Dual monitors. Left monitor = #2. Background inverted.

[loic2003]

So, I have a 9800 pro with an analogue and a digital output. This is plugged into two 17" flat screens. Since I'm right handed and my joystick/mouse being on the right, I have chosen the right-hand screen to be digital and my primary monitor (ie games play on the RHS screen).

The problem is when getting a background to stretch across the two screens. Previously I had my primary monitor on the left, and all would work well, but since moving it to the right the background comes up the wrong way around, ie the left half of the image turns up on the right, etc.

Is there a way around this other than cutting the background image in two and rearranging it in photoshop?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Fardringle]

If you are running Windows XP:

Right-click on the Windows Desktop, and left-click on Properties.
Click on the Settings tab.
Drag the box labeled "1" to the right of the box labeled "2" (or drag "2" to the left of "1").
Click Apply.
The layout of the two screens should reverse, putting the left half of the background image on the left ("2") monitor. If it looks right, click OK to save the change and exit. If not, or if "2" was already on the left previously, reverse the process and put "1" on the left instead of "2".


edit: I believe these instructions will also work in Windows 2000, but I don't have a Win2K machine handy that has dual-monitor capability so I'm not able to verify it.

 

[loic2003]

Cheers for the reply.

However, I understand that making the left monitor the primary (number 1) fixes the issue, but I want my primary monitor to be on the right, next to my mouse and joystick. The number 1 monitor must be on the right, yet I'd like a background to stretch across the two, and not be the wrong way around...

 

[Fardringle]

You don't need to make the left monitor the primary. If #1 is the primary now , it will stay the primary monitor until you click on another monitor and check the box to "Use this device as the primary monitor."

However, dragging #2 to the left of #1 on that screen will make Windows put the left half of the desktop graphic on #2 and the right half of the graphic on #1, and moving the mouse cursor off of the left side of #1 will put the cursor on the right side of screen #2. (The way you have things set right now, moving the cursor off of the RIGHT side of screen #1 will put the cursor on the left side of screen #2, which is backwards). Moving #2 to the left side in the display properties will arrange things the way you want them to be.

 

[loic2003]

If I do that, however, the computer thinks my monitors are in opposite positions, so the image for the right appears on the left, and vise-versa. Moving the mouse off the right of my right screen brings the cursor in from the left of my left screen. Not good.

The #1 monitor (ie when you tell it to identify the screen, #1 is displayed) is the monitor that will display games, etc when loaded. I want this screen to be on the right, so effectively the little images on the display properties must go [2][1]. Swapping these around will not sort my problem. However, windows seems to ignore the positions set of your monitors in the display properties and always stretches a wallpapaer from screen 1 to screen 2.

Looks like I need to fart around with the catylist drivers or alter my background images.

 

[Fardringle]

I'm not sure why your computer is not behaving properly. I have my system set up exactly the way I described to you, with the primary monitor on the right, secondary on the left, and the left side of the wallpaper on the left screen, right side on the right. Mouse moves off of the left side of the right screen onto the right side of the right screen just as it should. Games all open on the right monitor. I don't leave it like this all the time since I like to have my primary screen on the left, but I configured it this way just to make sure the instructions I gave you are correct and everything is working just fine for me.

In the display properties, I have "1" set as the primary monitor, and on the right side of the screen, and "2" on the left side of the screen with "extend my Windows desktop" selected for "2". The position on the screen in the Display Properties is how Windows will position them for wallpaper, applications (scrolling across both screens) and for mouse scrolling.

If they aren't working on your desk the way they are showing in the Display Properties window, click on the Identify button at the bottom of the Display Properties window and the number of each display as Windows identifies them will be displayed as a very large number on each physical monitor. If the numbers are reversed from what you though they should be, then you simply need to reverse the way you are configuring their positions in Display Properties. (I.E. if "1" shows on the left monitor, then you need to drag "1" to the left side in the Display Properties window.)