Can I run two desktops from one PC?

Smiler

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I think I want to build a media / PC Hybrid.

One half to act as a media player connected via HDMI to the main telly and digitaly to the home cinema and used primarily as a host for a media program such as Boxee.

The other half plugged into the monitor and acting as a normal PC.

Is this possible? I know that it is possible to run more than one monitor but don't know if it's possible to configure the machine to make them do different things.

I won't be using it to play games, the most arduous task it will have is light photo editing and perhaps a bit of cut and shut editing of the odd home movie. Hardly taxing.

Please help as if this is possible I may have finaly found what I want to build!

Thanks for any help or pointers.

Smiler.
 
You can extend the desktop across both screens, drag your media player on to one screen and use the other as a normal desktop... You'd just have to be careful with the mouse so you don't go off your desktop and ruin the movie with a mouse pointer :p
 
Hmm, I don't think so no. i think it would interfere with the media side of things. What about one of these as a dedicated media centre?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43&catid=2224&sortby=priceAsc

EDIT, actually I think in the multi monitor program I use (Actual Multi Monitors) you can lock the mouse to one screen, and then press some shortcut to change the screen. Then you won't accidentally stray across
 
Last edited:
Cyanide said:
You can extend the desktop across both screens, drag your media player on to one screen and use the other as a normal desktop... You'd just have to be careful with the mouse so you don't go off your desktop and ruin the movie with a mouse pointer :p
Click to expand...

This is correct, exactly what I do.
 
Hmm, that's a pain in the rear!

The extended desktop across both monitors could work but I think it mat cause too much confusion for the wife if she wants to put something on for the kids whilst I'm out.
 
That looks like the kind of thing, as already discussed above.

Thing is I'd need to be able to configure it so that each time the machine was switched on it would automatically send and lock the Boxee media program to the slave screen (TV) and allow that screen to be controlled by a media centre type remote. And automatically send and lock the desktop to the monitor and lock the wireless keyboard and mouse to that monitor.
 
After spedning an evening searching the great wide web I am still at a dead end. Looks like I'm going to have to build two stand alone machines.

If I give the media centre a good enough CPU and graphics card I suppose I could at least let it double as a games console.
 
Will Gill said:
would this help?

http://synergy-foss.org/

we used this for traders in the city who had 4 desktops and 8 screens :p it works really well
Click to expand...

Just had another look at this site now that I've had some sleep and saw in the FAQ section that it is possible to lock the mouse pointer to one screen. If this is the case but a media centre style remote will still operate that screen then you could be onto something.

Cheers.
 
Cyanide said:
You can extend the desktop across both screens, drag your media player on to one screen and use the other as a normal desktop... You'd just have to be careful with the mouse so you don't go off your desktop and ruin the movie with a mouse pointer :p
Click to expand...

Yeah just do this? It couldnt be any simpler and is exactly what I do in my room. I just drag stuff onto the TV screen when I want to watch movies on it.
 
What i do at the moment is use XBMC which runs full screen on the TV and is using the HDMI sound output from the ati card and is controlled via remote so it sort of does what you are asking of it but i've not had it set up to start automatically.

I can run games (world of warcraft mainly) and it doesn't seem to interfere with the TV and the main soundcard is doing all the windows noises etc.
 
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