Moving in with Jenni proves to have both positives and negatives. On the minus side, because we don't have that much room, I'll have to let her use my computer. On the plus side, this means that I can plug her monitor into the second port on my video card, giving me more screen real estate.

I'm still experimenting with it, but it seems like it'll be quite useful while hacking, for leaving MSDN open and stuff like that.

So, two questions:

1. Any tips for actually using 2 monitors. I've currently got the (smaller) secondary monitor to the left of my main monitor, but it's proving annoying that when I go to click on the Start button, e.g., the mouse keeps going. Should I swap the monitors over and put the secondary display on the right, maybe?

2. On X, with mutliple (virtual) desktops, you can apply a "stickiness" to the desktop edges, to make it harder to mouse over into the other desktop. Can I do something similar on Windows XP?

1. Any tips for actually using 2 monitors. I've currently got the (smaller) secondary monitor to the left of my main monitor, but it's proving annoying that when I go to click on the Start button, e.g., the mouse keeps going. Should I swap the monitors over and put the secondary display on the right, maybe?

Go download UltraMon. I don't think it addresses the "stickiness" issue you're looking for, but it does just about everything else you need in a multi-monitor setup.

As for how to set up your monitors, if you prefer it on the left, maybe raise it a little higher and move the "viewport" of that monitor (not sure what to call it when you move the "virtual position" of the monitors in display control panel) up a little bit. If you offset it enough, your mouse won't warp over to the secondary monitor unless it's farther up the left-hand side of the screen, solving your Start button problem (but not preventing you from warping over to the other monitor entirely.) I at one time had my secondary monitor on the left, but it's over on the right now.

Alternatively, you could move the taskbar itself, which could place the Start menu at the top left of the primary display, or even on the right side if you can stomach that kind of change.

You could always move the start bar to the right edge of the screen instead.

I LOVE my dual monitors at work. I have two 19" flatscreens side by side. I use the left one as my primary, just because I like it that way. As such, I've never had an isue with the start button problem. Normally, I'll have a web page full screen on my right monitor with whatever faq I happen to be referring to at the time, with my actual work on the left. Very handy.

I have a pic of a guy that has some 13 monitors all plugged in and working. I can count several (I think 7) computers pushing it all. He's running a flight sim on it and I'll post it as soon as I can find it.

This one ?

Call me a geek or worse , but I just love that...

That's the one. And I thought I was a nerd. (the guy with the 13 monitors, not you.)

LOL ! No offence taken !

I know, I know the feeling : it's a comforting thought to know that there IS someone out there that is even worse than yourself.

Exactly. It's rather difficult to explain to the A/C guy why I NEED twice as many computers as there are people living in my house. And why they're all in one room. And why they all have to stay on all the time. And why 10º hotter in that room is not a good thing. Now that I think about it, I need to install flourescent lighting in that room. 4 60 watt bulbs make too much heat.

...flourescent [sic] lighting...

You might want to consider high effieciency halogen uplighting bounced off of the ceiling. Some people find that the combination of fluorescent lighting and computer monitors can cause migraines.

I'm not impressed with the guy and all his screens.

At least used 21" TFT's with thin bezels. If you are going to do something, do it properly.

Wouldn't that depend on the refresh rate of your monitor? I could see if they were both running at 60 Hz, but if the monitor is at, say, 85, I don't see how it could be an issue. But then again, I've never tried it with anything but incandescent.

60Hz convolved with 85Hz would give beat frequencies at @25Hz and 145Hz. Obviously the 145Hz wont be an issue, but the 25Hz might be noticeable. As the refresh rate is reduced towards 60Hz, that 25Hz figure drops.
The limit of the human eyes ability to percieve flickering is generally acknowledged to be between 20Hz and 30Hz. PAL televisions use 60Hz interlaced, ie each scanline is changed at 30Hz, whilst NTSC sets use 50Hz (ie each scanline at 25Hz), so from that, most people should be ok with a 85Hz refresh rate.
(But televisions give some people migraines and eye-strain anyway)

Umm....... OK

Also:

http://www.go-l.com/monitors/grand_canyon/features/index.htm

Regards

Mark

I find I need at least 80Hz refresh rate on anything otherwise the flickering really annoys me...not when I'm looking directly at the screen, but it really bugs my peripheral vision and gives me headaches. I'm pushing to get my big monitor at work replaced with a flat screen for health reasons :-)