Using dual monitors

[JohnH]

And now, for the ultimate in dual-monitor devotion:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/6105506/Dual-screen-laptop-on-sale-by-Christmas.html

(This is also a dual post - I just had to put it up on the the Unofficial ATX Community as well)

[AZ-Tax]

I have a laptop

I have Win XP and I hooked up an external monitor to my laptop and ran both the laptop monitor and the external monitor but both displayed the same screen. How can I make one monitor display a different program?

[Uncle]

Laptop

I have Win XP and I hooked up an external monitor to my laptop and ran both the laptop monitor and the external monitor but both displayed the same screen. How can I make one monitor display a different program?

Your laptop has to have two different video cards - or the equivalent. Almost all laptops only have one, so you can only show the same image on both monitors. For about $65, you can buy an external video card that plugs into a USB port on your laptop. The second monitor then plugs into that external video card. That should solve your problem.

[JohnH]

You also have to go into the control panel and designate which monitor is #1 and which is #2. With some programs, you have to decrease the full-screen display to a smaller size in order to drag it to the other monitor. If it's full-screen, it won't allow you to drag it.

[JON]

Has anyone

gone to 3 or more monitors????????

[superman]

Just did it!

I just went to two monitors and I love it. Now I can have two years of tax returns up on the two screens and see what happened last yr and what is going on this yr. Also when clients have questions the screen is there and easy to see. I work from a laptop and it was so easy to install. This is one investment that is worth doing. Also many clients say boy you are so busy you had to add another screen!

[JohnH]

I went to 3 monitors but then came up with a setup I like better. My main computer has dual monitors, and I have a second computer sitting beside it with a single monitor. The dual-moniter setup has my tax software (ATX & Zillion Forms), along with all the other usual stuff (Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, etc). The single-monitor computer has Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, etc, but only the tax programs from 2006 back.

Both computers are connected to the internet (one uses Firefox and the other uses IE), which can be very useful at times. If I get an email asking for research or if I need to do a Google search for any reason, I can do that work on the opposite machine & display it while keeping the inquiry open on the first machine. Less need to minimize & maximize screens - it's more like opening a book, holding it up beside the monitors, and reading from the page while typing. I just jump back & forth between the two computers all day as I'm doing my work. When I first heard about this type of setup I thought it was a bit of overkill, but it works great for me.

(I also have a third computer with dual monitors which is mainly dedicated to working with Excel, but that's another story. So technically I'm using 5 monitors).

[AZ-Tax]

Superman, what did you need to do and/or buy?

I just went to two monitors and I love it. Now I can have two years of tax returns up on the two screens and see what happened last yr and what is going on this yr. Also when clients have questions the screen is there and easy to see. I work from a laptop and it was so easy to install. This is one investment that is worth doing. Also many clients say boy you are so busy you had to add another screen!

Superman, what type of laptop do you have and what accessories did you need to purchase to support 2 monitors?

[AJsTax]

Laptop

I have Win XP and I hooked up an external monitor to my laptop and ran both the laptop monitor and the external monitor but both displayed the same screen. How can I make one monitor display a different program?

I use 2 screens on my laptop most of the time without any added cards. If you were able to see the same screen on 2 monitors you are fine. You just need to go into monitor setup and change from clone and designate which is one and two. My nvidia even puts a box at the top of the screen that lets me move any screen to the other monitor with one click instead of minimizing and dragging.

all is easy to set up, Just play with it a little until you like it.

[bigdadder]

2 monitors

I use the UltraMon program for my 2-monitors. It does a great job
at individualizing eac monitor. Check it out.

[AZ-Tax]

UlraMon

I use the UltraMon program for my 2-monitors. It does a great job
at individualizing eac monitor. Check it out.

I talked to Data Doctors today and they initially mentioned to me UltraMon. Bigdadder, can this Ultramon be used with a Laptop and if so what accessories do I need to buy to run 2 external monitors since I have one VGA?

[geekgirldany]

I second ultramon.

AZ... so you are wanting to run two external monitors and the laptop monitor also?

Ultramon kinda does like Windows XP in designating a second monitor but an added feature is that it extends the taskbar across all the screens. Now it might do some other neat things but I haven't found them yet.

[Davc]

Welcome to the Board, and Thank you for your post, however, I do not consider the posters on TB to be strangers,

Stranger than what?

[David1980]

Thanks Outwest for posting this info, DTS and I have been discussing the dual monitors, and I am in the process of probably ordering a new workstation.

Question for the monitors, what is your opinion of DVI (Digital) versus VGA(analog) both 1280 X 1024?

Of course the video card would have to be the appropriate one, can you purchase a video card that is all VGA or all DVI, or is it only one VGA and one DVI, so then you purchase 1 monitor of each.

Another question, do you know if you can use a KVM switch to utilize one of these monitors with another computer? (server)

I know too many questions, I am just never sure if what the sales person is telling me is correct, so always comforting to hear from other sources.

Thanks,

At small resolutions there's probably not even a visually measurable difference between using a VGA cable or DVI cable. So no gains/no losses. If the cost is all the same, go with the DVI. You'll need DVI capable monitors, DVI capable card, and the DVI cables. If you already have monitors that will only do VGA forget DVI. You can get a card that has two DVI inputs and use an adaptor too hook the VGA into that.

So take it from the approach of "How long will this technology improve?" DVI has potential as things get bigger. The fact that it becamse the defacto standard on most video cards sure suggests VGA will eventually go away. So if buying new stuff you want to use for years and year, it probably makes sense to buy DVI. If you already have the hardware and just need to plug it in, then whatever is cheapest.

Another thing you can do that really makes your office feel like you're living in the future is to get a monitor stand that can hold 2 monitors. I like the Ergotron ones - 2 screens that move independently http://www.ergotron.com/Products/tab...S/default.aspx 2 screens height adjustment (not as much depth requirement) http://www.ergotron.com/Products/tab...S/default.aspx. But keep in mind that these things are going to add $150-$200 to your computer hardware. They have other models too that are worth looking at and of course other companies offer the same kinds of thing.

There is nothing really wrong with using the stock base and dropping two monitors onto a desk. The biggest loss is height adjustment, so all of those neat monitor stands are really more for the nice style. The moveable ones on arms could have some practicality. Have a client who wants you to preparer their return while they watch? Flip a monitor their way and set the monitors to clone each other.

[dhawkcpa]

I once used 2 monitors but got a new computer with a 24 inch monitor and that one alone is enough for me. I can see this years ATX tax form and last years without the need to scroll the form.

The CPA downstairs uses a 36 inch TV and says he will never go back to a regular monitor. Consider that since prices have come down a lot.