Dual Monitor setup

Guv · 4 Sep 2006 at 18:17

I've been given a 15" TFT screen for free and would like to use this with my laptop as a dual screen setup.
First of all can it be done?
and if so, how?

I've plugged the monitor into the laptop's VGA monitor port and it's cloned the laptop screen, but also changed my laptop screen resolution from 1600x1200 to 1024x768 (which I guess is the max the monitor supports).

Is it possible to have my laptop screen at 1600x1200 and the new screen as an extension to my desktop at 1024x768?

My laptop is a Dell Inspiron 5150.

thanks

rich_g85 · 4 Sep 2006 at 18:26

You'll need to enable it in Windows display properties, on the Advanced tab.

Also if this doesnt do what you need - some laptops need you to change the output, its usually 'Function + F4 (or the button with an image of two screens on it). It usually toggles between 'just the laptop screen', 'both screens' and 'just the monitor' - normally used for enabling/disabling a projector as required.

MR_Punk · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:04

Once you've done the above get yourself Ultramon!

+44

Messiah Khan · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:32

Plus-44 said:
Once you've done the above get yourself Ultramon!

+44

Another vote for ultramon here.

Sparky191 · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:52

ultramons the man! or the mon...

rich_g85 · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:53

Ultramon does what exactly?

Sparky191 · 4 Sep 2006 at 21:52

To answer that all I'd be doing is quoting the website...

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

rich_g85 · 5 Sep 2006 at 17:59

I'm using it now.

Guv · 5 Sep 2006 at 18:47

It's all working good now and got ultramon.

Only thing I want to change (if it's possibile) is this:

When I play a film or watch TV using my laptop it automatically fills the 2nd screen with the film. Can this be changed so I can just move media player/vlc/whatever over to the 2nd screen and adjust the window size myself?

thanks again

MR_Punk · 5 Sep 2006 at 18:53

Guv said:
It's all working good now and got ultramon.

Only thing I want to change (if it's possibile) is this:

When I play a film or watch TV using my laptop it automatically fills the 2nd screen with the film. Can this be changed so I can just move media player/vlc/whatever over to the 2nd screen and adjust the window size myself?

thanks again

Right click on task bar on say windows media player then move to other monitor?

+44

Guv · 5 Sep 2006 at 18:56

Plus-44 said:
Right click on task bar on say windows media player then move to other monitor?

+44

When I do that it moves the window to the other screen but then fills my laptop screen with the picture

Sparky191 · 5 Sep 2006 at 23:03

Change your primary monitor? :confused:

Guv · 5 Sep 2006 at 23:09

Sparky191 said:
Change your primary monitor?

That just swaps them over doesn't it?

At the moment whenever I play a film on my primary (laptop) monitor it automatically takes over the secondary monitor (the 15" tft one) and plays the film full size on it. I don't want it to automatically take over that secondary monitor.

Sparky191 · 5 Sep 2006 at 23:27

AFAIK videos play on the primary monitor not the second. and AFAIK its video driver dependent. You need to look at the drivers/control panel for your gfx card and see what it can do.

Messiah Khan · 6 Sep 2006 at 08:56

Guv said:
That just swaps them over doesn't it?

At the moment whenever I play a film on my primary (laptop) monitor it automatically takes over the secondary monitor (the 15" tft one) and plays the film full size on it. I don't want it to automatically take over that secondary monitor.

Do you have a Nvidia card? If so, you want to find the 'video overlay' settings in the forceware driver panel, and disable it.