Dual monitors in Windows 2000 Pro

[BookWorm]

My notebook supports a second display, but only in 98 and probably XP. According to Microsoft, Windows 2000 doesn't work with a second monitor unless you have a separate controller for each screen. How do I fix 2000 so it will use both monitors?

[jaclaz]

My notebook supports a second display, but only in 98 and probably XP. According to Microsoft, Windows 2000 doesn't work with a second monitor unless you have a separate controller for each screen. How do I fix 2000 so it will use both monitors?

Well, NO.

"According to Microsoft" tells nothing, WHERE have you read this piece of info? (link please)

You might be confusing a "by design" issue from Microsoft that has been by now solved by most Video card manufacturers with their "special" drivers:

http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/faq.asp

Dualhead cards and true multi-monitor support on Windows 2000

Due to a limitation in Windows 2000, dualhead cards that use a single chipset to drive both monitors require special workarounds in the driver to be properly recognized by the system. If these workarounds are not implemented, Windows 2000 sees a single large monitor instead of two.

This causes the following problems:

• using different resolutions for each monitor is not possible
  
• windows are maximized to the desktop instead of the monitor they are on, and dialog boxes appear centered on the desktop, split across monitors. Software included with the card may be used to work around these problems though
  
• taskbar is extended across both monitors instead of only a single one
  
• multi-monitor software will not work properly
  

All major video card/chipset manufacturers do now have Windows 2000 drivers with full multi-monitor support.

• Appian added support for their Hurricane cards, most likely also for other RADEON VE-based cards.
  
• ATI has added support for the RADEON 9xxx cards, but not for earlier cards. See this forum thread for more information.
  http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/forum/messages.asp?Topic=2397&tmpl=
  
• Matrox has supported this for a long time, when installing the drivers, make sure to enable support for independent displays.
  
• Nvidia added support in the 28.32 drivers, see this forum thread for more information.
  http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/forum/messages.asp?Topic=1325
  

WHICH EXACT notebook make/model is it?

WHICH EXACT video card has it?

It is very probable that with this info it will be possible to find a suitable driver.

jaclaz

[BookWorm]

> WHICH EXACT notebook make/model is it?

IBM ThinkPad 600X, 2645-9FU

> WHICH EXACT video card has it?

Neomagic MagicGraph256ZX with 4MB

> "According to Microsoft" tells nothing, WHERE have you read this piece of info? (link

> please)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/238886

> Windows 2000 sees a single large monitor instead of two.

No it doesn't. Windows says it sees multiple monitors (control panel/display/settings) but the external monitor is a copy of the internal one. The second monitor can be used seperately in Windows 98/ME, so the problem is in Windows 2000, not the hardware.

In control panel/display/settings/advanced/neomagic, there is a "set dual display" check box, but it's greyed out.

[jaclaz]

No it doesn't. Windows says it sees multiple monitors (control panel/display/settings) but the external monitor is a copy of the internal one. The second monitor can be used seperately in Windows 98/ME, so the problem is in Windows 2000, not the hardware.

In control panel/display/settings/advanced/neomagic, there is a "set dual display" check box, but it's greyed out.

Sure , noone said there was a problem in the hardware, the problem is within the drivers.

The point is that most graphic card manufacturers have developed "special" drivers that can workaround the "basic" Windows 2000 limitation, point is if the maker of your graphic card has made these drivers and if they are available.

WHICH driver are you currently using under 2K?

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Neomagic_MagicGraph256ZX

THe IBM one:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-4GXLS3.html

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-4GXL5N.html

Dual-display functionality is not supported under Windows 2000 Models: ThinkPad 600E, and 600X models

Issue: Dual-display capability is not supported while running Windows 2000.

Cause: This is a current design limitation of Windows 2000.

Resolution: This limitation may be addressed by Microsoft in the future.

Cannot enable multi-monitor support using my PCI display adapter while running Windows 2000Models: All ThinkPad 600 Series models

Issue: Multi-monitor support is not enabled when a PCI display adapter is install on Windows 2000.

Cause: Refer to the "Using the multi-monitor feature of ThinkPad computers under Windows 2000" section under the General Technical Information portion of this user's guide.

Resolution: Future releases of Windows 2000 will include additional display adapters for multi-monitor.

Seems like NOT being able to manage multi monitor properly, and it seems like the promised update was never released.

You may try other drivers, but be WARNED: it's tricky business and you may well end up with an unbootable machine.

Examples:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/migr-4q2klz.html

http://search.euro.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=uk&l=en&cs=&k=neomagic&cat=sup&x=0&y=0

even if they don't make your laptop unbootable they will probably need to be modified/tweaked.

jaclaz

Edited October 12, 2010 by jaclaz

[Lenny_Nero]

I have never had a problem running multi monitors via Win2k ?

Just select the second monitor in the display options, but these are all with ATI cards.

done so with 9550, x1650xt, and 4650 Radions.

I have used the Omega modded ATI drivers, but I am sure the box I have running two via the x1650xt has a much newer ATI driver with Blackwing cats driver bits added to get later versions.

In fact I have also done so via a 9500GT I have as a spare.

OK, just re-read and seen the PCI card bit and its, or the laptop drivers that seem to be more of the problem ...sorry.