Using Multiple-Display Support

Windows 7 allows you to extend your Desktop across multiple monitors. This means you can spread your applications across multiple monitors. Using multiple monitors is becoming a common practice in the corporate environment. Many programmers use multiple monitors while coding, and many like to have multiple monitors so that they can work and monitor email at the same time.

Setting Up Multiple-Display Support

To set up multiple-display support, you must have a video adapter installed that supports multiple monitors or a separate video adapter installed for each monitor.

TIP If your computer has the video adapter built into the system board, you should install Windows 7 before you install the second video adapter because Windows 7 will disable the video adapter that is built into the system board if it detects a second video adapter. When you add a second video adapter after Windows 7 is installed, it automatically becomes the primary video adapter.

Perform the following steps to configure multiple-display support:

1. Turn off your computer and install the new video adapters, if needed. Plug your monitors into the video adapters and turn on your computer. Assuming that the adapters are Plug and Play- compatible, Windows 7 automatically recognizes your new adapters and loads the correct drivers.
2. Open the Display Settings dialog box (right-click an empty area on your Desktop, select Personalize, and click Display Settings). You should see an icon for each of the monitors.
3. Click the number of the monitor that will act as your additional display. Then select the Extend the Desktop Onto This Monitor check box. Repeat this step for each additional monitor you want to configure. You can change the order in which the displays are arranged by dragging and dropping the monitor icons in the Monitor tab of the Display Settings dialog box.
4. When you finish configuring the monitors, click OK to close the dialog box.