Two monitors with a desk top system.

G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

How can I use my desk top system that has only one Montor port so that I can
have two montors like I can do with a laptop?

Do I need a special dual port graphic card? Note that my system's existing
graphic port in built into the mother board.

Having to montors is such a great productivity enhancing tool.

Thanks for your help.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

You can't use two monitors with a single video port.

You need to either purchase another video card, and install it, and then use
both ports, or buy a video card that can do dual outputs.

Matt Gibson - GSEC

"Atl-Mike" <AtlMike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A084A102-1D1C-410E-A1D3-5A73FA4AFD3A@microsoft.com...
> How can I use my desk top system that has only one Montor port so that I
> can
> have two montors like I can do with a laptop?
>
> Do I need a special dual port graphic card? Note that my system's
> existing
> graphic port in built into the mother board.
>
> Having to montors is such a great productivity enhancing tool.
>
> Thanks for your help.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

> Do I need a special dual port graphic card? Note that my system's
> existing
> graphic port in built into the mother board.

If you have a free PCI or AGP slot on your mother board you may be able to
get by using your onboard display card and one of the supported PCI or AGP
cards

If you have any combination of two AGP/PCI slots free you can disable the
onboard and use two cards, if it is more economical than getting a dual port
graphic card.

See:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307397

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;296538


hth
DDS W 2k MVP MCSE


"Atl-Mike" <AtlMike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A084A102-1D1C-410E-A1D3-5A73FA4AFD3A@microsoft.com...
> How can I use my desk top system that has only one Montor port so that I
> can
> have two montors like I can do with a laptop?
>
> Do I need a special dual port graphic card? Note that my system's
> existing
> graphic port in built into the mother board.
>
> Having to montors is such a great productivity enhancing tool.
>
> Thanks for your help.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

"Atl-Mike" <AtlMike@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>How can I use my desk top system that has only one Montor port so that I can
>have two montors like I can do with a laptop?
>
>Do I need a special dual port graphic card? Note that my system's existing
>graphic port in built into the mother board.
>
>Having to montors is such a great productivity enhancing tool.
>
>Thanks for your help.

You will need an additional graphics card, but exactly what depends on
the specific type of motherboard that you have.

1. Some of the chipsets used for onboard video are not compatible
with the multiple display option in Windows XP so in order to use two
monitors on one of these systems you must disable the onboard video
completely and purchase a video card with two heads or two video
cards.

2. Some motherboards with onboard video also have an AGP video card
slot while others do not. If your motherboard does not have an AGP
video card slot then you must use a PCI graphics card which are less
common and there are fewer models to choose from.

Note: Do not repeat do not confuse PCI graphics cards with the newer
PCI Express (PCIe) graphics cards. They are completely different.

3. If your motherboard has an AGP slot your best bet would be one of
the ATI or Sapphire cards that provide both VGA and DVI video outputs.
With one of these cards plus a (very inexpensive) DVI to VGA adapter
plug you can connect two VGA monitors to these cards,

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm