Dual Monitor setup

[neverlate2day]

I recently hooked up my 32 inch LCD TV as a 2nd monitor to my PC.
I don't really intend to use it as a second monitor, i just want to to mimic the screen on my monitor so i can play all my games on it.

I want a free solution for my problem
A SOFTWARE TO MIMIC THE SAME DISPLAY OVER 2 MONITORS

Reply ASAP, I cant wait to game on my large screen

[fguy64]

Good luck finding a free solution. last I checked, if you wanted two monitors, you needed two video cards. Maybe the technology has changed since then.

[Livewire]

Good luck finding a free solution. last I checked, if you wanted two monitors, you needed two video cards. Maybe the technology has changed since then.

It has, many cards support multiple monitors; the 8800gt I've got supports dual monitors including a TV right off the bat, so does the one in my mom's pc although hers is an INSANELY old card in comparison.

Find the make and model video card you have; if it actually has the multiple video outputs, there is quite likely official software (nVidia and ATI both have their own solutions that support 'Cloning' mode where they both run the same video) that can handle it. If the card doesn't have more than one output, you're stuck buying new hardware (whether that's a video card, or one of the multitude of hardware devices that take one monitor output and split it to two outputs, usually used to send one to a projector).

[fguy64]

duly noted, I misread the first post, he already has the 2nd monitor hooked up it seems, so he must have the dual port video card, but it doesn't work the way he wants.

[Smith6612]

Good luck finding a free solution. last I checked, if you wanted two monitors, you needed two video cards. Maybe the technology has changed since then.

Video cards these days typically come with one VGA and one DVI port, S-video included or have two DVI ports with an S-video port or HDMI port. There are some cards that only have one DVI port, and of course the older cards only had one VGA port with maybe S-Video. Any modern card though should at least have a DVI port (which can in fact be split into two DVI ports using a DVI splitter, allowing for two monitors). Higher end cards will have two DVI ports with an S-Video/HDMI port.

Now on the other hand, if you're trying to use second/third video cards in your system for distributed computing or something else like I use here that can't run off of SLi/Crossfire, you can get dummy plugs which will emulate a monitor load (thus allowing the card to be used more) but will not do a thing. I have one dummy plug here since though I have three GTX280s on my system, the first two cards have 30" monitors plugged into them (totaling two 30" monitors with 60" of screen for my system). On my third card, I have a dummy plug on the DVI port since that card is basically being used for extra power/as a spare. I have room for 3 monitors (4 with the dummy plug removed) as well as 3 TVs left on the cards.

Monitor cloning should be supported by every card these days. Right click the desktop for the settings or look in the video card's control panel to see if there is a desktop cloning option. There should be as I have one here on my gaming box, and my 11 year old laptop's ATi M1 Mobility card does monitor cloning on both it's VGA port, the LCD screen as well as the S-Video jack. My old gaming rig running a GeForce 4MX does cloning via it's S-Video jack where it simply outputs the same thing the VGA jack is outputting.

[neverlate2day]

It has, many cards support multiple monitors; the 8800gt I've got supports dual monitors including a TV right off the bat, so does the one in my mom's pc although hers is an INSANELY old card in comparison.

Find the make and model video card you have; if it actually has the multiple video outputs, there is quite likely official software (nVidia and ATI both have their own solutions that support 'Cloning' mode where they both run the same video) that can handle it. If the card doesn't have more than one output, you're stuck buying new hardware (whether that's a video card, or one of the multitude of hardware devices that take one monitor output and split it to two outputs, usually used to send one to a projector).

I have an 8500GT and I've connected my TV via DVI and my moonitor via VGA
Now what?
Edit:
Never Mind and thanks Livewire I found it in the Nvidia Control Panel

[alexandgruntz]

You could just get Windows 7 RC which can do that out of the ISO.

[dmdwarriorz]

I recently hooked up my 32 inch LCD TV as a 2nd monitor to my PC.
I don't really intend to use it as a second monitor, i just want to to mimic the screen on my monitor so i can play all my games on it.

I want a free solution for my problem
A SOFTWARE TO MIMIC THE SAME DISPLAY OVER 2 MONITORS

Reply ASAP, I cant wait to game on my large screen

Hardware Specs
yea, all you have to do to setup dual monitors is, if you have a laptop, plug the monitor into the VGA input on the laptop, or whatever the input that fits monitor plugs is called, and if you're on a desktop, you need to either have two vga monitor thingy plug-ins on your desktop, which probably exists but i dont know of it, or you have to get the vga monitor thingy splitter probably from like best buy or radio shack and then u plug it into ur computer and u plug the two monitor cords into the new splitter.

Virtual Specs
Now, go to my control panel, then click display and then go to settings, then select the 2nd or 3rd display option, then drag the "2", which is the 2nd monitor to the location relative to the first monitor. Choose your resolution on monitor "2", make sure the extend check box is checked, then click apply and ok, and congrats! You're now using dual monitors. To do more than one monitor, do the same with all the other monitors. Enjoy!

[alexandgruntz]

He wanted the displays cloned, which Windows Vista and earlier cannot do without extra software. ;)

[Livewire]

He wanted the displays cloned, which Windows Vista and earlier cannot do without extra software. ;)

Or at least not without the official driver/controlpanel combo, which tend to include that extra software for the heck of it