getting dual moitors to display different things.

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alert · #1 Post by **alert** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:59 am

I just got a T42. I am trying to have a dual monitor set up where the 2 monitors can display different things. Right now, I plug a regular monitor into the t42, but the display on the big monitor is the same as the t42 LCD screen.

I would like to have the 1 monitor display my emails and I can work on other stuff on the other monitor.

Can someone please tell me how to do the above?

Thanks!

mpcook · #2 Post by **mpcook** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:07 am

Try Properties/Display Settings/Multiple Monitors - you should have something similar on your system. Then you can open up a window for email, drag it to one side (one screen) and open a window for your other apps, drag them over to the other screen.

#3 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 10:07 am

1) Right-click on your desktop.

2) Choose Properties.

3) Choose the Settings tab.

4) Left-click on the #2 monitor icon.

5) Check "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor".

6) Click OK.

You may need to fiddle with the screen resolution for the second monitor to get everything just so.

#4 Post by **tomh009** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:12 am

nonny wrote:1) Right-click on your desktop.

2) Choose Properties.

3) Choose the Settings tab.

4) Left-click on the #2 monitor icon.

5) Check "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor".

6) Click OK.

You may need to fiddle with the screen resolution for the second monitor to get everything just so.

You will also likely need to use Fn+F7 to disable the external monitor before you are able to extend the desktop.

#5 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:29 am

tomh009 wrote:You will also likely need to use Fn+F7 to disable the external monitor before you are able to extend the desktop.

Possibly so, but I didn't have to do that on my T40.

#6 Post by **tomh009** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 12:45 pm

nonny wrote:
tomh009 wrote:You will also likely need to use Fn+F7 to disable the external monitor before you are able to extend the desktop.
Possibly so, but I didn't have to do that on my T40.

It appears to be video driver-dependent ... some will not allow you to extend while you have both active, others will. It's a bit disconcerting if you're trying to extend and it won't tell you why you can't do it ...

Melvyn · #7 Post by **Melvyn** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 6:13 pm

I do it, but I'm refusing.

My external monitor is a 15" and only support 1024x768. I would like to do it with diferent resolutions on notebook and external monitor:

ThinkPad: 1400x1050
Monitor: 1024x768

Don't work at diferents resolutions. I have a KVM cable to share monitor/keyboard/mouse between 2 diferent cpus. It's amazing to change between them. It works good at 1024x768, but the thinkpad screen sucks at 1024x768 and I like bigger resolutions. I'm programmer and IDE are more confortable at hight resolutions.
Anyways, you can extend at similar resolutions for both.

#8 Post by **tomh009** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:42 pm

Melvyn wrote:I do it, but I'm refusing.

My external monitor is a 15" and only support 1024x768. I would like to do it with diferent resolutions on notebook and external monitor:

ThinkPad: 1400x1050
Monitor: 1024x768

Don't work at diferents resolutions.

Eh? Extending the desktop doesn't work? What's the problem? Windows lets you select the resolution independently for each display ... is that not working for you?

pianowizard · #9 Post by **pianowizard** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:44 pm

tomh009 wrote:Extending the desktop doesn't work?

I have tried it on several laptops and it worked on all of them except for my X40. Perhaps I am not using the right driver.

#10 Post by **tomh009** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 7:59 pm

pianowizard wrote:
tomh009 wrote:Extending the desktop doesn't work?
I have tried it on several laptops and it worked on all of them except for my X40. Perhaps I am not using the right driver.

Does Display Properties not give you the "extend my desktop" option? Or it does, but it doesn't work? What are the symptoms?

pianowizard · #11 Post by **pianowizard** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:21 pm

tomh009 wrote:Does Display Properties not give you the "extend my desktop" option? Or it does, but it doesn't work? What are the symptoms?

The option is there, but even if I check the box and click "OK", the external monitor just shows the same thing as the X40's own display.

#12 Post by **JaneL** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:00 pm

pianowizard wrote:The option is there, but even if I check the box and click "OK", the external monitor just shows the same thing as the X40's own display.

How... odd.

#13 Post by **tomh009** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:01 pm

pianowizard wrote:
tomh009 wrote:Does Display Properties not give you the "extend my desktop" option? Or it does, but it doesn't work? What are the symptoms?
The option is there, but even if I check the box and click "OK", the external monitor just shows the same thing as the X40's own display.

OK. Before you go to display properties, use Fn+F7 to turn off the external display. Now go into display properties and enable the extended desktop.

Does that make a difference?

Melvyn · #14 Post by **Melvyn** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 11:16 pm

In my case, the option is there. It can "extend desktop" when both resolutions are the same.

When I try with 1400x1050 in the laptop and 1024x768 in the monitor, the checkbox get clear itself.

Dimitri_P · #15 Post by **Dimitri_P** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:04 am

To my mind UltraMon is the best software to configure multimonitor desktop:

http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

pianowizard · #16 Post by **pianowizard** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:06 am

tomh009 wrote:OK. Before you go to display properties, use Fn+F7 to turn off the external display. Now go into display properties and enable the extended desktop. Does that make a difference?

Yep, that did it! Thanks.

alert · #17 Post by **alert** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:48 am

Thanks for all the replies.

I tried following the steps above. But I just get a blue screen on my second monitor ( I tried selecting the different resolution options in setting up the second monitor but I still get just a blue screen. I can move the cursor between my T42's LCD to the blue screen on the second monitor by moving the mouse.) But nothing is on the second monitor besides the blue screen.

Please help.

Thanks again.

pianowizard · #18 Post by **pianowizard** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:21 pm

alert wrote:I can move the cursor between my T42's LCD to the blue screen on the second monitor by moving the mouse.) But nothing is on the second monitor besides the blue screen.

I get a blue screen on the external monitor too, but that's just because my desktop color is blue. If you can move your mouse pointer to both screens, it seems to me it's working properly.

#19 Post by **JaneL** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 2:24 pm

alert wrote:I can move the cursor between my T42's LCD to the blue screen on the second monitor by moving the mouse.) But nothing is on the second monitor besides the blue screen.

Did you grab a window, and drag it over there? It won't appear just by magic.

taz42zero · #20 Post by **taz42zero** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:53 pm

is it possible to have the screen saver come on on the laptop screen and not on the external monitor? doesn't seem like there would be, but while this topic is active i'll ask....

alert · #21 Post by **alert** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:49 pm

Thanks again for all the help. I finally got the dual monitor set up to work.

Now, is it possible to have a 3 screen set up with the T42?

Thanks again!!

#22 Post by **tomh009** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:39 pm

pianowizard wrote:
tomh009 wrote:OK. Before you go to display properties, use Fn+F7 to turn off the external display. Now go into display properties and enable the extended desktop. Does that make a difference?
Yep, that did it! Thanks.

Excellent! It's not an intuitive thing to do ... glad you are up and running.

getting dual moitors to display different things.

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