Problems with multiple monitor support in XP MCE/Pro...

[Ichinisan]

Using XP MCE 2005 (basically XP Pro), I've had nothing but problems with XP's own built-in multiple monitor support. I can't imagine a more practical use than to use the television for the MCE app and the monitor for the Windows Desktop. This works fine, but the MCE window keeps stealing focus and grabbing my mouse cursor. Each time this happens, I have to press Alt+Tab or the [Win] key if nothing else is open. When I press the [Win] key, it only works half the time. Sometimes the Start Menu appears briefly and the mouse is stolen back immediately.

If I close another window, there's always the risk that Windows will give focus to the MCE app again and trap my mouse cursor. It would be nice if there was some way to have a second taskbar on the secondary monitor that contains the task buttons only for windows that are open on that monitor. Then I would not have the Media Center task button on the primary taskbar.

Are there any advanced tweaks that might help this situation?

 

[Seekermeister]

You can choose which display to have the taskbar to appear on, by going to Tools under Desktop Management in the Nvidia Control panel, and click the "Move To Display" button and you can simply make a selection. But, as far as I know, you can't have the taskbar on both at the same time, except by using Horizonal Spanning. But that would cause not only the taskbar, but also windows to be stretched across both screens.

 

[Ichinisan]

Though I also have NVIDIA hardware, it's easier to just unlock the taskbar from the right-click context menu, then drag it onto the monitor you want.

Still, that's not the functionality that I'm looking for. I would prefer to have two separate task bars. If the task button for the MCE app was on a different taskbar on a different monitor, then it would not occupy space on my primary monitor and would not steal focus each time I close something else. I know this is not possible, but perhaps someone else here has some hack-ish workaround for this particular annoyance...?

Need:
-A way to hide the task button on my primary monitor for an application that runs on a different monitor
-A way to keep MCE from trapping my mouse cursor

I haven't thoroughly tested, but I believe that I can set WMP to full-screen on the secondary monitor and still move the mouse freely between them. That's the functionality that I want from the MCE app.

Also, in a perfect world...I would like a way to direct commands from the MCE remote to a particular application. This way I would be able to use the computer while someone else controls the TV. The way the MCE remote works, however, many commands (directional navigation, for instance) are input to the computer as regular keyboard commands, interfering with the application that has focus instead of controlling the MCE app.