Theda from Crayon Writer had a few questions about multiple monitors in response to my entry in the Best Home Workstation contest.  Here you go, Theda, I hope this helps.

Why Do I Want Dual Monitors?

You don’t know it yet, but you don’t want dual monitors.  You NEED them.  According to research by Microsoft, you can increase your productivity by 9 to 50% and make your work day easier.  The New York Times reported slightly lower results, but an increase of 20 to 30% is still significant, don’t you think?

Here are the Top 5 benefits to using two monitors instead of just one:

1. Reduce number of times you switch between applications because you can see more at once.
2. Compare things side by side by simply looking from one monitor to the next.
3. Use one monitor as a reference while working on the other. 
4. Have an important program visible at all times while you are working on something else.
5. Be the envy of all your friends and co-workers.

How Do Dual Monitors Work?

Dual monitors work by expanding your available desktop space.  When you add another monitor to your computer, you effectively make your desktop wider.  That’s it!  You don’t have to do anything special to move your mouse or a program to the second monitor.  Just move it.  Your mouse will be visible on the second monitor it you keep moving it to the right.

If you want to put your e-mail client in the right-hand monitor, you simply grab the title bar and drag it to the right until it shows up on the second monitor.  You can move windows back and forth seamlessly just by dragging them where you want them.

Adding a second monitor is much less expensive than replacing your existing monitor with a widescreen.

What Do I Need To Add A Second Monitor to My Computer?

As far as I am aware, you can only setup dual monitors on desktop based systems.  You just can’t rip open the case of your laptop computer and install a new video card.  If I am wrong, let me know because  I would love to see a multiple monitor capable laptop.

Before you rush out and buy a new monitor and video card, talk to someone about your existing system.  I don’t want you to get stuck with anything that doesn’t work for your system or configuration.

You need another monitor.  I mention the monitor first because you need to know what video interface your monitors use.  There are two possible types if interfaces on your monitor: VGA or DVI.  You will want to use the same video interface as your primary monitor, if possible. If you are buying a new monitor, unplug the cable of your existing monitor and see what kind it is before you go out and buy the second.  You’ll need to know this to buy the right video card and/or if you will need a “Y” cable or a video interface adapter. 

You will need video card.  You can either add a second video card or replace your existing video card with a dual-head video card.  I recommend replacing your existing video card with a dual-head that has at least 128 MB of video memory.   You will be much happier with the performance if you spend a little extra for a quality video card with sufficient memory.

You may need a video interface adapter or a “Y” cable.  Your “computer person” will be able to tell you if you will need these.

I also highly recommend UltraMon.  UltraMon is a multi-monitor task bar utility that allows you to have separate task bars on each monitor.  The task bar on each monitor only shows the programs that are open on that monitor.  It also has some excellent features for moving windows, maximizing windows across the entire desktop and support for multi-monitor wallpaper and screen savers.

Here are some resources that go into more detail about the hardware and installation:

• Dual Monitor Setup Saves Time
• Guide to Dual Monitors in Windows
• Multi Monitor FAQ
• How to Setup and Run Dual LCD Monitors