multiple monitors and opening new windows

[Red Squirrel]

I've had dual monitors for a while now but this is just getting more and more anoying.

When I'm in a certain application and make it open another window, it will always open at some random location. Sometimes on the same monitor as the app sometimes on the other monitor. It's really anoying. For example, if I open my email sometimes it will open the email on the same screen that my client is set at, sometimes not.

Some apps "learn" but most don't, and it will change in a heart beat. For example with firefox any popups such as a PM notification on some forums, opens on my other monitor. It's annoying to have to use both monitors for something I can do on one.

Anything that can be done to do the following:

1: tell ALL apps to ALWAYS open on a the specified monitor - would be cool if I can specify which apps open where, but that I'm less concerned, normally I just want them to open on my main and I'll drag them myself. This way I can turn off the other screen or have it switched to another pc (kvm) without needing it.

2: Make it so any separate window always opens on the same screen that the parent window is currently in.


Are these two things possible, with maybe some special software or something (free)? I'm running windows xp

 

[MrChad]

UltraMon will do what you want, I believe.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Is there anything like this that's free? Or even a setting in windows?

 

[Ken g6]

If it helps, you can do:

Alt, space, M, arrow key

blind, and when you drag your mouse back from the other monitor, the current window will come with it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah that's the work around I've been using now but does not work with all programs. (right click taskbar, select move) Still anoying regardless that stuff opens all over the place, would be nice if it just always opened on same monitor, unless it's a child window, then it opens in same window as the actual application.