Will dual monitors let me do this? I have a dream...

[StageLeft]

So I've got two monitors turned on. The desktop is extended to monitor 2. The system tray/task bar are, as normal, on only monitor 1. My goal is to have monitor 1 running a game (let's say I'm running HL2, since that is indeed what I'll be running ), and the system tray/taskbar show up in monitor 2 so that I can see incoming IMs and things of that nature. Ideally I'd like to be able to somehow gain access to that second monitor at any time without HL2 temporarily closing off (so alt-tab sort of action, and Hl2 on monitor 1 is still going, or paused or whatever).

Is this doable? I can't get it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Nope, not doable. Why? Because things like full-screen games, ask for, and usually get, exclusive access to I/O devices. One possibility, would be to plug in some sort of analog USB joystick, set it to be unused (unallocated) by the game, and use joymouse, and see if you could use it to control the system mouse cursor (while the game has the actual mouse device allocated exclusively). That might work.

Another option is something like Jetway's MagicTwin software, that will create additional Windows' desktops/workstations, if you have multi-mon and multiple keyboards/mice/soundcards hooked up. I would love to find software that would work likewise, without requiring the use of a Jetway mobo. Supposedly, you can play LAN FPS games head-to-head, on the *same* machine, if you have enough RAM and CPU power.

Likewise, with a setup like that, you could run a full-screen exclusive DirectX game on one "station", and then use the other one for more normal application usage.

 

[vshah]

too much effort...just get a laptop

 

[BoboKatt]

Hehe well you asked my question!! I actually just recently installed a second monitor ( this lovely 21" used I got for 150$). Anyhow my dream was as well to have my game playing on my main and have maybe the reference webpage up on the second monitor along with maybe my email. However I figured out that anything that is running full screen on your main monitor will indeed prevent you from doing anything else on the second monitor other than just look at what is displayed. Pain in the butt but unless you can get a second mouse cursor I don't know how you could work around that issue.

The second monitor idea I guess works wonders with having work apps open and being able to view multiple things without having to minimize one to view the other... or for what I do now... have my HMTL editor on one and my browser with the test page getting refreshed on the other.

I should have just gotten a second system LOL... with cheaper parts... would love to find a way to have two distinct cursors for the different monitors...

 

[chowmein]

i think the only way to do this is to get HL2 to "run in a window".

CS 1.6 let me do that. i'm sure there's a way to make game run in a window.

 

[uOpt]

Hm, I remember the Quake engine has a console command to "fee" the mouse. Bind that to a key (if HL2 has a similar thing) and you should be all set.

 

[ZobarStyl]

VirtualLarry - absolutely doable, I do it every day. The trick is to not run it in a full screen mode, because this will, as you correctly stated, hog all the I/O and prevent you from moving the mouse over. However, if you run in windowed mode and simply size the Window to exactly the size of your second monitor, then you can run it on say the left monitor and open IM and whatnot on the right side, so that when you Alt-Tab it just frees the mouse cursor and the game stays running. Hell, 90% of my posts on AT are made while I'm dead in CS:S, all the while watching the game. Also, you can take Doom3 (and other games but Source hasn't let me yet) and stretch them across both monitors with a modified FOV (115ish) and you actually can see that much more of the game. Certain games hate this and either don't work or simply stretch the image (CS 1.6 just lags to all hell, even on my 6800GT), which is useless, but some games work magnificently (the original UT) and actually show you that much more area. Welcome to the fabulous world of duallies, I could never go back

 

[MadEye2]

How big a hit on performance do you get with HL2 running in window mode on an extended desktop, ZobarStyl?

 

[ZobarStyl]

If you mean extended across both desktops, I haven't messed with HL2 on that front yet, however if you mean windowed on one monitor while doing stuff on the other, the difference is effectively zero. I've compared my single screen to dual screen Stress Test results and they are pretty much identical. Doom3 takes a mild hit, and I've noticed that the trend is pretty obvious in that respect; OGL games take a mild hit, D3D games have little to no perf. drop. However, if you are running something on the second monitor that's refreshing a lot (like some crappy banner on a webpage that's flashing) you will see minor drops in FPS. For anything like what I'm doing right now (a still page with some writing and whatnot) there is no noticable change in perf, just make sure the Window doesn't extend over both desktops if you haven't messed with that specific game before, some will lose half the FPS with only a tiny sliver of the game being on the second desktop.

 

[MadEye2]

Yeah, I meant on a single screen. I'm waiting for my new TV to arrive so I can make better use of dual screen support - I'm currently using a cludged up PSX R/F adaptor on an early 80s TV - blurriffic!
I've just ordered a couple of games which I'm itching to use on my new telly, if it ever gets here.

 

[MadEye2]

Edit: Whoops

 

[shelaby]

does anybody know if there is a way to get your taskbar to show up on your 2nd monitor? like the start menu bar, can u have it so it is on both monitors?

 

[JonnyBlaze]

get ultra mon and move aim to the second monitor and it will stay there.

it also adds the taskbad over there.

its a must for dual monitors

JB

 

[shelaby]

sweet thanx blaze

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: MartinCracauer
Hm, I remember the Quake engine has a console command to "fee" the mouse. Bind that to a key (if HL2 has a similar thing) and you should be all set.

set in_mouse 0