Dual Monitors

One of the reasons that computers are getting cheaper is because monitors are getting cheaper. The video hardware that drives them is also more affordable than ever before. Microsoft realized that when they released Windows 98 and built in support for multiple monitors. That support continued with 98SE, 2000 and ME. If you use NT, you're not out of luck, but this article won't help you. Your best alternative is to use a dual headed card, like the Matrox G450, one with two monitor outputs.

Getting dual monitors to work correctly seems to be a hit or miss affair. In many cases, it's just a matter adding a second video card and monitor and rebooting the computer. In other cases, you need to do some cyber gymnastics to get things working correctly.

 

The process is the same no matter which version of Windows you are using. First, be sure that your system is working correctly. Boot into safe mode and verify that you have only one video adapter and monitor showing in the Device Manager. If there are more, but you only have one adapter and monitor, you'll need to remove the extras.

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