How to Configure Multiple Monitors under Windows

Windows quite nicely supports the use of two or more monitors; Windows can stretch your desktop across up to 16 of them. Sixteen may be overkill, but even two 15" monitors, with about the same area as one 21" monitor, make it easier to stretch out several application windows. And you should see what three 21" monitors in a row look like!

To get a multiple monitor setup, you'll need to install multiple display adapters, use a display adapter that supports more than one monitor (a "dual head" or "quad head" adapter), or both.

Note

Be careful when buying additional adapters. The faster the adapter's connection to the computer, the better, but most motherboards support just one high-speed AGP-bus adapter, and additional adapters must be PCI. Many newer motherboards have one or more PCI-Express (PCI-E) adapters, but only one will be high speed. The latest Serial Link Interface (SLI) motherboards and display adapters let you gang two adapters together, but when SLI mode is enabled, they apply their processing power to one display, and all additional monitors will go dark. If you're into computer gaming, it's great because most games use just one display anyway, but it's no help for multiple monitor use. For more information about selecting display hardware, check out Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs.

Some laptops also support multiple monitors. The method varies between manufacturers; some require you to make a Control Panel setting (enable DualView), but on some you must use a function key to scroll between display modes. You want the one that enables both monitors with separate displays.

To enable the multiple monitor feature, connect your monitors to the display adapter connectors, turn them on, and then boot up Windows. The initial boot screen will appear on one monitor, or perhaps all the monitors connected to the primary adapter card.

When Windows starts, log on, right-click the desktop, and select Properties. View the Settings tab. The display will appear like that in Figure 6.2. To activate additional displays, click on the numbered monitor icons and check Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor; then click Apply. (If additional icons don't appear, you may need to select them in the Display drop down.)

It's important to arrange the monitor icons in the Settings dialog exactly as the monitors on your desk are arranged, so that your mouse will move between the monitors in the right order. Click the Identify button to display numerals on your monitors. If necessary, rearrange the icons in the Settings dialog to appear in the same physical order, and then click Apply. The mouse should now move smoothly from monitor to monitor, left to right (or top to bottom, if you've stacked your monitors vertically). To eliminate any vertical jumping as the mouse crosses between the monitors, move the icons slightly up or down to exactly match the exact physical arrangement of your monitors, and click Apply to test the smoothness of the mouse movement. To move an icon one pixel at a time, click it, and then use the up or down arrow key. You must click Apply before testing the adjustment.

Tip

If your computer has multiple monitors and you connect to the computer using Remote Desktop, you may find that an application seems to be running, but you can't make its window appear. What's happened is that it's positioned offscreen, where it would be if there was a second monitor. To move it into view, right-click the application's button in the taskbar. If Minimize is grayed out, click Restore, and then right-click again. If Maximize is grayed out, click Restore, and then right-click again. Select Move, and use the left or right arrow key to bring the window onto the primary monitor.

Also, if you have monitors set to different screen resolutions, you may find that application windows and dialogs can open up with the title bar and menu out of view. To move them fully into view, select the window (click it anywhere), press Alt+spacebar followed by the letter M, and then use the arrow keys to move the window into view. Press Enter to lock in the new position.