Did you know that every Windows version since Windows 98 will allow you to connect up to 8 different monitors to you computer at the same time?  You probably don't need 8 monitors, but it can really be handy to have two monitors connected and available for use on a regular basis.  Once installed, the second monitor is an exact duplicate of your primary display desktop without any icons.  To use the second monitor, you simply move your mouse to the side of the screen and it moves onto the second monitor desktop.  You can open any application on the primary monitor, then drag it to the second monitor, drop it and then open another application on the primary screen.  You can view and use each application by moving your mouse from one screen to another, and you can move desktop icons from one display to the other by simply dragging and dropping them to the desired location.

This can really come in handy if you need to monitor program updates on a regular basis, like stock market changes or incoming email.  If you are developing programs, websites or documents for distribution or publishing, you can set the screen resolution differently and view the document on each display to be sure it is properly formatted in both resolutions.  If you use chat rooms frequently, dual monitors allow you to chat with lots more people without having to make the chat windows so small, or you can chat while working on something else.  Once you relocate a Microsoft program onto the new screen, it will open there automatically each time it is opened in the future (this also works with some non-Microsoft programs as well).  If you don't need to use the program in full screen mode, you can size the window so more than one application can be displayed simultaneously on the second screen.  This also works great when you need to copy and paste from one document to another or need to compare two different documents.

If you frequently have two or more programs opened and minimized on your taskbar, you can probably benefit from dual monitors, assuming you have the desk space.  You might consider using a small LCD flat panel display for the second monitor since they take up much less desk space and the prices are much more reasonable than they were a few years ago.

How it's done

There are two basic methods for connecting dual monitors to your computer:

• You can purchase a special dual monitor display card which has connectors for two monitors (or a "Y" adapter for that purpose), although you can expect to pay around $150 for this type of card.  If your computer has a built in video card that cannot be removed, it will need to be disabled within the system BIOS.

- or -

• You can purchase an inexpensive (less than $50) PCI video card and have it installed to power the second monitor, using your existing display adapter for the primary display.  (Note that Windows dual monitor configuration does not support all types and brands of display cards, so you have to be sure it is compatible before you buy it.)

Once the display adapter(s) are installed, it is a matter of configuring the display resolution, etc. and you are ready to go!  If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment to have a second monitor added to your system, call 214-773-7377 or send us an email.

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