1984 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Ok today i purchased a Viewsonic 19" LCD Digital Monitor. Ive plugged it into my video card (where my old one was) and it it working fine. What i would like to do, is have my old monitor also hitched up to the same computer. I'm told i can do this. I have two input ports for monitors on my computer, which i have attached along with the power cords, but no idea what to do now. Any help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators rridgely Posted August 18, 2006 Moderators Share Posted August 18, 2006 This is something I would love to try but I don't have two lCDs. (poor poor me right?) I found this link that goes through everything from choosing a card to setting it up. http://www.g4tv.com/techtvvault/features/1...lash=false& Basically since you have the card and monitors hooked up already you only need this part: Now it's time to configure Windows for dual monitor support. 1. Left-click your Start Menu. 2. Scroll over Settings and left-click the Control Panel. 3. When the Control Panel opens, double-click the Display Properties icon. 4. When the Display Properties dialog box appears, click the Settings tab. 5. On the Settings tab, change the Display pull-down menu to the new card you just installed. 6. Now, check the box marked "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor." 7. Hit the Apply button when you've finished making the changes. 8. Presto! You now have an extended desktop that spans two monitors. I have no idea if that would work but its quick enough to give it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 yeah thanks rridgely. i tried that, and for whatever reason, my monitor is not being identified (the old one). but the new one is identified in the all in wonder 9800 video card, so im at a bit of a loss. hmmmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Have you tried connecting the new monitor to the card it worked with and the old one to the other card? Changing the settings for the new monitor in Display Properies? Checking Device Manager for info on conficts or a bad driver, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 can you explain the process for me mike rochip? im not that savy. i have tried both monitors with the extra card, but neither work with it. its one that came with the computer. ibm, p4. help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 For Device Manager click Start>Control Panel>System>Hardware>Device Manager Make sure both cards and monitors are listed under 'Display adapters' and 'Monitors.' There will be a yellow flag or a red X next to any problem devices. You can right click on the device and then Properties and it will give detailed info on the device and the problem. If the device is disabled you can reenable it. You can also try Start>All Programs>Accesories>System Tools>System Information. Under Hardware Rescouces in the left pane there will be options you can check including Conflicts, Forced Hardware, and IRQs. In IRQs see if two different devices are using the same IRQ number. Also go to Start>Control Panel>Display and click on the Settings tab> Check to make sure that both monitors are listed under Display and "Expand my Windows Desktop onto this monitor" is checked under both monitors listed in the Display drop down menu. IMPORTANT Don't change the "use this device as the pimary monitor." If it is changed to the monitor that isn't working right you may get a blank screen when Windows boots. Let me know if you have any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 Hi Mikerochip! here is a screen shot of my system devices. Im still going throught the rest of it! thanks! and here is a shot of my device manager. ok and i added the properties-settings tab. in the second drop down it says "allinwonder9800 pro (secondary)" but i cant get it to hitch up! arrrrghghghghgh! i just thought of something. will a ATI 9800 Pro video card 128mb support dual monitors? sorry im all over the place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphirer Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I've done dual monitors with an nVidia FX5200 through nVidia's control panel. I'm not so experienced with ATi, however. Try clicking on the advanced button and check out the options there. Also, an your AiW should have installed a software that should allow you to control video settings, something called Catalyst Control panel or something like that? I'm sure there are options in there. will a ATI 9800 Pro video card 128mb support dual monitors? sorry im all over the place! Yes. If you had 2 VGA ports on the back of your card then there shouldn't be any reason why it can't support 2 monitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 well my card had one port zaphirer, and my computer also had a port. i assumed both would work. as well, can i install two video cards? i still have my old nvidia one. i am dying here! but i do love the new monitor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Hmmmm. It looks like the old card that came with the PC is not being detected. Just to be sure I understand, you have two different video cards, right? Do you remember or can you see what the make and model of the old one is? I assume if you take the new one out, the old one works again like it used to. You do seem to have some IRQ conflicts but since the AIW 9800 card is working I wouldn't think that's an issue. My understanding is that IRQs can be shared and managed by the PC when neccessary. Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in on that. What I have found on my PC [keeping in mind that both me and my PC are "special cases" ] is that my PCI cards will only all work and be detected when they are in a certain order in the slots in the PC. I have been able to make cards work by rearranging them in the PC. However, the danger in doing that is that when the PC boots if the video card aren't detected you could boot with a blank screen after the BIOS runs. One thing you could safely try is moving the old card to a different empty slot assuming you have extra empty ones. So let me know if you can determine the brand and number of the old card and whether you have any extra empty slots to try and if I'm right that taking out the new card allows the old one to function again. Sorry I haven't been much help so far but hopefully we can figure this out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Update: I just ran through the Troubleshooting tips by clicking Troubleshoot in the Settings tab on the Display Properties screen. It has some interesting info including how to check if the secondary display card (the old one in this case) is compatible with Windows and with dual monitors by checking the HCL list. Since the old card did work before I'm guessing it is compatible with Windows but it might be worthwhile to check the list. It also mentions that the cards DO have to be in a certain order in the PCI slots for them to be detected properly. It tells how to place them in the proper order. I always thought that was just a quirk with my ancient PC, lol. When you install your display adapters, check the following: Your primary display adapter should be installed in the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slot 0 or 1. This slot is usually the farthest from the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) slots and nearest the edge of the motherboard. This display adapter should be connected to your primary monitor. If you are using both PCI and Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) display adapters, the PCI display adapter must be installed in the first PCI slot on your computer. Several websites I looked at also mentioned to be sure you have the latest drivers for both cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 Ok, i only have one graphics card as far as i can tell. The old one that came with the computer (i bought it as a package from ibm) was a nvidia geforce4 mx 420. i physically removed that one, and put in an ati all in wonder 9800 pro agp 128mb vid. my computer had a port that shows on the back to be a monitor port. that is the port that i have my secondary (and unrecognized-the old one now) monitor in. my ati card only had one output for a monitor on it. am i sol? i just bought that video card, and understood that it would be compatible to two monitors. i hope i didnt get screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 oh one more thing. the slot that i have the old monitor hitched to is called "VGA monitor connector" according to my ibm reference book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Aha! Now [i think} I get it! I had a computer with the same problem. My understanding was that the video card built into the motherboard won't work with 2 monitors. I think it's because it's just a very basic video adapter. However, if you have an empty slot you should be able to reinstall the old nvidia card and use that for the secondary monitor. If it's a PCI card you may have to follow the procedure for installing it in the first PCI slot as mentioned earlier. EDIT: I guess it's an AGP card since you said it uses the same slot as the new one. Hopefully that will work. If it does you can then use the Display Properties screen to arrange the desktop the way you want by using the new monitor as the primary desktop, etc. Crossing my fingers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 this is what my aiw card says under its info. im still looking at what to do. mike, do you mean i need to install the nvidia card AS WELL AS the ATI one? will they not conflict with eachother? and will ati card be on new monitor, nvidia one on old monitor? im not sure im getting it. thanks man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Yes, you should be able to install both the new card and the old one. They should not conflict with each other but if they do it should be something that is easily remedied by switching the slots they are in or changing some settings in Device Manager or Display Properties. In reality though you probably won't have any problems and will be able to use both monitors. I have an old HP Vectra PC and for a long time I used two and even three video cards without any problems until my monitor had a hardware failure. The failure was not caused by the video cards BTW but because I swatted a fly on top of the monitor [lightly]. Of course it was my best monitor, lol. Now it just shows jibberish along with a loud screeching sound. I am probably the only forum member to be outwitted by a fly . In my defense, it's only happened once. So far... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 ok, i looked at putting the nvidia (original card) card back in but i have a problem. the slot for the nvidia is an agp slot-same as the ati card, and i only have one agp slot. i have a couple of pci ones free, but they are not compatible. so, is it possible to get the second monitor to work off of the ati card? remember, i still have an input that is compatible to my monitor cable, but i dont know exactly what it does-other than fit my old (and new) monitor cables. hmmmmmmm. this sucks. it should be simple. but nothing with computers ever is for me. all i want is two monitors. everything i read shows it to be simple. arrrururughghghghgh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Sadly I don't think so. It doesn't seem like the video card built into the motherboard works with dual monitors. I found this in the troubleshooting guide: Multiple display support requires Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) display adapters (video cards). Industry Standard Architecture/Extended Industry Standard Architecture (ISA/EISA) display adapters are not supported. So it sounds like you have to have seperate cards to use dual monitors. Or maybe that the built-in card is an ISA/EISA type of adapter so it won't work. Since it says VGA as opposed to SVGA it sounds like a really basic type. Advice you probably don't want to hear: You could buy a bargain basement PCI card to drive the second monitor or see if the new ATI card has a similar version in PCI rather than AGP. If so maybe they would let you exchange it if you explain about how it doesn't support dual monitors on your system. Since I'm not a gamer I don't know anything about the advantages of AGP verses PCI but lokoike and some other people on the forum could probably give you advice about that. If by chance you have an old PC around or know someone who does you could rob a PCI type of video card out of that and see if it would work in your system. Sorry this didn't work out well but I'll let you know if I think of anything else that might help. Let me know if you have any other questions or ideas. EDIT: You may be able to run two monitors with one card if it had two video outputs. There may be a second video output that uses a different type of cable than your monitor is using now. If so, if your monitor has a different cable connection the same as the second one on the card you could try connecting it with that after buying the right type of cable. Or if there's a second different connection on the card Radio Shack more than likely has an adapter that could adapt the connection to your current monitor cable. I'm not sure if that would work but it might be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I just checked the ATI site and it says your card will only work with one monitor plus the TV. I guess the person that told you it was compatible with two monitors meant that it will support two monitors if you have two cards and not that the card itself will run two monitors on its own. So the advice above about using a different cable or an adapter on a second video output on the ATI card won't work except that maybe you could have two monitors showing the exact same thing which isn't what you want. It looks like your best bet is to find or purchase another video card for one of the PCI slots. That's a helluva video card BTW! I like the built in TV tuner and all the video and editing features it has. I had to click on and accept a legal agreement just to look at the picture of the card itself. Let me know what you decide or if I can be of any help. This is a total long shot but can you use the TV as a second monitor and extend your desktop onto that? I really doubt that's possible but it may be worth a try. The documentation may mention it somewhere if it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 lol! another issue! my tv is an rca and has NO, i mean ZERO inputs other than for the cable vision. lol! its older and i dont know what the hell is up with that! my tv upstairs is a toshiba 47" and has about a million input/outputs, but the wife wont let me bring the comp into the family room as my "clicking" drives her nuts. so for now i cant hitch the comp to the tv. but i will look into getting a cheap pci video card. damn this pisses me off. i would have paid more for a better card that would have done what i wanted. buts its too late to return/exchange this one! arghghgh! thanks so much for you help mike, ive been on this darn thing since last night! learned a lot though! ill post my solution when/if i find one, but tonight its more beers, and tomorrow some buddies are taking me golfing! good times brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rochip Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 More than happy to try to help, I learned a lot too. I wish it worked out better for you than it did but if you get a second card you'll be set. Having an extended desktop is nice, it saves on a lot of opening and closing windows and switching back and forth, etc. Take it easy and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 19, 2006 Author Share Posted August 19, 2006 thanks brother. ill keep you updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobrakommander56 Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 I've run quintuple monitors. its awesome. Insert random C4 joke here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984 Posted August 23, 2006 Author Share Posted August 23, 2006 I've run quintuple monitors. its awesome. can you explain it all to me sir? how is it all hitched up, what kind of cards do you use? reading this thread, is there anyway you can think of to hitch up my monitor? i can post a full system post (belarc advisor) if this would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphirer Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Quintuple = 4. So I assume that his 7800GT/GTX (w/e) have 2 ports on each one, so, 2 + 2 = 4 I can and sometimes do run two, since I have 2 ports on my graphics card. But that's the maximum, since you can't really plug 2 into your graphics card and then 1 into your motherboard If you really want the monitor space, you can try the TripleHead2Go. It's a little expensive, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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