Setting Up Dual Monitors

Do you know that Windows 8 has another feature that lets you work on two things all at the same time? Yes! You can actually work while you’re on the Start Screen and complete another task on the desktop screen using two monitors.

When you click the “Desktop Tile” on the Start Screen, you will be automatically taken to the very familiar “Desktop Screen” which existed even in earlier Windows versions. From here, you can install the old-style programs as well as other software and do some other tasks like creating a word document, surfing the web with your favorite desktop browser but if you are also fond of using some apps coming from the Windows Store, flicking between the metro and the desktop environment would become irritating. Thankfully, there’s a way for you to do these things at the same time using two monitors but before you can do this, you need to have a spare monitor at your disposal so you can view the Start Screen  on one monitor and the Desktop Screen on the other. This may sound complicated right but the truth is having everything just needs a very simple setup. Let us now see how it is done.

First, Work on the Connections

The very first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you know how to hook your second monitor to your Windows computer. Most computers and monitors have VGA,DVI or HDMI ports and for you to connect them together, you need a cable that would fit the type of port that your computer and monitor has in common (HDMI to HDMI or VGA to VGA or DVI to DVI) but if the ports don’t match, you can always use an adapter to work the magic for you.

Next, Enable the Second Screen

After the computer gets hooked up to the second monitor, it is time to set up everything on the second screen so it can display the things that you want it to show, If you are using an LCD TV which can be connected to a PC, you first need to choose the right input for it to start working. After doing so, you need to press the “Windows + P” keys and choose “Extend”. You will then notice that your second monitor will start displaying your desktop screen and whatever you do on your computer will not appear on the second screen.

Another way of setting up your second screen is by going to the “Display Settings” of the desktop screen on your computer. Simply go to the desktop, right-click an empty space on it and select “Personalize” from the menu that appears.

On the screen that comes out after clicking on the “Personalize” button, simply look at the navigation pane on the left then hit “Display”. You will then notice that you are now on the Window where you can do some minor adjustments to your computer’s display but this is not the place yet where we will do the adjustment, you need to get to the left navigation pane again and hit the “Change display settings” link.

There would be times that you would have problems with the resolution on the second screen so you need to manually adjust it from this section to make everything fit on both your PC and your second screen. You might also want to change the orientation from landscape to portrait especially when you’re working on some documents. These things are all possible from the “Personalize” section which you accessed earlier. All you need to do is explore and try changing the default settings to see what fits best to the setup you did. Once everything appears as you want them to be (both on the PC screen and on the Second screen), you can now start using both in doing different tasks. The next step that I will show is how you can start working with both monitors.

How to Work with the Second Screen

Now that you have both your PC screen and the Second screen working and displaying different stuff, it is time to learn how you can work on two things using this set up. First, you need to try opening a desktop program on your PC screen and once its Window appears, you need to drag it to the right until you see it on the second screen you’ve set up. Once it is there, you can maximize it and you’ll notice that the screen on your PC is clear but the second screen already has the Window of the program which you dragged to it.

To get the mouse pointer on to the second screen, you just need to move towards the right side of the screen until it disappears. Once it disappears, look for it on the second monitor and you should see it coming out of the left side. To bring it back to your PC screen, simply move to the left side of the screen until it disappears and once it does, you should see it coming out of the right side of your PC screen.

How to Disconnect the Second Screen

Disconnecting the second screen from your computer does not mean that you will just unplug the wires on both devices. Doing this might damage the video card of your computer so it is always best to safely remove a second screen or a projector after you use them. To disconnect the second screen, simply press the “Windows + P” keys again and you’ll see some options appear at the right side of the screen. From here, all you need to do is click or tap on the one that says “PC screen only” and you will see that the display on the second screen will automatically be turned off.

Increase Productivity in No time

Working with two different set of tasks on a dual monitor setup maximizes the use of your time, energy and your Windows 8 machine as well. The easy setup process coupled with the very simple tweaks that needs to be done makes everything appear like magic. This only proves that Windows 8 indeed increases your productivity without the complicated processes that needs to be done as other operating systems do. All you need to do is secure the needed equipment, connect them together then after doing so, you’ll now have a multitasking machine that will do just about anything that you want it to accomplish.