Comments on: Setup Multiple Monitors In Vista

By: John Walker

John Walker — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:31:01 +0000

When I plug my second monitor (Sony 32″ TV) into the computer, the laptop screen goes blank and on the 2nd monitor says:

“Cannot display this video mode, change computer display input to 1360 x 768 @ 60 HZ”

But my video card will only go to 1280 x 800!!

I cannot make any changes in the Nvidia Control Panel because when the 2nd monitor is plugged in, the laptop screen is blank. (I think it is set to only show one display)
If I unplug the 2nd monitor then the Control Panel only shows the laptop as the only monitor.

Is there a file somewhere that I can change so that the 2nd display only goes to 1280 x 800??

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By: Larry Rosen

Larry Rosen — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:55:26 +0000

OK, tried updating the video card driver – Under display adapters it does say NIVDIA GeForce 8400M GS which is my laptop driver (i think). went to NVIDIA control panel. IT does say i have two displays – laptop and Samsung (my ext monitor). I tried to get it to do dualview which it accepts but the samsung says “check signal cable” still on the screen. just about ready to throw the whole thing against the wall. I do appreciate you doing this for someone you don’t even know!!! is it possible my VGA cable is bad? One other thing to note. A week ago or so I had my wireless dsl modem go down and had to buy a new one. Netgear had me install the router before i could use the wireless. is it possible that doing that created the problem? sorry but as much as i research and write about technology and how it impacts us i am an “intermediate” user and not really savvy about any complexities. btw if you want to see some fun stuff go to http://www.csudh.edu/psych/Rosen’s_Rock_’n_Roll_Technology_Clock_Recycled_Art.htm
thanks again!!!

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:58:15 +0000

Try upgrading the video card drivers. Then get back to me.
Then try using the NVIDIA Control Panel to setup Dual Displays.
Do that instead of using the Windows Vista Interface!

If that doesn’t work, we’ll figure something out!

By: Larry Rosen

Larry Rosen — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:27:22 +0000

OK so how do i tell if they are working correctly? When I look at the display settings they are crossed up. That is, the monitor labeled “1″ is actually my external monitor which is not working) but is displayed as though it is and (meaning lit up and not cross-hatched out) as I can tell with the name (i think) in the box below the two monitors (SyncMaster 2243BW…..). When i look at its properties it says the adapter is NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS. The laptop monitor works fine as long as i don’t plug in the external and then neither works. The one labeled primary display (but the picture shows it is the external BUT when you identify it, it is the laptop display) is checked as the main monitor. When i try to check the box for monitor 2 (which should be the external by its name — (Default monitor) on NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS — it will allow me to check “extend” but when I apply the settings nothing changes. This is very frustrating. Sorry to bug you but i am hoping that you can figure this out. Should i download the video driver as you have suggested? that makes sense BUT the laptop video IS WORKING — it is just labeled wrong and i can’t get the external to work…….

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:44:22 +0000

First, try to figure out if your monitors are working or not. The laptop should be working perfectly on it’s own. You should also be able to just use the monitor alone. If both those are working single at a time, then we know it’s just a setting issue.

You can also go to http://www.hp.com and grab the latest video card drivers for your laptop. That might solve some possible issues.

Also make sure you are pressing the check box on the “Extend desktop to this monitor” for the secondary display, not the primary!

Unless there’s a hardware failure, it should be easy to solve!

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:59:35 +0000

I’ll get back to you by the end of the day!

By: Larry Rosen

Larry Rosen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:53:25 +0000

One more thing to add. When I do plug in my second monitor, my laptop screen goes black and i get a message on the external monitor that says “check signal cable” which is always on anyway when the cable is disconnected. i am baffled. hopefully someone will want my books and can give me some insight to get it working again!

By: Larry Rosen

Larry Rosen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:44:44 +0000

I have a strange problem and I hope someone can help me. I am at LROSEN@CSUDH.EDU and would be so happy if you can help me fix this that i will mail you a copy of my last book and one of my new book when it comes out (Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation is the last one and Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn is the new one). I have a laptop (HP) and an external monitor (Samsung). I always boot up the laptop, then attach the external (using a VGA cable) and am able to extend my desktop to it. wonderful for a writer. Up until a few days ago it worked fine. Now, for some odd reason vista still shows both monitors but shows the #2 over the “inactive laptop monitor” and #1 over the “active external monitor” even though my laptop display IS ACTIVE and external is INACTIVE. When I click on identify monitors it shows a #1 but the large #1 shows on my laptop monitor and the external is not working. I hope I am making sense here. Can anyone help me out?

By: matt

matt — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:35:10 +0000

I did all of this for my insignia tv. i accidentally clicked on “this is my main monitor” selecting the tv and now it says mode not supported on my tv and i can’t change anything because my screen goes blank. I have vista and am using all vga connections correctly. I just can’t edit my mistake and I tried using another monitor and that one worked fine, but it must be saving separate settings for different monitors. can anyone help?

By: ems

ems — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:32:10 +0000

i messed up the setup.

regarding the main monitor: my laptop (on the left side) is not set as the main monitor. when identifying monitors the 2nd monitor is numbered 1. dragging 1 to the left does not help.

how can i fix this? i have vista running on a 64-bit laptop.

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:56:36 +0000

If anyone is trying to get Dual Monitors working with Windows 7, there is our tutorial: http://skattertech.com/2009/09/setup-dual-monitors-in-windows-7/

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:52:22 +0000

One thing I can tell the both of you right now, is that leaving dual monitors enabled while gaming isn’t a good idea. If it’s a graphics intensive game, most average video cards aren’t designed to support playing dual screen games. I do realize the game will actually only be on a single window at a time while the other may have a webpage or something else running. But that itself puts a lot of stress on your video card and degrades performance. It’s best to drop down to just one display while playing games and going back later. And if you can’t find those settings, usually the ATI or NVIDIA control panel based for your video card offers those settings. Good Luck!

By: steven

steven — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:23:57 +0000

hey matt, i have the same problem as urself. didnt see any reply on ur answer so was wondering if u maybe got it via email? if so, could u perhaps tell me what to do:D

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:54:05 +0000

Just uploaded them for you, grab them at: http://www.box.net/shared/atx4npnhtx

That the original one had a car in it, a friend was bored and used Photoshop to get rid of it. And I didn’t make or create the original, I don’t know the source either, so I don’t want to take credit for it. I think I found it browsing DeviantArt if I remember correctly.

I’ll also be posting a article sometime soon with places to find great Dual Screen Wallpapers and setting up multiple monitors for the awesome new Windows 7!

By: Michel

Michel — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:17:43 +0000

Where can I get that wallpaper, seen on both the monitors in the picture above?

By: Sahas Katta

Sahas Katta — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:32:23 +0000

It’s quite an easy solution, but a bit messy. Best thing do is choose a wallpaper that is of the best resolution you can pick. Next when you are in the Background settings, use the option to “Stretch Image”. If that doesn’t work, try the center option. Keep in mind these solutions will make it look different sizes on both. Yes, Vista isn’t too great at handling two monitors. Windows 7 has gotten a lot better.

And if you want more multi monitor features checkout Ultramon, it’s an amazing little app that will let you choose different images for each display and a lot more http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

By: Brandon

Brandon — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:55:33 +0000

hey there,
first of all i’m using vista
i got a question here..
the dual display works fine when both of my laptop and monitor resolution is the same (1366×768).
when i set my monitor to 1920×1080 my wallpaper on the monitor wont display to full screen even though my wallpaper’s resolution is 1920×1080.
Do anyone here knows any way around this problem.
thanks in advance..