color quality and advance settings for each screen by the settings tab. Some programs and video card drivers (Such as the NVIDIA Panel) can also set-up these settings.

To setup the screensaver and wallpaper in a multi-display system, please see Section 6 – FAQ/Debugging

_*Primary and secondary monitors*_

Upon adding monitors, windows will select one monitor as “primary”. The primary monitor is where your full-screen programs will launch upon running such a program. The primary monitor can be selected via the “Settings” tab in the Display Properties window. Some programs such as Ultramon can be used to set-up on which screen a program launches (See section 5).

Secondary monitors are simply your other monitors which are not set as primary.

_*Windows, Multi-display and you*_

Once you have your multi-display setup, the first thing you might notice is that the secondary monitors do not contain a taskbar. This is because windows only displays the taskbar in the primary monitor. You can however, move the taskbar by unlocking it, and click-dragging the taskbar to another screen. Whish for a taskbar on all monitors? Luckily so did many other people. A few developers have made programs to add taskbars to secondary monitors. (See section 5 - Multi-display Tips/Tricks/Programs).

To move your windows, you can simply click and drag a window across screens (as long as your monitors are setup correctly, see “Setting-up your multiple display system” above). When you maximize a window, it will maximize to the monitor of which the majority of the window is in. You cannot switch a maximized window, unless you get a program to do so. (See section 5).

In no time, you will have internet, emails, word possessing, or any other windowed program on your multiple monitor system and increased productivity.


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## sniperchang

Section 5 - Multi-display Tips/Tricks/Programs section


Windows 2000 and higher fully supports multi-display, however with little functionality. Luckily, as multi-display grows more popular, programs are being developed to add those functions that Microsoft missed.

_*Programs*_

_*The Quick List (details below): *_

Ultramon ($40)
All-in-one Multi-display manager.

MultiMonitor TaskBar (Free)
Adds secondary taskbars and a few window functions.

Zmover (Free)
Window management program supporting multi-display systems.

Maxivista ($30)
Software that can use other computers as secondary monitors.

MouseJail (Free)
Traps mouse to primary monitor while full screen program running. (See Escaping Mouse Fix below)


_*Details: *_

*Ultramon* is a small but powerful program developed by Realtime Soft. A single license costs $40 each, but is well worth the money for many reasons. Firstly, it adds secondary taskbars, secondly it adds buttons to windows so you can send a window (maximized or not) to other screens. This program can also set shortcut keys with multi-display function (See Tricks below). Ultramon can also manage desktop wallpapers and screensavers very effectively. You can also use it to set were windowed program and full screen programs will open (which screen, what position, etc.). See Overview and Features of the Ultramon website.

On a side note: I’ve seen many slightly modified version of Ultramon being sold by multi-monitor companies with boosted pricing: In the $100 and $200 range! Compare for yourself: Pricing for one license (notice any similarities in the programs?) Ultramon ($40), 9X Media ($200) , Cinemassive ($99), Zenview ($75).

*MultiMonitor TaskBar* offered by MediaChance is a alternative to Ultramon. It doesn’t contain all the features Ultramon has, but will certainly facilitate your multi-display experience and it’s completely free. MediaChance also made a “PRO” version which is unfortunately not free, but contains a few more features.

*Zmover* is also useful if you do not get a program like Ultramon. It is basically a Window management program supporting multi-display systems. See Description here.

*MaxiVista* is a program that can use other computers as a secondary monitor for the primary computer. This is useful if you want to use, for exemple, a laptop’s screen as a secondary display for a PC. All is needed is a LAN connection. Great way to test out multi-display (you could use the trial version) with a laptop before buying another monitor for your PC!

_*Tricks/Tips*_

•	*Launch in specific monitor:* You can use Ultramon or Zmover to set your desktop shortcuts so they launch their programs in a window of certain size, position and monitor. However, only Ultramon can also modify your multi-display settings when you launch the shortcut, and restore the settings when the application exists. Using this method, you can change the primary monitor so that full-screen applications can launch in a specific monitor.

•	*Wallpaper Trick:* Windows only allows you to use one image for your desktop background. Or sometimes the image simply repeats in all monitors. To work around this (without using Ultramon) all you need is a picture editing program (even mspaint will work) and the pictures you want for your wallpaper. All you need to do is set your editor to create an image of the exact size (in pixels) as your entire desktop, and add your pictures so that they will appear in the correct monitor(s). Now simply set your “custom” wallpaper to center, tile or stretch, whichever seems best (sometimes depends on how your monitors are configured) and voilà problem solved. This is basically what Ultramon does when you use the wallpaper manager.

•	*Icon Fix:* One problem you may come across, is the desktop icons may “shift” back onto the primary monitor, or just re-align when disabling a secondary screen, or sometime running a full screen program. Ultramon offers a solution for this, however, it’s sometimes misses a few icons. I came across a solution, when I was reading Tweakguides’ Tweaking Companion by Koroush Ghazi* Here is an excerpt in the Visual & Convenience Tweaks section.


			
				TGTC said:
			
		

> SAVE DESKTOP ICON POSITIONS
> This tweak allows you to save the current positions of your desktop icons so that if the icons are rearranged or moved you can quickly restore them back to their saved position at any time. To give you this added functionality in XP, do the following:
> 
> 1. Download the file Layout.zip (mirror: here) and extract the contents to an empty directory.
> 2. Copy the file Layout.dll to your \Windows\System32 directory.
> 3. Double-click on the Layout.reg file to automatically make the appropriate changes to your Registry.
> 4. Go to your Desktop and arrange all your icons as you would like them to be saved.
> 5. Once done, right-click on the Recycle Bin and select the new ‘Save Desktop Icon Layout’ option. The
> positions of all the icons are now saved.
> 6. You can move the icons around freely and whenever you want them restored to their original saved positions, right-click on Recycle Bin again and select ‘RestoreDesktop Icon Layout’.
> 
> This tweak is particularly handy if you’re installing new graphics card drivers for example and your
> Desktop icons get messed up, or you change resolutions and they get scrambled around.



*Version 4.0 – May 2008

Side Note: I really recommend you read Ghazi’s work if you haven’t already, very useful. http://www.tweakguides.com/

•	*Quick Window Control:* A great trick that I have found: If you have a mouse with a(some) multi-function button(s), you could set it(them) to press an F-key. Using Ultramon or other software, set a shortcut to that F-key to move selected windows over to the next screen. You can now fully control your windows with a click of a button.

•	*Escaping Mouse Fix:* Some older games allow the mouse to “escape” the monitor the game is running on, to other monitors. When you click outside the game, the game looses focus and will either pause or minimize. To fix this problem, you can use MouseJail. (See webpage) Another solution is to use Ultramon to automatically disable secondary screens when you launch those games.


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## sniperchang

Section 6 – FAQ/Debugging

_*How does multi-display affect my graphical power for gaming? *_

There are a couple of configurations for which this question comes up.

1. Adding a monitor to the same card, running game on one monitor

As you may know, when you play games, your desktop is still in the background whether it’s a single display or multi-display system. By adding an extra monitor to the same video card, the only burden you add to your system, is a bigger desktop. Luckily, the desktop requires very little graphical power to run, therefore *your gaming performance is approximately the same *.

2. Running a game in span mode (running game on two or more monitors, see section 3 - Multi-display modes, Dualhead and Quadhead)

Your gaming performance is equivalent to running your game on a single monitor with a very wide resolution.*

*This information is unverified, but will be confirmed/updated in the next few revisions.

3. Running game on one card with one monitor, while secondary monitors active on a different video card

Similarly to the first case, the only added burden is running the extra desktops. But in this case the extra desktop is run on a secondary card, minimizing - the very little - graphical power needed by the primary graphics card to run the extra desktop. So *your gaming performance is approximately the same *.


_*Do all full-screen programs open in the primary monitor by default? *_

No, but most games will (see Tips/Tricks in section 5 to run games in specified monitor.) Most application with a full-screen mode will display the full-screen depending one which screen the interface program is located. For example, if you were playing a video in full-screen on a monitor, you can move the video to another monitor by exiting full-screen, moving the interface to the other monitor, and re-initialize full-screen.

_*How do I set my wallpaper and screensaver? *_

Wallpaper: See Tips/Tricks in Section 5

Screensaver: Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to configure screensavers unless they were specifically programmed to. Screensaver either support multi-displays or don’t. Screensaver that were program to run in only one monitor usually only launch in the primary monitor and leave the other monitors open for attack! Luckily, most of windows’ default screensaver support multi-display monitors and span (Span as in stretches on it’s own across all monitors without needing to be in Span Mode) across all monitors.

Ultramon has a screensaver manager with which you can set different screen savers to run on your monitors, or simply run one screen and disable secondary screens.


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## sniperchang

Section 7 – Ressources/Revision History

_*Websites *_


 Realtimesoft’s Multimon FAQ
 Wikipedia

_* Revision History  *_

May 27, 2008 – Version 0.01
Initial Release

June 1, 2008 – Version 0.02
Added Diagrams in Section 1

July 1, 2008 – Version 0.03
Grammar

September 21, 2008 - Version 1
Grammar
No longer 'Beta'

November 26, 2008 - Version 1.01
Slight Update (with newer drivers, SLI and CF can support multiple monitors, update on this coming soon)


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## sniperchang

That's all of it. I just need to add the links to the different sections and it should be all good.

*Thanks for reading, I look forward to your comments.*


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## tlarkin

I would check out Matrox video solutions, since they are pretty much the best video card company when it comes to multi displays.  There are many solutions that a gaming video card can not do that a Matrox can.  They also have external solutions if you wanted to use say 8 or 10 displays.

good luck


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## f.i.t.h

Thats a really good 101, and since I'm considering multi displays, this will help.


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## sniperchang

tlarkin said:


> I would check out Matrox video solutions, since they are pretty much the best video card company when it comes to multi displays.  There are many solutions that a gaming video card can not do that a Matrox can.  They also have external solutions if you wanted to use say 8 or 10 displays.
> 
> good luck



I've mentioned Matrox a couple of times, do you think I should say more?



f.i.t.h said:


> Thats a really good 101, and since I'm considering multi displays, this will help.



Thanks! Wait till you see it with diagrams and screenshots.


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## tlarkin

I must have missed the matrox section, my bad


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## hermeslyre

> The most cost-effective Gaming PCs with multi-display capabilities are with one *powerful* card (or two in SLI) for *gaming* with cheap secondary cards to run secondary screens. This configuration allows for fast *gaming*, and multi-display desktop. Or you could simply get one powerful card and run dual-screen. The *gaming* performance will not be impaired by the extra monitor





> Secondary monitors are simply your other monitors which are not set as *primary*.





> This is because windows only displays the taskbar in the *primary* monitor.



Ok, I acted the despicable grammar nazi.. Thumbs up man, looks great!


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## voyagerfan99

You should mention that you cannot dual-display if you have on-board graphics. (Unless you can use a splitter?)


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## G25r8cer

You should include the TH2GO (Triple Head 2 Go). It is prob the best display adapter for triple monitors and you only need 1 output on your graphics card in order to use.


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## G25r8cer

Also, since win 2000 windows supports up to 10 displays. If thats not in there.


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## sniperchang

hermeslyre said:


> Ok, I acted the despicable grammar nazi.. Thumbs up man, looks great!



Fixed, thanks for the help.



voyagerfan99 said:


> You should mention that you cannot dual-display if you have on-board graphics. (Unless you can use a splitter?)



I though I did mention about integrated graphics, hmm. I'll add something later, thanks.



g25racer said:


> Also, since win 2000 windows supports up to 10 displays. If thats not in there.



ok.


I might add some more about Matrox later as well. Thanks guys, keep em coming


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## G25r8cer

I think with using a splitter all you will get is a mirror image on the second monitor unless you can use nvidia software.


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## dragon2309

you certainly have my ticket of recommendation. very nicely done sniperchang.

I will forward this to the section mods to see about getting it stickied for you.


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## epidemik

Looks awesome.
I read it fairly quickly (so maybe i missed it)but  didnt see anything about changes in proformance.
Ive never really gotten a full answer, will dual monitors reduce proformance and if so, how dramatically?


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## sniperchang

g25racer said:


> I think with using a splitter all you will get is a mirror image on the second monitor unless you can use nvidia software.



I'm not sure myself. I'll take the time to investigate, and add more on the subject.



dragon2309 said:


> you certainly have my ticket of recommendation. very nicely done sniperchang.
> 
> I will forward this to the section mods to see about getting it stickied for you.



Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I think there's still room for improvement, but a good start from the sound of things. 

I was actually thinking of using this thread as a temporary 101 (that's why I called it a beta). To directly get people's inputs to improve the guide before I post the 'official' one. This way the 'official' 101 is free from other posts, just to keep it clean and I can improve it before it gets stickied. I've asked Preator's permission to write the 101, so he's aware of it, I'm sure I can get him to stickie the 'official' 101 once the beta is over, or you could make the mods you have/will contact aware of this.

thanks Dragon, for your recommendation; It means allot coming from you. 




epidemik said:


> Looks awesome.
> I read it fairly quickly (so maybe i missed it)but  didnt see anything about changes in proformance.
> Ive never really gotten a full answer, will dual monitors reduce proformance and if so, how dramatically?



Did you read section 6?  The very first FAQ question covers performance.

If you did read it but not understand it, wait t'il I put in diagrams, it will make a world of difference. If not I'll re-write it if others also didn't understand it.


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## apj101

very good, i have added this to the annoucement at the top of the video card section along with the other 101. 
This is a great peice of work and we are greatful for your efforts. 

Note, we are tending to shy away from stickes, hence the annoucement


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## sniperchang

apj101 said:


> very good, i have added this to the annoucement at the top of the video card section along with the other 101.
> This is a great peice of work and we are greatful for your efforts.



thanks, i'm glad you like it, it gave me something to do on my time off 


apj101 said:


> Note, we are tending to shy away from stickes, hence the annoucement



oh yes, I started to notice so. 

Do you think I should just keep my 101 here, or make a new thread? (if, that is, you wouldn't mind changing the link in the announcement). I can remake the improved 101 without my extra posts and others' replies, just to keep it clean and formal.


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## epidemik

sniperchang said:


> Did you read section 6?  The very first FAQ question covers performance.
> 
> If you did read it but not understand it, wait t'il I put in diagrams, it will make a world of difference. If not I'll re-write it if others also didn't understand it.



*Bangs self on head*
Not sure how i missed it lol. Sorry.
Makes perfect sense. Answered a question if have for a while.
Awesome post!


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## sniperchang

epidemik said:


> *Bangs self on head*
> Not sure how i missed it lol. Sorry.
> Makes perfect sense. Answered a question if have for a while.
> Awesome post!



Maybe it's an indication I need to better organize my 101


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## epidemik

sniperchang said:


> Maybe it's an indication I need to better organize my 101



No not at all. I was just scimming late at night. Definately just my bad. Its really good.


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## sniperchang

epidemik said:


> No not at all. I was just scimming late at night. Definately just my bad. Its really good.



Great well, I'm glad you like it!


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## sniperchang

I added diagrams for section 1.


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## skidude

Awesome!


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## cssikeith

this is very  close to what i was looking for, i have 14 computers we use for slide presentations and have recently started having problems with random videos clients will bring us. they will display in windows media player (clone screen) but only one (primary) will display video. we are changing graphics cards now (testing two machines) and after reading this, i am wondering if our machines would stop bogging down (choppy video) and both images would show up, without have to change settings everytime the computer is booted up, if i put another equal video card in the machine and ran the display and screen from different cards? if you need more specifics on cards, motherboard, processor, please let me know. Thanks!


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## brian

sniperchang said:


> Section 5 - Multi-display Tips/Tricks/Programs section
> 
> 
> Windows 2000 and higher fully supports multi-display, however with little functionality. Luckily, as multi-display grows more popular, programs are being developed to add those functions that Microsoft missed.
> 
> _*Programs*_
> 
> _*The Quick List (details below): *_
> 
> Ultramon ($40)
> All-in-one Multi-display manager.
> 
> MultiMonitor TaskBar (Free)
> Adds secondary taskbars and a few window functions.
> 
> Zmover (Free)
> Window management program supporting multi-display systems.
> 
> Maxivista ($30)
> Software that can use other computers as secondary monitors.
> 
> MouseJail (Free)
> Traps mouse to primary monitor while full screen program running. (See Escaping Mouse Fix below)
> 
> 
> _*Details: *_
> 
> *Ultramon* is a small but powerful program developed by Realtime Soft. A single license costs $40 each, but is well worth the money for many reasons. Firstly, it adds secondary taskbars, secondly it adds buttons to windows so you can send a window (maximized or not) to other screens. This program can also set shortcut keys with multi-display function (See Tricks below). Ultramon can also manage desktop wallpapers and screensavers very effectively. You can also use it to set were windowed program and full screen programs will open (which screen, what position, etc.). See Overview and Features of the Ultramon website.
> 
> On a side note: I’ve seen many slightly modified version of Ultramon being sold by multi-monitor companies with boosted pricing: In the $100 and $200 range! Compare for yourself: Pricing for one license (notice any similarities in the programs?) Ultramon ($40), 9X Media ($200) , Cinemassive ($99), Zenview ($75).
> 
> *MultiMonitor TaskBar* offered by MediaChance is a alternative to Ultramon. It doesn’t contain all the features Ultramon has, but will certainly facilitate your multi-display experience and it’s completely free. MediaChance also made a “PRO” version which is unfortunately not free, but contains a few more features.
> 
> *Zmover* is also useful if you do not get a program like Ultramon. It is basically a Window management program supporting multi-display systems. See Description here.
> 
> *MaxiVista* is a program that can use other computers as a secondary monitor for the primary computer. This is useful if you want to use, for exemple, a laptop’s screen as a secondary display for a PC. All is needed is a LAN connection. Great way to test out multi-display (you could use the trial version) with a laptop before buying another monitor for your PC!
> 
> _*Tricks/Tips*_
> 
> •	*Lunch(Launch) in specific monitor:* You can use Ultramon or Zmover to set your desktop shortcuts so they lunch their programs in a window of certain size, position and monitor. However, only Ultramon can also modify your multi-display settings when you lunch the shortcut, and restore the settings when the application exists. Using this method, you can change the primary monitor so that full-screen applications can lunch in a specific monitor.
> 
> •	*Wallpaper Trick:* Windows only allows you to use one image for your desktop background. Or sometimes the image simply repeats in all monitors. To work around this (without using Ultramon) all you need is a picture editing program (even mspaint will work) and the pictures you want for your wallpaper. All you need to do is set your editor to create an image of the exact size (in pixels) as your entire desktop, and add your pictures so that they will appear in the correct monitor(s). Now simply set your “custom” wallpaper to center, tile or stretch, whichever seems best (sometimes depends on how your monitors are configured) and voilà problem solved. This is basically what Ultramon does when you use the wallpaper manager.
> 
> •	*Icon Fix:* One problem you may come across, is the desktop icons may “shift” back onto the primary monitor, or just re-align when disabling a secondary screen, or sometime running a full screen program. Ultramon offers a solution for this, however, it’s sometimes misses a few icons. I came across a solution, when I was reading Tweakguides’ Tweaking Companion by Koroush Ghazi* Here is an excerpt in the Visual & Convenience Tweaks section.
> 
> 
> *Version 4.0 – May 2008
> 
> Side Note: I really recommend you read Ghazi’s work if you haven’t already, very useful. http://www.tweakguides.com/
> 
> •	*Quick Window Control:* A great trick that I have found: If you have a mouse with a(some) multi-function button(s), you could set it(them) to press an F-key. Using Ultramon or other software, set a shortcut to that F-key to move selected windows over to the next screen. You can now fully control your windows with a click of a button.
> 
> •	*Escaping Mouse Fix:* Some older games allow the mouse to “escape” the monitor the game is running on, to other monitors. When you click outside the game, the game looses focus and will either pause or minimize. To fix this problem, you can use MouseJail. (See webpage) Another solution is to use Ultramon to automatically disable secondary screens when you lunch those games.



look at the red..

however great post. i can use this at school in about a week 

EDIT: cut that, just do a find for lunch and replace with launch


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## sniperchang

Thanks I'll fix that right of way.


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## tallscott6700

*used multi-display and some how everything goes black.*

Dear sniperchang or anyone else that can help,

My mother board does not have a graphics port, its a ABIT IN9 32X-MAX LGA 775 Nvidia nForce 680i SLI / NF590 SLI ATX Intel Motherboard.

My video card is a EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP.

I am using a 19" computer monitor and a 37" LCD TV. 

The problem happened when I would always have to reset the dual screen after start up.  But then one day after resetting the dual screen setup both monitors went black.

I have tried rebooting and resetting the CMOS and leaving the computer unplugged for a few days but everytime I try to start it up all I get is the BIOS screen to display and the Windows XP loading screen.  Once windows is done loading I just get a blank screen and my monitor goes into sleep mode. 

Do you know of any way I can reset my system so I can see things after the Window XP loads? 

Please help, and thank you!


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## vix

g25racer said:


> You should include the TH2GO (Triple Head 2 Go). It is prob the best display adapter for triple monitors and you only need 1 output on your graphics card in order to use.


I agree.  The TripleHead2Go is a great hardware solution for multiple monitors, which is why I use it.  It allows me to game across 3 monitors running at 3840x1024, and I can use my 4th monitor to monitor other running programs (MSN, WinAmp, TeamSpeak, XFire) all while playing.

The difference in Crysis:

*Single Screen:*







*TripleHead2Go*


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## R41Z3N

Very good... My dad uses multi monitors so I already knew about this, I am getting a 8800GT soon and am going to be getting a LCD screen as well ( still running a 21" CRT its heavy to say the least). What will happen if I run the 2 monitors in dual mode? One is CRT with viewable 19" and one is probably at least 20" viewable, I can see there being some sorta confusing jump between the 2... any comments about this?

Very good I must say was interesting as well... thank you!


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## Jerrick

Im excited for my dual-monitor setup.


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## Vizy

Hey sniperchang, i don't think it's worth it to start a whole new thread for just a single question. I was reading through your guide (nice job! btw). I'm getting a second monitor and i want to use the *multi display*. I want to game on one screen, while i have my desktop on my other screen/ I only have one graphics card (9600GT), so would i just need to follow section 4?


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## sniperchang

Vizy93 said:


> Hey sniperchang, i don't think it's worth it to start a whole new thread for just a single question. I was reading through your guide (nice job! btw). I'm getting a second monitor and i want to use the *multi display*. I want to game on one screen, while i have my desktop on my other screen/ I only have one graphics card (9600GT), so would i just need to follow section 4?



Sorry, I haven't been on the forum for a while. You should be fine to setup your multi-display with the 9600GT. Section 4 pretty much sums it up. Just set the monitor you wish to game with as the primary monitor, and you should be good to go. Have fun 



R41Z3N said:


> Very good... My dad uses multi monitors so I already knew about this, I am getting a 8800GT soon and am going to be getting a LCD screen as well ( still running a 21" CRT its heavy to say the least). What will happen if I run the 2 monitors in dual mode? One is CRT with viewable 19" and one is probably at least 20" viewable, I can see there being some sorta confusing jump between the 2... any comments about this?
> 
> Very good I must say was interesting as well... thank you!



This question might be cold by now, but I'll answer since I'm here. You will notice a jump in your mouse, however, it's rare you'll have a window or anything really in between your monitors, only while you drag a window across. So it's not really a big deal.

However, you can fix it by setting up a custom resolution on one of your monitors to have the same pixel/size ratio, however this also means running at an non-standard resolution which would also be at a non-native resolution.


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## Jerrick

Jerrick said:


> Im excited for my dual-monitor setup.


 

Got it today! Taking it out of the box, the 22" monitor didnt seem so big, but putting it by my 19", geeze. What a difference. lol

Windows default setting was ok, so I came here to make it better, read about ultramon, got it, and now im set. Thanks for all this info. For now I have my secondary laptop running as a slideshow of pictures.

I need to find a really nice Vortex looking screensaver. Something that makes you feel like your being sucked into the screen.


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## drdallon

I thot this article explained it very well, keep up the good work!


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## magichater

Thank You All,

I have been looking at how todo this for a long time now, just got mine all setup and looking cool.

Thanks again

Steve


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## sniperchang

I'm very pleased with the positive reviews. I'm glad that people are starting to get into multi-display systems, they really are awsome. 

Sorry, I haven't been showing up often, been really busy since university started. But I'll be alot more around during chrismas break!


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## Kornowski

I don't know if you want to change it, but SLI now supports multiple monitors.


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## funkysnair

i love dual monitors--wouldnt look back...

so much flexability!

you can watch movies (filth) whilst surfing net etc


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## Kornowski

I want to get a 24" monitor and use it with my 19"... It'd be sick.


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## Intel_man

^^ hehe...


I have a 22" with a 15" right now...


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## sniperchang

Kornowski said:


> I don't know if you want to change it, but SLI now supports multiple monitors.



Could you PM me with more info on this, I'll update my 101 during xmas break (coming up soon ). Thanks.


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## Kornowski

sniperchang said:


> Could you PM me with more info on this, I'll update my 101 during xmas break (coming up soon ). Thanks.



http://www.computerforum.com/134899-official-sli-cf-thread.html

I wrote a small paragraph about it there


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## sniperchang

Thanks Danny.

So how would this work performance wise. I'm guessing that we could think of the sli'd cards as a more powerful one with multiple heads, similar to running two monitor on one card. This would mean the cards still "work together", for games and running the desktop while being able to run multiple monitors. Sounds about right?


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## Kornowski

Yup, pretty much. Just tried it out. Works fine with two monitors.

When gaming, your primary monitor shows the game, whilst the secondary shows the desktop.


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## Dystopia

This is really cool. there is just one thing that I didn't get. I tried spanning two monitors once(i think). The desktop and most other things spanned acrossed both monitors, so I assume that I had it on span. But what ever game I turned on, it switched to the primary monitor! How can I get it to play together? Both had same resolution and I'm pretty sure both had the same refresh rate. Could it be the games? Does crysis support dual monitors? Thanks in advance!


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## nipzon

Ok so if my m/board only has one PCI-E 16 slot, one PCI-E 1 slot and 2 PCI slots.

1. How many display cards can I install  to have three displays.  

2. Without suffering bandwidth?

3. What is the PCI-E 1 slot for?


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## Loshee

Hey guys, had an evga 7600 gt, was running dual monitors.

Just upgraded to a evga 9500 gt, Both monitors are plugged in (and work separately) but the computer doesn't recognize the 2nd monitor.  No matter which order I try to put them in.  I've upgraded to latest drivers...any ideas?


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## Loshee

Sorry for the double post, to give a little more info: in nvidia control panel, I can use the 2nd monitor (using clone or span)

Both options kind of suck though...on the 7600gt it was much easier, just went through windows and extended my desktop...not an option right now though

Thanks guys.


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## BagOfDeadCats

I'm trying to set up dual monitors. I have one card, a GeForce 8500 GT which supports dual displays. It even comes with a DVI to VGA adapter. I hooked up the secondary monitor and my Nvidia control panel and device manager recognized the second monitor, but only one shows up under my Display Settings tab. And when I restart my computer after plugging everything in, I just get two black screens and nothing shows up on either. I don't understand, can anyone help?


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## DarkTears

Kornowski said:


> I want to get a 24" monitor and use it with my 19"... It'd be sick.





Intel_man said:


> ^^ hehe...
> 
> 
> I have a 22" with a 15" right now...



I thought it was essential for the sizes of the monitors to be the same.

Hmm i guess not.


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## ThatGuy16

Can you run 4 monitors with two 8600GT's? I have someone asking me this question, I'm not sure if you can or not. With SLI disabled.


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## viper110110

span mode is no longer available under windows vista (as I have just found out


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## DirtyD86




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## mizat05

i know this sint related but could some one read my post and give me a hand?


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## tremmor

have to admit it was complete. i will say i use Ultramon. works fine with duel monitor samsung syncmasters 24".


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## sniperchang

tremmor said:


> have to admit it was complete. i will say i use Ultramon. works fine with duel monitor samsung syncmasters 24".



Ya I threw it together because I was bored at one point during summer time. During school however, I'm so busy I rarely come on the forum.

Sorry to people that had ask questions and I didn't answer 'em.


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## jcwilliams7705

i had a few questions though maybe you guys could help....I am using a hdtv for a primary monitor and a reg lcd monitor for secondary. I am having problems with the television about every 10-20min the tv will go into something like a sleep mode where the screen is backlit but no picture. I am running vistax64 with nvidia gtx 285. The signal from video card to tv I am using a DVI to HDMI converter. I have tried lowering the resolution and the hertz to the recommended factory lvl. One person even said that the resolutions settings for both monitors have to match that did not work as well. I can not find any more information as to what may be causing this. Also when the tv goes into sleep mode the sec monitor works just fine and does not shut off. If you guys have anything to offer that may help I would love to hear it.


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## Jamin43

voyagerfan99 said:


> You should mention that you cannot dual-display if you have on-board graphics. (Unless you can use a splitter?)



Could you please clarify?  What do you mean by on-board graphics?  I wasn't aware of the dual screen capability with computers til I read this thread - and learned how it worked. 

I"m interested in this function for a future computer build and want to have all my ducks in order.


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## El DJ

Nevermind, I figured out my problem.


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## awildgoose

I just thought I would post up my thanks for this.
I ran dual monitors a while ago but I had forgotten how I did it, but how skimmed over this and it reminded me.
Thanks:good:


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## yoyo1016

Very well done.  I am in the process of figuring out how to upgrade to a second monitor on my PC.  Very helpfull!


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## blazin8556

voyagerfan99 said:


> You should mention that you cannot dual-display if you have on-board graphics. (Unless you can use a splitter?)




i have done it several times. with now problems. however i was using xp and older dells.


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## voyagerfan99

Jamin43 said:


> Could you please clarify?  What do you mean by on-board graphics?  I wasn't aware of the dual screen capability with computers til I read this thread - and learned how it worked.
> 
> I"m interested in this function for a future computer build and want to have all my ducks in order.



On-board graphics are integrated with the chipset of the motherboard (monitor port on the motherboard) and are on a lot of lower end consumer PC's. To dual-screen wit that, you would probably have to use a splitter.


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## blazin8556

you can use a monitor on your onboard graphics. to use another  just add a card. if you use a splitter you will get a duplicate of what the other monitor is showing. it wouldn't ''extend'' you desktop. i have dual monitors on my radeon 4600 series card. before the drivers where installed it showed the exact same thing on both monitors. some boards have 2 ports onboard. a dvi and a vga. it is possible to do a dual setup with that as well. my card alone has dvi vga and hdmi. i am using the dvi as primary and the vga as secondary.


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## TheCompFailure

This was a pretty good tutorial. It was really easy to use, thanks to this i got my monitors all set up and ready to go.


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## Aastii

I think that there is a piece of software that should be added to the guide called DisplayFusion

It is only compatible with Vista and 7 and it lets you change the background on each monitor, so you can have seperate backgrounds on each, one single one stretched over, you can add effects to wallpapers such as greyscale or sepia, it can resize images to fit, it basically lets you do just about anything with the backgrounds on your seperate monitors


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## sniperchang

An update is overdue. I'll do it after I get my new computer running (will be experimenting with ATI's eyefinity stuff). I'll be sure to add DisplayFusion. Thanks for the suggestion Aastii.


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## Aastii

http://www.binaryfortress.com/displayfusion/

link to it

there is a free version which has all of the useful features (changing desktop on each screen, stretching desktop, resizing images, adding effects etc) and the paid version which does...other stuff  I haven't looked into the paid version if I am totally honest, quite happy with the free one


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## Styrbaek

Hey.

I'm thinking about buying my 2nd XFX Radeon HD5770 and going Crossfire with 2 monitors. Would it be possible to connect to two GPU's with a crossfire brigde, connect a HDMI in one of the GPU's to a HDMI splitter with 1 input - 2 output. And then connect two monitors in the 2 output ports in the HDMI splitter?.. Just wondering  thx.

___________________________________________
Intel Core i7 860 2,8GHz - XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB - 8GB Corsair XMS3 1600MHz - 1,5TB WD Caviar HDD - Fractal Design Define R2


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## Shane

Nice 101 Sniper :good:


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## sniperchang

Styrbaek said:


> Hey.
> 
> I'm thinking about buying my 2nd XFX Radeon HD5770 and going Crossfire with 2 monitors. Would it be possible to connect to two GPU's with a crossfire brigde, connect a HDMI in one of the GPU's to a HDMI splitter with 1 input - 2 output. And then connect two monitors in the 2 output ports in the HDMI splitter?.. Just wondering  thx.



Not sure, but I replied to your thread.



Nevakonaza said:


> Nice 101 Sniper :good:



Thanks. It's getting old though. I'm still having trouble getting my new computer up and running (had to RMA a few things). Once I do, I'll be able to play with ATI and ATI's eyefinity stuff. Hopefully I'll have time to do an update before I go back to University.


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## Motorcharge

This thread has been very helpful since I started using 2 monitors a couple weeks ago. One thing though, anyone know how to use span mode on a 9800GT? I can't seem to find any options for it through windows display settings or the nvidia control panel.


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## Intel_man

uk80glue said:


> This thread has been very helpful since I started using 2 monitors a couple weeks ago. One thing though, anyone know how to use span mode on a 9800GT? I can't seem to find any options for it through windows display settings or the nvidia control panel.





			
				Joseph - Support Engineer said:
			
		

> Thank you for using Microsoft Answers forums.  Due to architectural changes in the Windows Vista Window Display Driver Model (WDDM), span mode cannot be supported in NVIDIA graphics drivers.  This model is similar in Windows 7.  Thank you for your time and efforts in evaluating Windows 7.


http://social.answers.microsoft.com...p/thread/30a6e009-a3a2-46d4-b44a-11aa2a824751

That's all I can find for you.


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