Dual screen Software
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Man of Honour
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I quite like Ultramon.
I use Ultramon too, do a search on Google.
Some of the benefits include getting some additional buttons in each application window (next to the minimize / close buttons) to swap to the opposite monitor.
It an also extend your taskbar across both monitors (windows cannot do this itself) and can seperate the tabs on the task bar showing only the apps that are open on each monitor.
What I'd like to know though is how to play games on one screen with keeping other apps open on the other such as Outlook but still being able to move my cursor across from monitor to monitor without minimising the game if that makes sense.
Some of the benefits include getting some additional buttons in each application window (next to the minimize / close buttons) to swap to the opposite monitor.
It an also extend your taskbar across both monitors (windows cannot do this itself) and can seperate the tabs on the task bar showing only the apps that are open on each monitor.
What I'd like to know though is how to play games on one screen with keeping other apps open on the other such as Outlook but still being able to move my cursor across from monitor to monitor without minimising the game if that makes sense.
The only good thing about Ultramon is it's ability to provide a second taskbar, the rest of it's features are crap IMO
Ability to have two desktop backgrounds - Get a bit creative in GIMP or Photoshop and you can do this yourself, needs a bit of patience
Ability to run two screensavers at ones - Doesn't actually work with any of the built in Windows ones (at least on XP, didn't even bother trying on Vista)
Ability to add buttons to the title bar to move to the next monitor - You have an nVidia card, the nVidia drivers can do this.
Ultramon Shortcuts - crap. They only affect the first window an application creates and any subsequent windows that pop up go onto the first monitor. The nVidia drivers provide the ability to reposition every window of your chosen application, and it's dialogues and popups onto any monitor you choose.
So unless you want to pay $30 or whatever it is for a second taskbar I'd just stick with nView.
Ability to have two desktop backgrounds - Get a bit creative in GIMP or Photoshop and you can do this yourself, needs a bit of patience
Ability to run two screensavers at ones - Doesn't actually work with any of the built in Windows ones (at least on XP, didn't even bother trying on Vista)
Ability to add buttons to the title bar to move to the next monitor - You have an nVidia card, the nVidia drivers can do this.
Ultramon Shortcuts - crap. They only affect the first window an application creates and any subsequent windows that pop up go onto the first monitor. The nVidia drivers provide the ability to reposition every window of your chosen application, and it's dialogues and popups onto any monitor you choose.
So unless you want to pay $30 or whatever it is for a second taskbar I'd just stick with nView.
I've used Ultramon for as long as I've had two monitors and think its good. Dont like the nView features of the nVidia cards but that it jsut a personal thing.
Plus another feature of Ultramon is focing a game to play on a particular monitor. For example I play all my games on my 2nd monitor which is against the wishes of most games.
Plus another feature of Ultramon is focing a game to play on a particular monitor. For example I play all my games on my 2nd monitor which is against the wishes of most games.
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To do this you have to run the game in windowed mode. The method to do this varies with each game but for all source games i think you can add the startup switches through steam to get this done.
Add this to launch options for source games: -sw -noborder
-sw launches the game in windowed mode.
-noborder removes the windowed border so that it looks like it's full screen as usual.
Those switches are only for source based games, which all use steam afaik.
But yes, most other games will require the switches to be added as you described.
Does Ultramon allow you to run screensavers on different screens independantly? Eg. run a screensaver on a 2nd or 3rd monitor when there hasn't been any activity on them, whilst you are using the 1st monitor? Or is there any software that will do this?
It claims to do this, but none of the built in XP screensavers are compatible and I never bothered installing a 3rd party screensaver just to try it. Apparently they have a list of compatible screensavers on their site.
I've noticed with dual screens, apps have an annoying habit of always opening up on the main screen... any way to change this behaviour? It's not so much a problem when you launch, but afterwards where sub-windows and dialogue boxes pop up on the first screen
I've noticed with dual screens, apps have an annoying habit of always opening up on the main screen... any way to change this behaviour? It's not so much a problem when you launch, but afterwards where sub-windows and dialogue boxes pop up on the first screen
Yes, use nView and tell it which applications you want forcing onto the second monitor.
I haven't found a viable alternative for ATI cards though, Hydravision doesn't seem to be a feature in the current drivers, not that it ever worked well anyway.
Man of Honour
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Ultramon's hotkey features are also nice. I have ctrl+shift+ Z bound to disable/enable secondary monitors and ctrl+shift+A bound to move window from one monitor to the next. Quite useful.