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dual screen extended desktop woes

Submitted by MoonUnit on

i recently bought a second monitor with the intention of running an extended desktop over two screens. its been about a fortnight and i still cant set it up. I can find no documentation from ATI anywhere and their customer support (when i hasnt been down for maintenance) has been useless. does anyone know how im supposed to connect my primary and secondary monitors? Theres a D-sub and DVI-D caple connection on my card and ofcourse the original D-sub on my computer. Im trying to connect a LCD as a primary and a CRT as a secondary. My card (a radeon 9600XT) is supposed to be able to run extended desktop it just has no documentation on how you are supposed to connect the two monitors. Am i supposed to be getting some sort of third device to attach to my video card or something? thanks for any help anyone can give.

note: im not looking for info on how to set it up through ATIs controll panel UI, ive figured that out. it just cant see the connection to my second monitor and i dont know how im supposed to have connected it

Submitted by Major Clod on Sun, 06/03/05 - 2:28 AMPermalink

Just to be sure you're asking how to connect them up to the computer physically right?

If your LCD supports DVI, connect it to the DVI port, and your CRT to the d-sub. Otherwise you will need to connect both LCD and CRT through d-sub. You'll need to get a DVI to d-sub adaptor if it didn't already come with your card, so that you will end up with two d-sub ports on the back of your 9600XT.

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 06/03/05 - 4:33 AMPermalink

it takes me a while to figure it out too when setting mine up with my 9700 (during the short moments when i have 2 monitors to hook up). most of the fiddeling is in the display properties. i'm sure there's a seeting in there to say 'extend desktop to other screen' or something. i still cant figure out how to watch video in ful screen on the second screen though.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sun, 06/03/05 - 4:46 AMPermalink

woot woot woot!!!!
i got it working, thanks a million and one clod.
[img]http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/attached/MoonUnit/2005351443_Dualscreen.j…]

interestingly enough my LCD does support DVI and i did attempt to connect it soley by its DVI connection but it only diplayed the windows start up images (like the XP logo with the loading bar) and tinted purple. My card did come with the adaptor so i discarded the DVI and now both monitors are connected by d-sub. I shoulda come here first isntead of messing around with ATI customer service :P

thanks again, now... onto modelling with my fancy new setup ey?

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 06/03/05 - 5:22 AMPermalink

here's a tip: if you drag the toolbar in max over to the second monitor (which is a stupid idea cos it then takes ages to move the mouse over to it anyway) make sure you drag it back again before you get rid of your dual screen set up. if you dont, as i found out the hard way, when you load max the toolbar will not be present and you have to re-load the UI setting everytime you start up max! garh! (it's all fixed now though so dont worry people).

OH! I spot an AGDC squishy ball! did you go around nicking all the freebees too?

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sun, 06/03/05 - 5:39 AMPermalink

heh heh yeah thats the speechworks ball, me and cam went on a freebees hunt one session when we had nothing better to do :P
10 points to the first person who can tell me the name of the movie character who appears twice in that photo (thats right i got two toy thingys, im a merch whore)
and no worries livewire... i use maya :P

Submitted by J I Styles on Sun, 06/03/05 - 8:55 PMPermalink

Souri, the fact alone that you had those two pictures to comp onto moony's photo to start with scares me enough, then there's just how scarey the pictures are... he HAS to be wearing a chest-wig of some description... and let's just not talk about the one on the left.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sun, 06/03/05 - 10:49 PMPermalink

youd think id have learnt after last time.... and you still did it even after the free advertising in my photo :P

allthough that does bring up a point, anyone know a program that will allow me to have two seperate desktop background for each seperate monitor?

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Mon, 07/03/05 - 1:16 AMPermalink

With an Nvidia card all you need do is download Nview and set it up through there, I would assume that ATI would have something similar you can download/install to enable seperate backgrounds.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 07/03/05 - 2:24 AMPermalink

thats quite possibly that horrible catalyst thing that intsalled itself and i had to uninstall to get the whole thing working

Submitted by Kalescent on Mon, 07/03/05 - 10:20 PMPermalink

Souri : ROFL [:)] it seems inglis's spirit lives on amongst us.

Moony : Nice setup dude [:)] but loose the hoff desktops [:P] Cant help with the dual background - we run NView like Wiz mentioned, which is for nvidia based cards.

Submitted by Makk on Tue, 08/03/05 - 12:13 AMPermalink

OMFG!! What is he doing to those poor dogs!!

Submitted by Sorceror Bob on Tue, 08/03/05 - 3:14 AMPermalink

hahah everyone i know has that atari sticker on their box.

HOFF HOFF HOFF!!

Submitted by Anuxinamoon on Thu, 10/03/05 - 4:54 AMPermalink

LMAO Souri [:p] Those poor poor dogs...

I have like 5 of those atari stickers :D I thiink they are covering some card in my wallet with all my 'usefull info' on it [:)]

Posted by MoonUnit on

i recently bought a second monitor with the intention of running an extended desktop over two screens. its been about a fortnight and i still cant set it up. I can find no documentation from ATI anywhere and their customer support (when i hasnt been down for maintenance) has been useless. does anyone know how im supposed to connect my primary and secondary monitors? Theres a D-sub and DVI-D caple connection on my card and ofcourse the original D-sub on my computer. Im trying to connect a LCD as a primary and a CRT as a secondary. My card (a radeon 9600XT) is supposed to be able to run extended desktop it just has no documentation on how you are supposed to connect the two monitors. Am i supposed to be getting some sort of third device to attach to my video card or something? thanks for any help anyone can give.

note: im not looking for info on how to set it up through ATIs controll panel UI, ive figured that out. it just cant see the connection to my second monitor and i dont know how im supposed to have connected it


Submitted by Major Clod on Sun, 06/03/05 - 2:28 AMPermalink

Just to be sure you're asking how to connect them up to the computer physically right?

If your LCD supports DVI, connect it to the DVI port, and your CRT to the d-sub. Otherwise you will need to connect both LCD and CRT through d-sub. You'll need to get a DVI to d-sub adaptor if it didn't already come with your card, so that you will end up with two d-sub ports on the back of your 9600XT.

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 06/03/05 - 4:33 AMPermalink

it takes me a while to figure it out too when setting mine up with my 9700 (during the short moments when i have 2 monitors to hook up). most of the fiddeling is in the display properties. i'm sure there's a seeting in there to say 'extend desktop to other screen' or something. i still cant figure out how to watch video in ful screen on the second screen though.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sun, 06/03/05 - 4:46 AMPermalink

woot woot woot!!!!
i got it working, thanks a million and one clod.
[img]http://www.sumea.com.au/forum/attached/MoonUnit/2005351443_Dualscreen.j…]

interestingly enough my LCD does support DVI and i did attempt to connect it soley by its DVI connection but it only diplayed the windows start up images (like the XP logo with the loading bar) and tinted purple. My card did come with the adaptor so i discarded the DVI and now both monitors are connected by d-sub. I shoulda come here first isntead of messing around with ATI customer service :P

thanks again, now... onto modelling with my fancy new setup ey?

Submitted by LiveWire on Sun, 06/03/05 - 5:22 AMPermalink

here's a tip: if you drag the toolbar in max over to the second monitor (which is a stupid idea cos it then takes ages to move the mouse over to it anyway) make sure you drag it back again before you get rid of your dual screen set up. if you dont, as i found out the hard way, when you load max the toolbar will not be present and you have to re-load the UI setting everytime you start up max! garh! (it's all fixed now though so dont worry people).

OH! I spot an AGDC squishy ball! did you go around nicking all the freebees too?

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sun, 06/03/05 - 5:39 AMPermalink

heh heh yeah thats the speechworks ball, me and cam went on a freebees hunt one session when we had nothing better to do :P
10 points to the first person who can tell me the name of the movie character who appears twice in that photo (thats right i got two toy thingys, im a merch whore)
and no worries livewire... i use maya :P

Submitted by J I Styles on Sun, 06/03/05 - 8:55 PMPermalink

Souri, the fact alone that you had those two pictures to comp onto moony's photo to start with scares me enough, then there's just how scarey the pictures are... he HAS to be wearing a chest-wig of some description... and let's just not talk about the one on the left.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Sun, 06/03/05 - 10:49 PMPermalink

youd think id have learnt after last time.... and you still did it even after the free advertising in my photo :P

allthough that does bring up a point, anyone know a program that will allow me to have two seperate desktop background for each seperate monitor?

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Mon, 07/03/05 - 1:16 AMPermalink

With an Nvidia card all you need do is download Nview and set it up through there, I would assume that ATI would have something similar you can download/install to enable seperate backgrounds.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 07/03/05 - 2:24 AMPermalink

thats quite possibly that horrible catalyst thing that intsalled itself and i had to uninstall to get the whole thing working

Submitted by Kalescent on Mon, 07/03/05 - 10:20 PMPermalink

Souri : ROFL [:)] it seems inglis's spirit lives on amongst us.

Moony : Nice setup dude [:)] but loose the hoff desktops [:P] Cant help with the dual background - we run NView like Wiz mentioned, which is for nvidia based cards.

Submitted by Makk on Tue, 08/03/05 - 12:13 AMPermalink

OMFG!! What is he doing to those poor dogs!!

Submitted by Sorceror Bob on Tue, 08/03/05 - 3:14 AMPermalink

hahah everyone i know has that atari sticker on their box.

HOFF HOFF HOFF!!

Submitted by Anuxinamoon on Thu, 10/03/05 - 4:54 AMPermalink

LMAO Souri [:p] Those poor poor dogs...

I have like 5 of those atari stickers :D I thiink they are covering some card in my wallet with all my 'usefull info' on it [:)]