how to make a display-less workstation please?

Hi

How do I fool windows 8 (or 7 or Vista) into seeing multiple monitors turned on when there is only one or maybe even zero?

I want my own cloud/citrix-type pc solution.
I would run splashtop streamer on a home PC which would be configured for 3 or 4 monitors. I would then use splashtop remote to access the PC and choose whichever monitor I wanted to see. I can do all this with my 4 monitor setup but I now want to do it with a couple of silent atom PCs that can just sit there and serve screens.

There must be a way as I'm know server-farms don't have a monitor for each PC.

Any help would be most welcome - cheers

 

Why would you want to see 4 monitors in remote? What exactly are you serving up to these 'screens'? With Windows you can have multiple apps open and flip between them since you can only see one at a time with your remote anyways.. can you explain more?

 

sure foogoo
several monitors would display sets of windows which would be impractical to setup on the fly even from the local PC direct. I often use an application which arranges 10 windows across 3 screens. They are set there specifically for the layout. By select which screen I want to view I can see the correct layout. It would be nearly impossible for me to create the correct layout I need on an ipad or and android phone. I want to switch easily between layouts.

I know what I want and I can do it happily with 4 monitors attached. Now I want to do it with those monitors disconnected. When that happens windows throws everything back to 1 screen and its not pretty.

 

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* Warning I did not test these instructions, use at your own RISK! *
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Still didn't do a good job of explaining it but here may be a solution build a dongle from like this http://www.geeks3d.com/20091230/vga-hack-how-to-make-a-vga-dummy-plug/

or I also found at http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml

ID pins set-up

4 11 12
ID2 ID0 ID1

n/c n/c n/c no monitor
n/c n/c GND Mono monitor which does not support 1024x768
n/c GND n/c Color monitor which does not support 1024x768
GND GND n/c Color monitor which supports 1024x768
GND means connected to ground
n/c means that the pin is not connected anywhere

Which would appear to say if you connect pin 4 & 11 to GND it will think a monitor is attached too.

Here is another ghost monitor hack, look real close at the picture..
http://hackaday.com/2008/04/26/ghost-external-vga-display-hack/


So setup the screens, shut down the PC, attach the dongels and boot up and see if it stays.

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* Good luck and don't let the smoke out *
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Yeh sorry the explanation didn't do it. I think I have a software solution now using 8 virtual desktops but thanks for suggesting possible solution. Have had this question around other forums no one even answered. TY