BOOT CAMP 413 (28/02/06)

DUAL MONITOR DISPLAY part 2

Now that LCD flat screen monitors are so cheap -- and I have seen 17-inch models selling for less than £100 (plus VAT) -- a dual monitor display is an increasingly attractive proposition and once you’ve tried it you won’t want to go back to a single screen again.

You can use two CRT monitors, you may even have a spare one from a retired system, but it really does work best with LCD panels. They have narrower screen surrounds so they can be bought closer together; the flicker-free display is much easier on the eye, there are no harmful emission and they take up much less desk space.

Each monitor will require its own graphics card (or a graphics card with dual monitor output) and at some point you are going to have to open up your PC to fit it so before you begin read through the precautions you need to take in Boot Camp 411 (DIY memory upgrade).   

The first job is to determine how many and what type of graphics cards you need; with the power cable unplugged and the lid removed have a look inside your computer.

Video adaptor cards pug into either AGP or PCI sockets on the motherboard. Some PCs have an ‘integrated’ graphics adaptor, built into the motherboard. Unfortunately this cannot be used in a dual monitor setup so you will need to buy two cards (or a single dual-output card).

AGP cards occupy a black or brown coloured socket, usually there’s only one of them, so it is easy to identify. PCI cards fit into white sockets; on most motherboards there’s usually a bank of three or four PCI sockets, though one or more of them may be occupied by dial-up modem or network adaptor cards.

Note where your present monitor cable is connected, if it plugs into a socket mounted on the motherboard then you have an integrated graphics adaptor. If it plugs into an AGP card your second card will need to be a PCI type (or replace your existing one with a dual output AGP card). If you have an older PC without an AGP socket then you will have to use two PCI cards or one dual output card.

Whatever type of card (or cards) you buy make sure that it has at least as much video memory as your present adaptor otherwise you will find that the second monitor performs less well, but in any case you should not get a card with less than 32Mb (see Top Tip).

Before fitting the new card (or cards) you will probably have to remove a blanking plate on the rear of the case. These normally press out, a pair of pliers can help to remove it, and be careful of the sharp edges. Press the card firmly into its socket -- some AGP cards have a latch or lock on the rear of the socket  -- once it is in place fit the retaining screw to the mounting plate. Replace the lid, connect the second monitor cable and mains lead then switch on.

One of the monitors should come on and display the usual boot-up graphics. Windows will tell you that new hardware has been detected and ask you to load the driver CD that came with the new card. Follow the prompts and when it has finished close Windows and reboot.

When Windows has finished loading right-click onto an empty area of the desktop and select Properties > Settings and you will see a small dialogue box with two numbered monitor icons. Click on the one you want to make your ‘Primary’ monitor (usually the left one) and check the items ‘Use this device as the primary monitor’ and ‘Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor’.

The second screen should now light up with a copy of your background or wallpaper. Depending on where you placed the monitors you may need to swap them over or switch the cables, to get your Start menu and taskbar on the left screen. If you move the mouse you will see that it moves seamlessly from one screen to the other. If necessary adjust the resolution and colour settings to match or suit the display devices.

All that remains now is to arrange your most frequently used applications on the two screens. To relocate a program open it and it will appear on the Primary monitor screen. Click the Maximise/Minimise icon (next to the close ‘X’ icon in the top right corner) to reduce the size of the window then click on the title bar and drag the window across to the second screen. It will probably seem a bit strange at first but you soon get used to it. Now you can position the window and drag the sides, top or bottom edges to resize it. Close the program then re-open it and it should appear in its new location and size. As I said in part one there are no hard and fast rules for dual monitor displays, so try a few variations until you find the layout that best suits your preferences and working patterns.

NEXT WEEK - WORD, TEN TOP TIPS

JARGON FILTER

CRT

Cathode Ray Tube – basically a big glass bottle with all of the air sucked out. The image is formed on phosphor coating inside faceplate, which glows when struck by a stream of fast moving electrons

LCD

Liquid Crystal Display - flat panel video display made up of tens of thousands of picture elements or 'pixels' that can be switched on and off to control the passage of light.

VIDEO MEMORY

Memory chips on a video adaptor card dedicated to improving the performance of the video display and reduce the demand on the PC’s memory and processing resources

TOP TIP

If you are unsure how much memory your present video adaptor has then you should look out for an on-screen message immediately after switching on your PC, which should mention the memory size. If it disappears too quickly, or doesn’t appear you can find out the make and type of card from Device Manager (Winkey + Break > Hardware > Device Manager) right-click on Display Adaptor and select Properties. You can then look up the spec on the manufacturer’s web site. Alternatively, download and install Sisoft Sandra, a freeware diagnostic tool that will tell you everything you need to know.

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© R. Maybury 2006, 2202

Part 1