Thursday, January 13

Expand your workspace with multiple monitors

I got a call similar to this yesterday and the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of our company just called together with his assistant XD. 

However, I'm not that good (probably I don't really know) how to tweak some settings on the display to make your work viewable with multiple monitors. Good thing I was able to ask my colleagues from the US (who were working from home due to bad weather there) and they were able to take the call as I escalate it to them. 

Since I never encountered it, I was totally clueless on how to do it. After the call, I asked the AMER Help Desk Supervisor there and he sent me a link on how to expand your workspace with multiple monitors

Thank God there is Microsoft for dummies like me. XD


Expand your workspace with multiple monitors

Published: September 7, 2006

One of the best ways to improve your productivity is to double your desktop workspace by adding a second monitor to your computer. Using multiple monitors makes many computing tasks easier by allowing you to keep more windows visible. If you do any of the following things, you can benefit from multiple monitors:

E-mail and instant messaging. Work on one monitor, and keep your e-mail and instant messaging clients open on the other so you don't have to switch between windows when a new message arrives.
Research online. Open a Web browser or other research tool on one monitor, and have a Microsoft Office program open on the second monitor for note-taking.
Browse and edit digital pictures. Quickly browse your digital images by displaying thumbnails on one monitor and full-sized previews on the other.

Two-monitor workstation


The directions for connecting a second monitor vary slightly depending on what type of computer you use. You can connect a second monitor to a desktop computer, or you can connect a second monitor to a laptop or Tablet PC. Once you've connected a second monitor, you'll need to enable Dualview.

Connect a second monitor to your desktop computer


Many desktop computers have built-in support for multiple monitors. Look at the back of your computer to determine if you have an available VGA or DVI port. If you do, you can probably connect a second monitor and enable Dualview to take advantage of it.


DVI port and monitor cable


If your desktop computer doesn’t have an available VGA or DVI port, you can buy an additional monitor and a second video adapter.

Note: Make sure that the video adapter connector matches the connector on your new monitor.
Monitors use either a VGA or DVI connector (or sometimes both). S-Video connectors are used to connect to a television.


VGA, S-Video, and DVI ports


Once your second monitor is connected, you need to enable Dualview. If you're not connecting a second monitor to a laptop or Tablet PC, you can skip the next section and enable Dualview.

Connect a second monitor to your portable computer


If you use a notebook or Tablet PC, your computer probably supports using both an external monitor and the computer's built-in display simultaneously. Simply plug a monitor into the external VGA port of your laptop and enable the Dualview feature of Windows XP.


Desktop and laptop monitors


If you have a docking station for your portable computer, it may support multiple monitors. Look at the back of your docking station to see if you have an available VGA or DVI port. If you do, you can probably connect two external monitors and enable Dualview to take advantage of them.


Note: You may need to close the lid on your laptop to use multiple external monitors.


VGA and DVI ports


Alternately, you can add a USB video adapter to your portable computer to support an additional monitor.

When choosing a USB video adapter, make sure that it supports your new monitor's ideal resolution and has a connector that matches your new monitor.

Once you have connected your second monitor, you need to enable Dualview.

Enable Dualview


To turn on Dualview:

1.Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.


Desktop Options menu with Properties selected 
2.In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.
3.Click the Display list and select your external monitor. If you do not see multiple monitors listed, your computer hardware may not support Dualview. Contact your computer manufacturer for more information.





Display list on the Settings tab in Display Properties dialog box
4.Select the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box.

Settings tab with Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box selected
5.Click Identify. Windows XP displays large numbers to identify your monitors. Drag and drop the monitor icons to match the physical arrangement of your monitors.

Settings tab with example of how to drag and drop the monitor icons
6.Click OK.

Settings tab in Display Properties dialog box with OK button selected

With Dualview enabled, you can drag windows between monitors as if the two monitors are connected. When you maximize a window, it will expand to fill the current monitor.


4 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. aw, medyo lalaki gasto ko sa PC kapag ginawa ko iyan... medyo mahal pa naman ang magandang monitor ngayon...

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  3. Very informative ser! Plano ko rin mag multiple monitors someday pag nagkaron na ng tamang budget :) Thanks for this!

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  4. aw PRO!. lupet pede pala yon haha.. nice article

    http://triond.com/users/ialexis

    ReplyDelete

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