Skatter Tech » monitors

Windows 7 Dual Monitor Snap Tip

Sahas Katta — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:01:54 +0000

I recently wrote about setting up Dual Monitors in Windows 7 and today I’ve got a tip to alleviate some issues many of those users face. Although Windows 7 handles multiple monitors better than Windows Vista, it’s still faces a few issues. The new window Snap feature is a great addition and works seamlessly with a single display, however it faces a major issue when using two or more displays. The “half-screen” snap will only work on the far left and right ends of your display. Windows 7 won’t snap programs to the halves to the left and right of the center divider. There’s no telling why Microsoft decided to leave this feature out, but it definitely causes a major drop in productivity.

Snap Right: WIN Key + Right
Snap Left: WIN Key + Left

Fortunately after digging through the “internets,” I found a solution workaround. To move an active window to the left or right half of the center divider, just hit the WIN Key + Right or WIN Key + Left. Repeatedly pressing through either combo continually moves the window to all the possible snap positions. You can also add the SHIFT key as another modifier to have it jump to the same position on the next display. I’m definitely not a fan of having to do this and would have definitely preferred a visual method, but it’s the best option at the moment. It’s a lot better than manually resizing windows…

Microsoft, if you’re listening, please make a small tweak or two for Service Pack 1.

Setup Dual Monitors In Windows 7

Sahas Katta — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:35:07 +0000

After my tutorial on setting up Multiple Monitors on Windows Vista last year, a couple of you have written in asking for help with Windows 7. For the most part, it’s just as simple and more options are now available as well. My setup currently consists of a Dell XPS M1530 laptop connected to a Samsung SyncMaster 206BW. I’ve got a dual display setup, so I can drag windows between the two displays and utilize all the screen space. It’s quite easy and you can have it setup in minutes.

Hardware + Software Requirements:

Laptop with a VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort output
A Monitor with a VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort input
One cable to connect them together
Running Windows 7, with proper drivers

Getting Setup:

Connect the monitor to your laptop
Right Click on the desktop and select Screen Resolution
Choose “Extend these displays” found under “Multiple Displays”

For most, that should be about it. Just hit Apply and everything should be setup. But for instance say you have physically positioned your laptop and monitor above or below each other. You’ll have to make a few changes. Click Identify to figure out which monitor is which. Then drag the display icons into the proper position as they are located physically on your desk. If you would like the start menu to be located on a different display, click on the display you want and check the “Make this my main display” box. Hit Apply again and all should be working! Give it a shot, just try dragging a window from one display to another.

If you have any questions or just want to say thanks, feel free to leave a comment!

Setup Multiple Monitors In Vista

Sahas Katta — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:52:12 +0000

If you are running Windows Vista on a Laptop and wish to utilize dual displays, this is just the article for you. Instead of replicating the content on your laptop screen on to your external display, you’ll be able to extended your desktop across both. By doing so you’ll gain extra screen real estate meaning more space to work in. Once you have a successfully functioning dual display setup, windows can be dragged across from one screen to another and you can have two fully maximized applications visible at once!

Some Small Requirements:

Decent Laptop with VGA or HDMI output
A monitor with VGA or HDMI input
A VGA or HDMI cable to connect both together

Getting To The Settings:

Connect your laptop to your external monitor
Right Click on your desktop and select Personalize
Open the Display settings window (at the bottom)

Next arrange the two monitors to the setup you have. Monitor 1 would be your laptop’s display and Monitor 2 is your additional display. So, for example, if your laptop is on the left and the monitor is on the right, drag the two boxes around so that Monitor 1 is on the left and Monitor 2 is on the right.

Extending The Display:

Select Monitor 2 in the visual or from the drop-down menu
Check the box besides “Extend the desktop onto this monitor”
Just hit Apply. The screen should flash and you are done!

You should now be able to drag a window, this web page for example, from one screen onto another. If you would like to move your Start Menu onto the other display, just drag it onto the other screen. (Right-click and unlock the Taskbar first!) Also note that sometimes Vista messes up the resolutions, so if one of the windows looks horribly wrong go back to the Display Settings and manually drag the bar to the correct resolutions for each monitor. If your machine is using either the NVIDIA or ATI control panel, I suggest using that to configure your setup instead of using the default Vista Display Settings.

If you have any problems, questions, or suggestions feel free to express them below!

Related Article: Setup Multiple Monitors In XP

How To: Multiple Montiors

Tim Severeijns — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 11:35:28 +0000

If you’re like most computer users nowadays, you probably have multiple applications up and running at the same time. In an effort to “multi-task” it is often be hard and hectic to minimize and open simultaneously multiple windows. (chatting apps, word processor, web browsers, or email clients). Although buggy virtual desktop programs are available, one easy solution is using multiple monitors to create an extended desktop.

What is an extended desktop? As the picture above shows by connecting two monitors to your computer, you the user will now have ability to simply drag a window from one screen onto another. Now not only is it nicer to have to fully maximized applications, but it is also a lot more efficient because more room is available to get work done. Setting up multiple monitors isn’t too difficult either; getting the advantages of a second monitor is actually a lot easier than most people think.

What’s Required:

Two Monitors – Although it looks more consistent having two same monitors, two duplicate ones are not required. In fact the monitors can be of different sizes (30″ and 15″), resolutions (1024×768 and 1280×800), and types (LCD and CRT), it will still function.
For the purpose of this tutorial and because ~95% of computers are running it, we are using WinXP. However Multi Monitors can just as easily be setup on most operating systems including Mac OS X.
Video Card – Almost all video cards sold by ATI and NVIDIA today have two output slots (aka heads). If you currently only have one output slot, either purchase a second compatible video card or a replacement which has two outputs. Note: For basic usage such as web surfing and email, a combo between a DVI and a VGA output won’t be an issue. However if you are a heavy duty gamer or video editor, I suggest getting a video card that has two DVI outputs.

Hooking It All Up:
Turn off your desktop and plug in the second monitor into an available head slot. Once plugged in, startup your machine and continue to proceed with the following steps. Note: The following procedure will work for most persons; however slight modifications to the procedure may be necessary for certain individuals.

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Display
Select the ‘Settings’ Tab in the Display Properties Window
Select the Secondary Display from the dropdown menu
Once choosen, check ‘Extend My Windows Onto This Monitor’

After applying the settings your second monitor should now rather be an extra screen instead of a duplicate image of the contents on you main display. You should now be able to drag any window from your main screen right off the edge onto the second display. I also recommend dragging around the two monitor icons found in the Display Settings to match the actual physical positioning of your two monitors.

Multiple Monitors will also work for laptop users. Just plugin a monitor into your laptop’s video output. Place your laptop besides the secondary monitor. Then to set up just follow the same steps 1-4 given above.

P.S. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us through the comment below. This is also the first post by our new author Tim Severeijns. We hope you liked this tutorial.