Boost production by adding a second monitor.

[Harold Mansfield]

I never knew how sweet and productive life on your computer could be until I added a second (now a third) monitor.

If your computer is your main tool, you probably work with multiple windows open all the time, switching back and forth, copying and pasting, and referencing docs and tutorials all day long.
It's a pain on one monitor..it actually sucks.....so here is how I did it on the cheap without a lot of technical knowledge.

First of all it goes without saying that you will need a second monitor, 512 of RAM and at least a 1.2 mhz processor,and USB 2.0 (which is pretty much any Pentium or AMD of the last 3-4 years).

If you are no good (or don't want to) at installing a dual video card...here is what you can do....
I found a nice little USB monitor adapter on Amazon, Kensington K33907US Dual Monitor Adapter (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018SBMGO/ref=ox_ya_oh_product), they retail for about $90. There are cheaper ones, but the reviews on them are not that great.

If you don't have another monitor from an old computer, Acer 19" widescreens (I have 3 of them) are really nice, and are about $116-$132 (which I can blow on a bar tab) on Amazon as well, or you could go smaller to match your current monitor, or to save a few bucks.(Or a little tip, if you live in a good sized city with pawn shops, you can usually get a decent one for cheap...people have been pawning everything of late)..or get one where you like to shop, but they are getting real cheap lately.

So you are looking at about $200 (or less if you score at the pawn shop:)), but the speed you pick up, not having to switch between windows is invaluable.


Basically it's about a 4 step installation process...installation disk, plug in the adapter to an open USB port, plug in the monitor, adjust the settings. Bam ! It's on ! It is the best thing going since the combination of onlne shopping and the debit card.

I got matching monitors, to try and duplicate the exact settings and colors, but it's really not necessary, you won't lose any functionality from your original monitor...they both function 100%.

Once it's installed, its a basic "drag and drop"...pull windows and docs from your main screen, to the other, including open web windows with full functionality of any open windows....all open window tabs will stay on the bottom of the main monitor.

It is a great time saver, and makes work so much easier.

If you get hooked and want more, you can add up to 6 monitors the same way (if you have 6 open USB ports) but you will need more RAM, at least 4G.

The reason I like doing it this way, is with the adapter, you are nor confined to only being able to run 2 monitors on your desktop, you can also do it on your laptop with the hardware, or take your adapter to another computer and run 2 monitors for a training or teaching presentation...there is a "Duplicate" setting so that if you have one monitor facing others, it will show an exact replication of what you are doing.

Just thought I would share.

[Business Attorney]

Thanks. I have been thinking about getting a second monitor for my office and this may be the push I needed!

[Harold Mansfield]

Thanks. I have been thinking about getting a second monitor for my office and this may be the push I needed!

It's really easy if you are "low tech", and totally worth it.

..and it looks cool. :)

[dynocat]

Great suggestion. I have the extra monitor and tried this some time ago--until I realized I had no second plug for the second monitor. What video card would I need to buy?

Hope it's ok to ask specific questions here.
Here are my specs. Don't laugh at how old it is. :)
Compaq Presario AMD 1.8 GHz 512 RAM
Current video card is a Radeon 9000 series

ETA Well, go ahead and laugh--just don't let me hear you! :)

[Evan]

Great suggestion. I have the extra monitor and tried this some time ago--until I realized I had no second plug for the second monitor. What video card would I need to buy?

There is an adapter that you can hook both monitors up to and connect it to the one serial "port" you have on your computer.

If you do this, it really is best to have the same brand and size monitor.

[Harold Mansfield]

Great suggestion. I have the extra monitor and tried this some time ago--until I realized I had no second plug for the second monitor. What video card would I need to buy?

Hope it's ok to ask specific questions here.
Here are my specs. Don't laugh at how old it is. :)
Compaq Presario AMD 1.8 GHz 512 RAM
Current video card is a Radeon 9000 series

ETA Well, go ahead and laugh--just don't let me hear you! :)

That should be enough of everything for the Kensington USB adapter, as long as you have USB 2.0. which I think those do.

I don't know what kind of video card you would need, if you wanted to do it that way, you would definitely need to make sure that you have enough ram for the new video card and those specs would be different on each card...and you would need to make sure that it was compatible with your model....usually 512 is the minimum, but don't take that as gospel.

I think if you go to Compaq/HP's website, there is a section for upgrading and adding cards to your open slots for more RAM, Audio, and Video cards and it will tell you what you need based on the model you have.

By the way, I still have my Compaq Presario Pentium 4, 512...very similar to your model, almost exact. I remember doing the same thing way back when...I thought that other connection port was for another monitor, so don't feel bad.

I should add, if you use the Kensington adapter, or a comparable model via USB, the monitors do not have to be the same model.

[KristineS]

We do this with a lot of our people, particularly our designers and the dual monitor system does increase productivity a lot. You can have more windows open and it does allow you to input information and create designs much more quickly.

[Vivid Color Zack]

During certain processes it is so much more productive. Best example for me would be running between adobe programs or when I receive a list of revisions via email and I can keep that open on one screen and work on the artwork on the other.

Also when using chat support (for the brief time it was active) I could have twelve active conversations on the right monitor and have full access to whatever else I needed on my left screen.

I guess I'm trying to say YES more monitors = better!!!

Just be sure your computer can handle it I've seen setups that lag really bad with multiple monitors. Especially with streaming video or web video chat. I watch a lot of programs on hulu 'cause I don't have cable anymore and on my old setup (laptop + 23" monitor) there were a lot of issues with lag and artifacting.

[Harold Mansfield]

Just be sure your computer can handle it I've seen setups that lag really bad with multiple monitors. Especially with streaming video or web video chat. I watch a lot of programs on hulu 'cause I don't have cable anymore and on my old setup (laptop + 23" monitor) there were a lot of issues with lag and artifacting.

Good point. Just about any newer model, that is functioning properly should be able to handle 2 monitors You start running into problems with older models with less RAM. 512 is functional, but you will have problems running video on both screens, or with labor intensive applications like iTunes, or Outlook.

1G of Ram and above should run with no problems, provided that your computer as a whole is running properly.

My 3rd monitor is actually running off of a laptop docking station, so it's not actually functioning in conjunction with the other 2...I mainly use it to display web pages that I need open or to monitor something...so I need 2 mice on my pad.

[billbenson]

I've often thought of doing that eborg. I have two distinct job functions. One is sales guy which takes up most of my time. The other is working on web site(s). A monitor for each one would be helpful. I've tried it with two different computers and ended up with problems knowing which one has the most up to date files. A server setup would solve that, but thats overkill.

The main reason I have had two pc's is hot standby. A computer crash when a customer calls with a big order is no time to run to Best Buy for a computer set it up and send the guy a quote while other emails are piling up. I'd loose orders which could pay for the second pc.

I switched over to Linux about 2 months ago but once I got it working at a basic level I haven't had the time to play with it much. One thing I think I can do with it is flop from desktop to desktop. Kind of like two monitors, but you only look at one at a time. I'm not sure and haven't researched it at this point. If anybody knows...

So, I think it's a great idea. Really depends on how you work as to what you need. That usb thing is pretty cool.

BTW, I bought this 28" monitor for 300 at Tigerdirect. They are 350 now. In any case, I really love it. For us old guys, you can set the resolution so you can read it and still have a ton of stuff on the screen. It's one of those you never go back things for me.

[nighthawk]

I switched over to Linux about 2 months ago but once I got it working at a basic level I haven't had the time to play with it much. One thing I think I can do with it is flop from desktop to desktop. Kind of like two monitors, but you only look at one at a time. I'm not sure and haven't researched it at this point. If anybody knows...



I have also switched to linux fulltime recently - although have been using it on and off for years. What you are speaking of is "workspaces" - they are essentially 2 seperate desktops (although you can configure the number - years ago the default used to be 4, i think you can have up to 8). Unlike dual monitors, you cannot drag windows onto a new workspace, instead, right click on the title bar, and select "Move To Another Workspace". You can also force programs to always open on the same workspace - so you could use one for sales, and another for web design as you mentioned.

If you do connect a second monitor, you have two options - either standard extended desktop, similar to XP where you drag and drop between the two, or you can assign a workspace to each monitor. I have never tried the latter, I prefer the extended desktop, and have never really used workspaces.

What version of linux are you using? I am on Ubuntu 9.4.

[Harold Mansfield]

I've often thought of doing that eborg. I have two distinct job functions. One is sales guy which takes up most of my time. The other is working on web site(s). A monitor for each one would be helpful. I've tried it with two different computers and ended up with problems knowing which one has the most up to date files. A server setup would solve that, but thats overkill.

The main reason I have had two pc's is hot standby. A computer crash when a customer calls with a big order is no time to run to Best Buy for a computer set it up and send the guy a quote while other emails are piling up. I'd loose orders which could pay for the second pc.

I switched over to Linux about 2 months ago but once I got it working at a basic level I haven't had the time to play with it much. One thing I think I can do with it is flop from desktop to desktop. Kind of like two monitors, but you only look at one at a time. I'm not sure and haven't researched it at this point. If anybody knows...

So, I think it's a great idea. Really depends on how you work as to what you need. That usb thing is pretty cool.

BTW, I bought this 28" monitor for 300 at Tigerdirect. They are 350 now. In any case, I really love it. For us old guys, you can set the resolution so you can read it and still have a ton of stuff on the screen. It's one of those you never go back things for me.

Well as I try to build a complete system, there are a few things that I have picked up that give me a little more peace of mind...the first is a power back up to protect against power surges and "even out, and clean up" the power that flows into your system. I guess there are minor fluctuations in the electricity that can damage your computer, monitor and other peripherals and basically cause problems.

There are some very good ones out there for around $100 that will also give you about 6 hours of back up power. Most of the good ones can also be set to put your computer on stand by, or shut down in the event of damaging flow fluctuations...it is waaayy better that running power strips and surge protectors alone. That always made me nervous.

The second is a memory back up that you can use to basically mirror your hard drive and add more storage to your computer. You can get a Terabyte for as little as $139 and less.

I also make sure that my most important programs and applications are also on my laptop. I have a little Acer Notebook for $339 with 160GB of storage and 1GB of RAM that does the trick just fine, and with a docking station, also adds another monitor to play with.

2 monitors is definitely the way to go if you work on your computer. Once you start dragging windows over and copying from one screen and pasting on another you will wonder how you ever lived before.
It also helps if you do a lot of social networking...for a few hours a day I put up Tweet Deck on one screen, monitoring multiple Twitter accounts (most of them automated) at once, basically to monitor and answer Retweets and "@" messages....along with around 3 main email accounts, while working on the other screen.

The USB option makes it easy for non-tech people like me, and it's relatively inexpensive.

Some other things I do to free up my computer for essential operations is, I use an iPod Dock/CD /Radio player that I have my computer "jacked" into the aux input, and outputted to my computer speakers, so I don't have to run iTunes, or WMP while working...iTunes is a resource hog, as you know, plus it leaves more room to have stuff open...and just switch to AUX to hear sound from my computer. That cost me like $79 and it works very well..the only downside is it only outputs in stereo, but iPods only output in stereo anyway. Plus I do a lot of CD reviews lately, so being able to load 2 disks without leaving my computer, and being able to switch between computer sound and CD's with the press of a button...and keeping my drives free for burning and installations is great.

If you have at least 2GB of RAM, it's probably not an issue, but coming from a 512MB system, I have gotten used to not bogging down the processor with running entertainment programs while I am trying to work..especially if you use Photoshop, or any MS Office programs a lot.

As far as my experience goes, the main source of hard drive failure is damaging viruses, and spyware...you have to remember to run scans often. One full day on the web is bound to pick up at least 1 or 2 instances of spyware, or adware....it's just the nature of the beast..maybe more if you use IE.

[billbenson]

Nighthawk, I'm running Opensuse 11.0. I really haven't had time to play with it much. I got it running at a functional level and started working. There are a lot of apps I would like to try, but just haven't had the time. I'll have a look at workspaces to see if that is something that makes sense for me.

Eborg. A little info on electrical surges. Equipment with motors such as the washing machine, drier, heat or air etc can send substantial power surges on the power lines in your house. They can be in the thousands of volts for very short durations of time. The power company turning stuff on and off have the same effect, often with much greater surges.If a transformer goes in your neighborhood its not a bad idea to unplug sensitive electronics until you have normal power restored.

Power surges usually have a degratory effect. A lightning hit in july may be the cause of your tv failure in january.

Power strip offer next to no surge protection. Battery backup systems come in two varieties. One powers your equipment from line power and in the event of a loss of power switches over to battery. While the battery does act as a filter, this type of system doesn't have good protection from surges. The other type of system charges the battery from line power. Another separate circuit is powered from the batter and converts the DC voltage from the battery to 110 VAC. Since the power to your pc or whatever comes from the battery and isn't connected in any way to the line power, it has much better filtering capability. Since the battery is a filter, a bigger battery is better in both cases, both for life when you loose power and filtering capability. Not surprisingly the ones with the separate circuits cost more.

Today, integrated circuits run on much lower voltages than in years gone by. This means they cost less to operate, dissipate less heat, and are more susceptible to power surges. If you have any expensive electronics; tv's stereo, computer, whatever, it is a good idea to protect it with a UPS.

I looked into UPS's a couple of years ago, and you really have to read the fine print to see what kind of UPS you are getting. Most good manufacturers sell both kinds. I don't believe their was a special designation for the better type, but its been a while.

For backup, my next computer will have RAID 1. Most motherboards today seem to support it. In this setup, you have two hard drives in your pd. One is a mirror of the other one. If your hard drive fails, you still have the other hard drive. I know people who put them in a removable tray in the front of your pc and remove the backup, place another disk in there. They keep the backup in a vault at the bank. That way you always have a off prem backup of your system. This setup is the price of a second HD and a removable tray. Total of about $100 these days.

The last thing I thought I'd mention is a bunch of browser windows that are open can be resource hogs. Stuff like yahoo or cnn that has a lot of flash running in tabs you aren't even looking at are the worst offenders. If your computer starts running slow, thats one place to look.

Sorry, I got off track of the dual monitors which I think is a great idea.

[Harold Mansfield]

That was a pretty informative. I'll have to admit, when I purchased my power back up, I didn't know a whole lot. I read some reviews, and ended up purchasing a UPS that had good reviews...I remember I kept seeing that it runs "Clean Power" to your electronics. At the time I didn't know what "Dirty Power" was, but I assumed it couldn't be good since so many reviewers had made mention of it.


I knew that surge protectors weren't really any kind of protection, so I was half way there.

So if I have it right, the unit I have is charged from the regular lines, but acts as a go between and it runs my electronics, not the regular line power...."automatic voltage regulation to maintain clean power supply and maintain a safe voltage level"....is how the specs put it.

It also has surge protection for RJ11/RJ45 (phone, fax, Ethernet, network, DSL) and RG-6 coax (DSS, cable modem, satellite, cable TV).
It's my first one and it's a big learning curve because I am not familiar with most of the terminology, and the one Electrical Engineering class I had, was on Friday morning (8 a.m.) so I didn't learn a whole lot.

[billbenson]

I was curious, so I just went back to find a ups like I described above. It seems they are far less efficient and are primarily available only for commercial applications. I did find a smaller one from a brand I don't recognize for $300. They are called "online" UPS's by the way.

So, I guess the most practical option for most of us is the first type I mentioned as the online ones will be cost prohibitive.

That does leave one recommendation though. A bigger battery should give you more filtering, so you might go with a bigger unit than you think you need.

I have two UPS's. One I use for my pc and monitor. The other use for my routers, modems etc. That's just so they don't go down during a power outage or hit as routers are cheap. If I had the money, I'd put one on my TV; not this week though.

connections for thernet, coax etc is more for lightning as those don't have power surges under normal conditions.

One thing, don't hook a laser printer to a UPS. During printing they use far more power than a home ups can supply and may damage the ups.

[Harold Mansfield]

I actually have this one Amazon.com: CyberPower CP1000AVRLCD UPS - 1000VA/600W Intelligent LCD, AVR 9-Outlet RJ11/RJ45/Coax Tower USB/Serial - 3yr Warranty / $250k Guarantee: Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZ3UG0/ref=ox_ya_oh_product). Works great and the reviews on it are awesome, especially for the price.
(that's not an affiliate link, it's just how it comes up when you are signed in to your shopping account)

[dynocat]

Here I am 16 days after the OP with my second monitor set up and working. Thank you, eborg for the suggestion.

I used the Kensington adapter you mentioned and got the task bar set up right away. I had the hardest time though, figuring out how to get the windows moved to the second monitor. As I was coming here to ask for more help I noticed the little arrow next to the minimize button. Voila! One click and I'm there!

Thanks again.

[dynocat]

On the subject of UPS's, I am still using the original APC I bought in 1988! And, yes, it still works! At least I think it does. It beeps when there's a power surge/spike so to me that works, but then what do I really know? :D

[Harold Mansfield]

Here I am 16 days after the OP with my second monitor set up and working. Thank you, eborg for the suggestion.

I used the Kensington adapter you mentioned and got the task bar set up right away. I had the hardest time though, figuring out how to get the windows moved to the second monitor. As I was coming here to ask for more help I noticed the little arrow next to the minimize button. Voila! One click and I'm there!

Thanks again.

Cool beans! Glad to hear that it's working for you:D



On the subject of UPS's, I am still using the original APC I bought in 1988! And, yes, it still works! At least I think it does. It beeps when there's a power surge/spike so to me that works, but then what do I really know?


1988 ?! Wow ! What brand is that ?
Unplug it and see what happens. If your stuff stays on, then I would assume it's still good.

[billbenson]

To my knowledge APC is the biggest UPS brand. They also sell under a lot of other names. The batteries usually only last for a few years. My last one lasted 5. Mine starts beeping when the battery starts going bad. You can get replacement batteries. A little pricy, but not bad. Most areas have stores that sell them as they are used in more than UPS's. I live in smalltownsville and I can get them locally.