Multiple Monitor Issues

[Knightshade Dragon]

I have a 24" Widepanel and a 19" Widepanel, but I'm having some trouble getting exactly what I want out of them.  I want them to act as two monitors that I can move between (write on one side, results on the other, etc.) but I really don't want my monitors 'stretched'.  As it stands, it thinks it's one large monitor that is 3600x1200 or something odd.  The real problem is games - the 'middle' of this stretched desktop is directly in between both screens, with their bezel edges in the middle.   Obviously less than optimal.  Anyone out there have a similar setup that can help?

FYI -
8800 GTX, both using digital out (one HDMI, the other DVI)

[drifter]

I use multiple monitors at work and have ot go into the ATI catalyst center to get them set right each day.  Have you tried going into Nvidias tool to make sure the monitors are set how you want them.  I normally go into the tool right click on the laptop monitor screen and flip it so the LCD is primary; then I move the laptop so its on the left of the LCD in the tool.  I am set from there.

[TheAtomicKid]

Obviously, the universe is telling you you need a third display

Atomic

[MonkeyFinger]

If you go into the NVIDIA Control Panel to the 'Set up multiple displays' option in the 'Display' section, what are your settings there? Does it properly identify both monitors? There's also a wizard to help you with the initial setup but I didn't find it all that useful when I ran through it for the first time.

[kronovan]

I'm almost certain that a game needs to be multi-monitor aware to avoid this - i.e. FS2004 or FSX will center the main view onto a display of your choice and allow you to use the 2nd, 3rd as either external views or instrument displays. Most gamer aren't multi-monitor aware so you'll get an image centered across both displays.  Your best bet is to just use the Nvidia control center that drifter mentioned to create a profile that only enables the primary display. Then set that profile before you start your game. I can't remember the name, but there is a 3rd party tool that allows you to autoset different profiles and launch a specific game.

[Knightshade Dragon]

If you go into the NVIDIA Control Panel to the 'Set up multiple displays' option in the 'Display' section, what are your settings there? Does it properly identify both monitors? There's also a wizard to help you with the initial setup but I didn't find it all that useful when I ran through it for the first time.

It identifies both monitors but gives me these options:

Single Monitor
Clone to both monitors
Stretch Horizontally
Stretch Vertically

Obviously none of those are really 'correct' for what I want to do.  I want to play on one monitor, leaving my mail open on the other. 

[kronovan]

It identifies both monitors but gives me these options:

Single Monitor
Clone to both monitors
Stretch Horizontally
Stretch Vertically

Obviously none of those are really 'correct' for what I want to do.  I want to play on one monitor, leaving my mail open on the other.

OK, now I'm following you. What I was suggesting was to create a Nvidia profile that only used the 1st option, 'Single Monitor', but that obviously won't solve your problem. For a while I had a similar setup to yours except I had my Sony HDTV as my 2nd display. If I ran a game in windowed mode at a resolution less than my virtual desktop I was able to position it on the desktop. IIRC there were still games that insisted on occupying the center desktop position though. If your goal is to run the game at full resolution I know of no way to achieve that without specialized graphics hardware; i.e. some of the Matrox series of cards.

[MonkeyFinger]

Interesting... I have two LCD screens hooked to my laptop here at work, one analog and one digital to the docking station and I have the following options available to me:

Use one display (Single)
The same on both displays (Clone)
Configured independently from each other (Dualview)

I'm using the last one without issue but they both are the same size. What driver version are you running?

[Harkonis]

I just used the windows standard dual monitor wizard and let it autoconfigure and it did it properly.  Anytime I tried setting stuff manually it kept putting it stretched across both monitors.

[Destructor]

The problem with double monitors from what I've read is that even if you get it properly configured so your games are only on one screen, the moment you try to tab over to something like say an AIM window to type in it, your game will no longer have focus and odds are it'll minimize away.

This is why I have a laptop next to me for all my AIM needs while I'm gaming.

Sorry I'm not more help - my only experience with two monitors in one system is when I've plugged my laptop into my TV - and that worked great (as Vista thought I had two monitors and I could drag things from one side to the other easily).

One last thing (and to help everybody here trying to help) - don't you have Windows XP installed on that rig?

[Knightshade Dragon]

It is the latest Nvidia drivers, and yes, on XP.   

[MonkeyFinger]

XP here as well on my work laptop with SP3. System information shows a Quadro FX 2700M video 'card' and the 176.26 ForceWare drivers installed. For whatever that is worth.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Here is what I see:

[Purge]

if the monitors are side-by-side, you want horizontal stretch.

The maximize will maximize it to the screen it's on. Games should run on the monitor with the start button, so set your mail to fullscreen on the other.

It's the best that XP can do.  I have a 21" LCD and a 19" CRT at work and it's how I use them.

[Jaddison]

You should be able to right click on the desktop go into properties, then settings and use the "extend my windows desktop onto this monitor"....you don't need to use the NVIDIA.

This then be dual view not stretched

[Purge]

You should be able to right click on the desktop go into properties, then settings and use the "extend my windows desktop onto this monitor"....you don't need to use the NVIDIA.

This then be dual view not stretched

Yes, this is what I meant. I thought the horiz stretch from nvidia works the same though, does it not?

[Jaddison]

Horiz stretch would try to treat the two monitors as just one big screen.  Dual view is two separate views. though you can stretch a program window across both monitors if you want

[Purge]

Ah ... yeah, I do that with some putty sessions in dual view. (Mind you, I use a session mgr which is a-frickin-mazing)

[Knightshade Dragon]

Horiz stretch would try to treat the two monitors as just one big screen.  Dual view is two separate views. though you can stretch a program window across both monitors if you want

Yep, dual view is what I want.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be an option. 

[hitbyambulance]

Yep, dual view is what I want.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be an option. 

i've only ever used ATi (home) and Intel (work) chipsets for dual-view. my home set-up is a 17" Samsung SyncMaster 170MP (almost 8 years old - 1280x1024 resolution) with a secondary 15" Panasonic PanaFlat LC50 (almost 9 yo... 1024x768 res). My Windows XP desktop expands across both monitors with no problem, and games display on the 17" screen with whatever-was-displaying on the 15" while the game is playing - but if you click on anything on the 15" screen while something fullscreen is running, it will minimize the running fullscreen app/game. Unbuntu Linux with Gnome (Jaunty Jackalope) handles this setup with a bit more intelligence.

[Goldchamp]

I have a 9800gtx and have two monitors and it works great. Each monitor at its own resolution. But im using vista

[drifter]

My wife split for a weekend so I decide to hook my PC up to the 50" plasma in the living room and use my 22" LCD.  I found that with games if I maximized it the game would automatically take over the 22" LCD.  The only way I could put a game up on the LCD with it almost full view was to run the game in a window and drag the window size to be the same as the plasma TV.

[Purge]

You need to move the primary display over.

Sometimes just moving the startbutton/taskbar does it.

[happydog]

You should be able to right click on the desktop go into properties, then settings and use the "extend my windows desktop onto this monitor"....you don't need to use the NVIDIA.

This then be dual view not stretched

This is the answer.

Or you can use UltraMon, which gives you some more options (like extending your start bar across both screens).

[TheAtomicKid]

http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=22058

Triple display support... mmm....

Atomic