Specifications
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Chapter 15 Video Hardware
After the hardware is in place, you can configure the display for each monitor from the Display control
panel’s Settings page. The primary display is always fixed in the upper-left corner of the virtual desk-
top, but you can move the secondary displays to view any area of the desktop you like. You can also
set the screen resolution and color depth for each display individually. For more information about
configuring multiple-monitor support in Windows 98/Me, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article
#179602. The multiple-monitor support included with Windows 2000 and Windows XP is somewhat
different from that of Windows 98/Me. These versions of Windows support ten monitors, rather than
nine as with Windows 98/Me. In addition, because Windows 2000 and XP use different display drivers
than Windows 98/Me, some configurations that work with 98/Me might not work with Windows
2000/XP. For more information about configuring multiple-monitor support in Windows 2000, see
Microsoft Knowledge Base article #238886. For details of the display cards compatible with Windows
XP in multiple-display modes, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article #307397.
Windows XP also supports DualView, an enhancement to Windows 2000’s multiple-monitor support.
DualView supports the increasing number of dual-head video cards as well as notebook computers con-
nected to external displays. With systems supporting DualView, the first video port is automatically
assigned to the primary monitor. On a notebook computer, the primary display is the built-in LCD panel.
Note
Many recent notebook computers that have integrated graphics do not support DualView; however, most recent notebook
computers that use a discrete graphics chip do support DualView. To determine whether your notebook computer supports
DualView, open its Display properties sheet and click the Settings tab. If two monitor icons are visible, your computer sup-
ports DualView. You can activate secondary monitor support after you attach a monitor to the external VGA port.
Even if your BIOS enables you to specify the primary video card and you use video cards that are listed as
compatible, determining exactly which display cards will work successfully in a multimonitor configuration
can be difficult. Microsoft provides a list of compatible display cards in the
Hcl.txt file located on the
Windows 2000 CD-ROM, but this list does not contain the latest video cards and chipsets from NVIDIA,
ATI, or other companies, nor does it take into account changes in supported chipsets caused by improved
drivers. Unfortunately, the online version of the Microsoft Windows Catalog (
www.Microsoft.com/
windows/catalog/) doesn’t list information about multiple-monitor support for any version of Windows.
Consequently, you should check with your video card or chipset maker for the latest information on
Windows 2000 or Windows XP and multiple-monitor support issues.
Because new chipsets, updated drivers, and combinations of display adapters are a continuous issue for
multiple-monitor support when separate video cards are used, I recommend the following online resources:
■
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon. Home of the UltraMon multiple-monitor support
enhancement program ($39.95); an extensive database of user-supplied multiple-monitor config-
urations for Windows 98/Me, Windows 2000/XP, and Linux; product reviews; and tips
■
http://www.digitalroom.net (click Tech Articles and then Multiple Monitor Guide); excellent
tips on multiple-monitor setups and links to other resources
Multiple-monitor support can be enabled through either of the following:
■ Installation of a separate AGP or PCI graphics card for each monitor you want to use
■ Installation of a single AGP or PCI graphics card that can support two or more monitors
A card that supports multiple monitors (also called a multiple-head or dual-head card) saves slots
inside your system and eliminates the headaches of driver and BIOS updates or system reconfiguration
sometimes necessary when using two or more video cards for multiple-monitor capability.
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