Dual Monitors question??

WinXP Home, SP2

Two monitors (different size, different resolutions)
Monitor #1 - Secondary monitor, 30" (HDTC/PC) max res = 1280x768x32
Monitor #2 - Primary monitor, 19 ", max res 1280x1024x32
Both DVI cables

Graphics card - Nvidia 6600 GT OC

Have the monitors setup as Dual monitors (kinda). Primary works fine.

Problem: the secondary monitor has all icons shifted off screen. I can barely see the right
edge of a couple icons. Dont seem to find the setting to allow the icons to be centered on
the secondary monitor screen.........

Ideas??
savagcl

 

Arie,

1. Change the refresh rate----------------both are set to 60 (Secondary only has 60)

2. Make sure the screen resolution is set correct---------??????

3. Don't put icons on the secondary screen ------------I thought "Dual" was having 2 monitors
that could run separate apps, like 2 stand-alone monitors.....

thanks, guy,
savagcl

 

I would think that the monitor would have a menu button on it for screen position and other options. You may find a setting there to move the screen over.

 

jaylach,

There is a menu but all it has as far as positioning is:

Aspect Ratio (with 3 options):
Options are:
Standard, Fill and Zoom.

I've tried all 3. The zoom is way to large (lots of off-screen),
the Standard will show a large square box and the fill does
go right to left all the way across, top to bottom shows about
a 1/2 inch blank space but i can see all the borders. Right now
i'm using the fill option since there is no overlap.

Let me ask 1 - in dualmonitor mode, everything i see on the
primary should also show on the secondary screen, right??

thanks,

 

PeteC,

The word your looking for is Maximize/minimize for the box between - and +
Speaking about maximizing, looks like your about to max your screen as
far as icon capacity....

Ok, I'm seeing some light now. Extend means (to me) to stretch what i have,
Duplicate would have been a better work to use in the users guide i think but
that would have included the icons also. Feel sorry for the user guide writers!

So, i tried dragging an icon (notepad) to the secondary monitor, clicked on it
and it opened on the primary monitor. But like you said, open the app first
then drag it to the secondary and it works. Plus, if i click on notepad again
(on the primary) then it opens in the secondary.... Talk about meeting
yourself!!!

not possible to play strike fighters on the big secondary screen then
because the screens cannot be dragged...

Icons = no, apps = yes after initial drag (and thereafter).

thanks for the info,

 

Good one, PeteC!

communication (and definition) is everything.

 

I dont think this is going to work so good for me. A problem i'm seeing is with the
Secondary monitor (HDTV Ready\PC).

When it was the only monitor, I had a great picture (using it as a TV) with input from cable via DVI and the PC part was kinda crappy but usable. With the dualmonitor setup (and it as secondary) everytime i switch it to watch a show then it defaults to a "TV" input using VGA instead of DVI. A much worse picture, darn near impossible to watch and understand whats going on.

Wonder what would it look like if i made it (HDTV\PC) the primary???? Will have to try that.

savagcl

 

Hi Clif,

TVs work at a lot lower resolution than monitors. I wonder if it is worth reducing the resolution on that screen while you are using it for TV screening, then change back when you are finished. It may not be possible to get a better resolution than the signal provides and that is why it is reverting to VGA.
I think you are right about the HDTV and if you can get it back on cable, that should run at higher resolution. (The signal comes in at a higher resolution, in other words, it is providing more detail to be put on the screen.)

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

I did change the resolution of the HDTV monitor, for whatever reason!
The native setting is 1280x768 will try to get it set back to it.
The GW monitor is running at 1280x1024x32.
Thought i read somewhere that in dual setup, monitors could be running at different
resolutions/refresh rate/etc. The HDTV is locked into 60 as a refresh rate and cannot
be changed.

Will play with it some more.

clif

 

Not sure what i di but i have a better looking picture on the HDTV now....(maybe putting it
to channel 3 had something to do with it!!

Related subject:
I got this cable with the HDTV/PC monitor. Its about 10 inches long and has a S-Video
plug on 1 end. The other end has 5 plugs (red, blue, green, yellow and male S-video) call it
a multi-cable.

Right now i have the HDTV monitor hooked up as graphics card DVI to HDTV DVI.
Would it be better to use the multi-cable from the graphics card (S-Video to the red,
blue, green, plugs on the HDTV monitor, freeing up the DVI plugs? I assume the yellow
plug is audio.

How would this effect the dualmonitor setup?

thanks,
savagcl

 

Forgive if I get some of the terms wrong but here's a go at your multi cable...

The yellow is not audio. That cable is strictly video.

The yellow is the lowest grade of signal, composite, I believe.

S-Video is the second as it handles the signal in a cleaner manner.

The other three are the best. It uses a seperate line for each primary color. Don't really know why they put this one on it as the input side is s-video, s-video quality is the best your gonna get, I think...

Jay

 

jaylach,

So, S-video from graphics card and RGB from that S-video cable to RGB inputs on the
monitor (or HDTV) is better than a straight DVI-to-DVI?

I have at least 2 sets of RGB plug-ins on the HDTV, 1 is composite, the other is
component. Any idea which one i should use? I think the component set is for individual
component inputs which i dont have.

thanks,
savagcl

 

As far as actual specs. on which would be better I'm afraid that someone else would have to answer that. I' won't claim to have a lot of knowledge in this. My guess is going to be s-video to s-video but it's a guess.

 

Maybe you have found it already. If you go to Display Properties, on the first tab (the Settings tab), you should see two pictures of monitors. If you click on Monitor number 2 (or select Monitor 2 in the drop down box underneath) you should be able to adjust it's settings.

Although...we may have been through this before when you got your first monitor and found the settings would not stick.

Matt

 

Matt,

It seems to be working good now. Got the res set back to "native ". Good TV picture now.

OT - dont want to open an old thread and this is just a one-timer anyway!
Just ran the HdTach on both drives, the windows drive is down to 21.4MB xfer speed
(pretty good drop from 120MB) and the chart looks like a dinosaurs teeth in profile. Think
that drive is going to give up the ghost soon. I won't replace it with another Seagate thats for
sure.

Opinions: Hard drives: western digital or Maxtor (please, no 10K rpm's)?

thanks, Matt, jaylach,

 

Arie,

So noted. Thanks for the heads up.

savagcl