2 screens?

I have come into possession of another screen and i was wondering what exactly i would need to do in order to use both screens.

And by 'both screens' i mean having a different program on screen in each one. For example: having my music open in one and my work open in the other.

 

We need some info on your hardware. Look at the back of your computer, where your monitor is connected. Do you have a second connector for a monitor? Are you using onboard video or an add-on video card?

What's the make and model of your computer? What's the make and model of each of your monitors, i.e. your "screens"? Do you know the type of connector they use, whether it's VGA or DVI?

 

You obviously need 2 monitors and a dual output video card. There are tons of dual output video cards and most are very affordable nowadays. Something to keep in mind, if you have 2 flat panel monitors and want to run DVI on both (rather then VGA), you will need a card that has 2 DVI outputs. There are cheapers cards on the market that offer 1 DVI out and 1 VGA out.

Once you have a card (if you don't already) and have both monitors connected, all you need to do is right click on your desktop, click on the settings tab where you should see 2 monitors, click on monitor and select 'Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor." as well as set your resolution!

 

He has 2 monitors; "screen" = monitor, I'm assuming. And, the dual output requirement is why I asked for more info on his hardare, to see what he actually has now. By the way, he doesn't necessarily need a dual output video card. A second video card, installed in a PCI slot, can do the job quite well in many cases.

 

My PC was built custom by a friend (i have next to 0 idea on how to build a pc)

Yes it does have a dual output video card, and i have a nvidia 7300 SE graphic card.

 

So, the answer to these questions is yes. OK, so have you tried connecting your second monitor to the second output on your video card?

By the way, we may still need further clarification on exactly what type of connector that second one is? You say you have a "dual output" card. But, is that second port a VGA or DVI port, or is it an "S-Video Out" port, the type that's used to connect to a TV rather than a computer monitor?

 

the 2nd output is dvi, the first is vga

(on the dual output card)

 

Alright. Does your second monitor have a DVI connector on the end of it's cable? If not, if it's a VGA-type connector, you can get a DVI-to-VGA adapter that will let you connect a VGA cable to that DVI port on your video card. If you're in the U.S., you can find them on the Internet from online sellers of computer components such as newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, etc. Or, if you have some computer stores or a Radio Shack store in your area, you can probably buy one on the local market.

 

I have a question to add to this. One video card, one out put, VGA/DVI Y adaptor. Two monitors. Will this work the same way as long as the Video card will suport two monitors?