dual monitor setup question...can this be done?

[broadwayblue]

i'm trying to set up 2 monitors on 1 pc. however, what i want to do is have each monitor act as it's own desktop. for example...i'm going to be using the setup for a business presentation whereby people will be running a computer based training module on the left hand monitor while practicing the lesson on the right hand monitor at the same time. basically, i need the user to be able to move back and forth between the two windows with the same mouse...but i only want the applications running in each window to be maximized within each window. so i don't really need two start menus or quickstart panes...just trying to have icons on both screens that when launched will open to fill only the screen they are on. can this be done? and if so what video card or hardware will i need? up to this point i've been able to extend the desktop to cover both screens, but when i maximize a window on either monitor it expands to cover both. thanks for any help!

 

[Elcs]

Ive used Dual Monitors on my GeForce4 Ti4400 and now on my Radeon 9800 Pro.

I have my monitors set up so that I have a normal desktop on my main monitor and my secondary monitor only has a background on. I can pick up a window from my main monitor and drag 'n' drop it onto my secondary monitor.... mouse transition between them is flawless.

I cant remember a specific route to take by means of setup for Nvidia but I can try to remember if you do have an Nvidia based card.

 

[Dman877]

In win 2k it defaults to maximize a window to one monitor only. I've used 2 dual display out cards as well as one agp + one pci card and I've never had windows maximize to cover both monitors. For dual monitor use in general, nview is a powerful tool so I recommend going nvidia for this application. ATI's hydravision pretty much sucks imo.

 

[Viper96720]

You need the video card set up to not clone. When you go to the display properties settings click identify. The monitors should flash a 1 and 2 on each screen. Otherwise click on the picture of the monitor #2 then check extend my windows desktop onto this monitor. Make sure the 1 and 2 is positioned on the settings screen the same as it actually is. If 2 is on left 1 on the right drag them around to match. 1 on top 2 on bottom make the picture in display settings the same. Otherwise when you try dragging the mouse to the other screen you won't know which way to go. Then just open the program and drag it to the monitor you want it to be on.

 

[broadwayblue]

thanks for the info...what video card (or brand) should i be using for this?

 

[vshah]

in my personal experience, i've had an easier time with nvidia's dual monitor support
(used an fx5200 and a radeon 9700 pro)
nvidias drivers have a whole boatload of options for dual monitor stuff
iirc, ati's don't have as many options

-Vivan

 

[yhelothar]

ati doesn't have any options
nvidia has dualview, clone, horizontal span, vertical span, and gridlines
get an nvidia card.. but all you need is dualview for what you're saying anyways, so ati will suit you fine too. or you could just get a pci video card.

 

[imported_zenwhen]

This program will solve ALL of your problems. I can't believe no one in this thread has suggested it yet.

http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: xzenwhenx
This program will solve ALL of your problems. I can't believe no one in this thread has suggested it yet.

http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

Ultramon cost money and Nview is now just as good as Ultramon. I used Ultramon when I was using ATI. I just use Nview now with Nvidia. For the cost of Ultramon he can buy cheap Nvidia card.

 

[Elcs]

ATI's multi-monitor support is poor at best. Nvidia's Nview software is far superior to ATI's offering.

Speaking from experience with a Ti4400 and my current 9800 Pro. Wish ATI would allow me to span so I can dual monitor on X2: The Threat.

 

[broadwayblue]

that probably explains why we didn't have much luck using an old ATI card even with the newest drivers. i think i'll try an Nvidia card. just to confirm, any recent Nvidia card should work, right? we don't need the latest and greatest though.

 

[Viper96720]

Most should some of the cheaper cards just has one vga out. I doubt they can do dual monitor.

ATI can span direct3d but not opengl. It blacks out on the secondary.

 

[Peter]

With ATi cards you'll want to install Hydravision just as much as you want nView with an NVidia card.
OpenGL on multihead is limited to FireGL and Quadro cards, respectively. Consumer grade cards (Radeon, GeForce) can't do that.