Multiple Display Question

[gbl]

I have set up two monitors on a Windows XP Pro Computer, and have them both displaying. The Primary is a Samsung 580S tft, and the seond is an ACER X193BW, attached to ATI RAge IIC and ATI 3D Rage LT PRO Video cards respectively.
I want to be able to display a word or excel file on one screen and a different word or excel file on the second screen. When I attempt this both open up one screen, the last one on which this was displayed. How do I resolve this?
Thank you

 

[BadBigBen]

Time to upgrade the GFXcard, to a single Dual output, e.g. ATI 9600 or better...

have a read:

Multiple Monitors

http://compreviews.about.com/od/monitors/a/multimonitor.htm

Do you need 2 graphics cards for a dual monitor setup?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081003140352AAwMagO

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[vacunita]

You mean the display is the same on both screens?

If so there should be an option to Extend Windows Desktop to the other screen, from Display Properties assuming this is on Windows.










----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[gbl]

Thank you both for the replies. To clarify:
(1) I placed a short cut icon on screen 1 to open one spreadsheet.
(2) I placed a short cut icon on screen 2 to open the second spreadsheet (by moving the mouse across until the arrow moved onto the second screen.
(3) When I clicked on the first short cut, the spreadsheet opened on screen 1
(4) When I clicked on the second short cut located on the second screen, the second spreadsheet opened on screen 1, when I wanted it to open on screen 2.
At no time are the screens showing the exact same thing.
I was able to do this all because I did have the extend option mentioned above already selected.
If I drag the spreadsheet across to screen 2 then the next attempt to open spreadsheet 1 or 2 will cause them to open on screen 2.

Is it possible at all to have spreadsheet 1 always open on screen 1 and spreadsheet 2 always open on screen 2? If so, does this mean I have to get a newer graphics card? And if I do get a new graphics card are additional options made available to me regarding how to make the multiple screens
behave?
Thanks again.

 

[cmeagan656]

The following has worked for me (assuming Office 2003) when opening two different programs (Word & Excel) but I haven't tried it for two spreadsheets using the same program and I'm not currently using an dual monitor system:

1. Open Spreadsheet 1
2. Open Spreadsheet 2
3. Drag Spreadsheet 2 to the second monitor
4. In Spreadsheet 2 go File ->close to close Spreadsheet 2
5. In the 2nd instance of Excel (the one in which Spreadsheet 2 was just closed) go File ->exit
6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 for spreadsheet 1.

The next time you open the shortcuts the spreadsheets should open on the monitor that they were previously closed on.

Note: It is very important that you use file ->close and file ->exit rather than the X or Alt+F4.

Cheers.

 

[BadBigBen]

@gbl - Try it as mentioned by Cmeagan656...

Usually Windows remembers where the last opened window from an app, is located at and stores the coordinates... upon reopening any window from said app, windows places the window at those saved coordinates...

what you are trying to do, will work only with two DIFFERENT Apps, e.g. Word and Excel...

PS: since the dual video is working correctly, ignore my first rambling about upgrading...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[vacunita]

Thanks for clarifying.

cmeagan656's technique may work, never tried to get 2 windows of the same application to open on different monitors.

As an additional fact, the location of the shortcut icons themselves is irrelevant.





----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.