New setup and I need help

Dont know if anyone has tried this yet but I am trying to do something ver specific.

Elements:

2 computers

two monitors

one keyboard and mouse

The tricky part:

I want to be on computer A and use one monitor (my TV) and then be able to switch to the regular monitor at the computer desk.

I also want to be able to use that same regular monitor and channel over to the other desktop (Computer B) using the same keyboard and mouse.

The other tricky part:

Computer A is SLI, I want to be able to have independent resolutions on each monitor and I do not want to have to switch between SLI and non SLI so Computer A can only have one video cable plugged into it.


*sigh* Any one know what perif or set of perifs I could chain to get this to work?

Thanks

 

A KVM switch would be the obvious starting point. Is there any need to view the output from computer A on TV whilst using Monitor Keyboard and Mouse on Computer B?

 

Right On Paddy ......

A dual monitor KVM switch. There are however, some limitations running dual monitor setups using SLI. My dual monitor KVM sits in its box - never was connected - for this very reason. Also have a Matrox Dual Head to Go similarly boxed.

Put away for safe keeping. Might need em' one day.

 

hmmm

Well, here is what I do, I have Computer A as my main workstation and Sometimes I want to play Half life 2 on the TV with the surround sound, and sometimes I want to work on some graphics stuff on the monitor at the desk. Each would benefit from SLI. But on Computer B, I would like to run certain tasks, but that one I only use for certain applications. But if I am on Computer A and on the TV, I want someone else to be using computer B at the desk. So I would have Computer B with its own Keyboard and mouse if I needed to, or it could share with Computer A.

Kind of stupid and specific.

 

Confusing? Nah, I understand what you are saying but this author doesn't have a clue. I'll follow with interest because I don't think what you are proposing can be done with one monitor, one mouse, one keyboard and one TV.

re: SLI - two or more video cards running in SLI don’t officially support dual monitors "“ The "official" solution is to disable SLI when using dual monitors. The unofficial solution is to add a third (non PCIe) video card, using SLI configuration for one monitor and the third card for the other.

 

From
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=59116#4.1

You might be able to buy a "switch" to go from the TV to the monitor with different resolutions on SLI. It will only "generate one video signal ".

Some other things you might be able to use are "Hardware Profiles ", but you will need to reboot and maybe Remote Desktop, so you that you don't need a monitor connected to Computer B at all.
http://www.2000trainers.com/windows-xp/configuring-hardware-profiles-on-windows-xp/
Get started using Remote Desktop with Windows XP Professional

Matt

 

ok

Well as far as dual monitors are concerned, I am just displaying the same thing on both. Idk, I guess I just need to start with a kvm for both computers. i dont really want to remote (as I am doing now), as That would require the use of both computers. Well, I will start with a kvm. Thanks

 

here is a diagram

I want the ability to use the combination of each computer separately, or either monitor on either computer in any combination. and be able to plug in two wireless receivers for keyboards and mice.


http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k234/bigtwenty/Untitled.jpg

 

The drawing is in agreement with your original post but, reading between the lines, are you switching the rules now?

Two wireless receivers implies two keyboards and two mice. One wireless receiver could be connected to your "mystery device" for a single keyboard and mouse.

The problem arises when you want to play a game on computer A while computer B has keyboard, video and mouse control. Your original example wants computer A to have some video control (TV) while computer B has some video control (monitor) at the same time. Further, since you have a game controller, you've assumed (and I believe incorrectly assumed) that computer A can use the game controller while computer B uses the single keyboard and mouse.

You have drawn a dual monitor KVM setup and it will permit either computer A to have control of both monitors or computer B to have control of both monitors. (note - a dual monitor KVM switch is quite different from a standard KVM switch) Unfortuntely, you want both computers to have one of the two monitors at the same time and this rules out any kind of normal dual monitor KVM switch.

As stated earlier, I'll follow this one with interest because I'm not sure just how this can be accomplished without a whole series of different A/B switches.

 

yes

Well, i kind of thought of using a standard KVM, then behind the KVM, before the monitors, have a separate video switcher that can do a,b, or AB. Can any one help me with a video switcher that does that? I can plug a keyboard and mouse into each computer that is actually no problem i guess. All i need to do is switch video.

So. in short, a KVM to swap between computers, then a video switcher that will allow signal from the kvm to either monitor a or b or A&B. But i don't know where to find a video switcher for that. I just have a hard time believing no one has tried this before and like IOgear doesn't make something. They are they king of pointless devices like this.

 

Now, a dual monitor KVM switch does all of the above - but this is different from your earlier wish list. One would toggle between monitors or run clones or spread screens side by side using the settings on your video card's advanced settings. Understand that this gives one computer control of the monitors, the keyboard and the mouse. Could be either one and you can flip back and forth between computers but it's one at a time - either or but not both. The "other" computer is still running just fine, its just that you don't have a video signal from it or a keyboard or a mouse.

 

Right, but i wont use the dual monitors as I cant even really see (due to the angle) one monitor from the other. Going to do more research and let you know what i find

 

Ah ha

I am going to let the monitors to do the switching. I dont know why i didnt think of this. I can get a DVI to HDMI adapter, attach an hdmi cable to an hdmi splitter. From the splitter, I can run another HDMI cable over to my tv into the HDMI input. From the other HDMI cable, go to my computer monitor which will have an hdmi to dvi adapter.

On computer b,get a vga cable to vga splitter, one vga cable to my tv, and the other vga to my computer monitor. So i dont know if this will work for everyone with this dillemma, but it its just too simple. You also dont have to have an hdmi splitter on computer a, you can do it all by dvi, but my tv doesnt have dvi.