Comments on: Macbook Pro + Windows + Dual Monitors = Painful http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/ Putting the Inc back in Solt since 2005. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:37:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul Solt http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-1719 Paul Solt Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:03:25 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-1719 Yes. You need to use the NVIDIA control panel and it has a section for multiple monitors. One option is to just use a single display and set it to your external monitor. That will turn off the LCD on the Macbook Pro. You can switch it back when you're done, or it may automatically switch when you unplug the DVI cable. Yes. You need to use the NVIDIA control panel and it has a section for multiple monitors. One option is to just use a single display and set it to your external monitor. That will turn off the LCD on the Macbook Pro. You can switch it back when you’re done, or it may automatically switch when you unplug the DVI cable.

]]> By: attx http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-1717 attx Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:41:13 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-1717 Windows XP on MPB with Bootcamp Hi, does anyone know how to switch between the displays (lcd to external and back)? Dual display works (also in clone also in extended mode) - but I can not turn off the LCD of the MBP and let the external display run while working on external (mac) keyboard. It runs well under OSX snow leopard but does not seem to work under Windows XP. Windows XP on MPB with Bootcamp

Hi, does anyone know how to switch between the displays (lcd to external and back)? Dual display works (also in clone also in extended mode) – but I can not turn off the LCD of the MBP and let the external display run while working on external (mac) keyboard. It runs well under OSX snow leopard but does not seem to work under Windows XP.

]]> By: Paul Solt http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-1665 Paul Solt Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:14:30 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-1665 I got tired of messing with settings on XP and I upgraded to Windows 7 RTM. Windows 7 is definitely a step up from Vista and I would recommend switching from XP when you have the chance. I no longer have any issues setting the external monitor as primary in Windows 7. Overall the upgrade has been pretty smooth. I got tired of messing with settings on XP and I upgraded to Windows 7 RTM. Windows 7 is definitely a step up from Vista and I would recommend switching from XP when you have the chance.

I no longer have any issues setting the external monitor as primary in Windows 7. Overall the upgrade has been pretty smooth.

]]> By: Jens Rumberg http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-1664 Jens Rumberg Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:32:58 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-1664 I have run into the same problem; please check my post <a href="http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/topic/6614-let-2nd-display-be-primary-on-dual-display/page__st__20__gopid__122143&#entry122143" rel="nofollow">here</a>. It describes how to modify the NVIDIA INF file so that the necessary registry keys are added for allowing the external monitor to become the primary monitor. This works, but I cannot hotplug the external monitor like I can on MacOS. Every time I have to set up everything manually in the NVIDIA system panel, then I have to reboot because the !@#% NVIDIA driver doesn't detect the monitor properly and limits the maximum resolution to 1024x768. After rebooting Windows, I can set all resolutions again, and everything works until I unplug the monitor again. Does anyone have a solution for this? I have run into the same problem; please check my post here. It describes how to modify the NVIDIA INF file so that the necessary registry keys are added for allowing the external monitor to become the primary monitor.

This works, but I cannot hotplug the external monitor like I can on MacOS. Every time I have to set up everything manually in the NVIDIA system panel, then I have to reboot because the !@#% NVIDIA driver doesn’t detect the monitor properly and limits the maximum resolution to 1024×768. After rebooting Windows, I can set all resolutions again, and everything works until I unplug the monitor again. Does anyone have a solution for this?

]]> By: Paul Solt http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-1539 Paul Solt Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:35:00 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-1539 Yeah, I need to use that program, just haven't gotten around to it. Yeah, I need to use that program, just haven’t gotten around to it.

]]> By: Andy Ray http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-1536 Andy Ray Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:50:02 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-1536 There are utilities that will give you a taskbar on your second/third/etc monitor in Windows. The one I use is "UltraMon." I couldn't live without it. Sucks about the primary monitor issues though. There are utilities that will give you a taskbar on your second/third/etc monitor in Windows. The one I use is “UltraMon.” I couldn’t live without it. Sucks about the primary monitor issues though.

]]> By: Paul Solt http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Paul Solt Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:12:20 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-182 Thanks, I'll give it a look when I have some spare time after I finish this quarter of classes. Thanks, I’ll give it a look when I have some spare time after I finish this quarter of classes.

]]> By: dave_xse http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-181 dave_xse Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:33:44 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-181 Forgot to say you should try the modded drivers as I have not seen any glitches so far and it is always possible to reinstall the original bootcamp drivers later (I did it several times during my hours of testing for the best solution). Good luck! Forgot to say you should try the modded drivers as I have not seen any glitches so far and it is always possible to reinstall the original bootcamp drivers later (I did it several times during my hours of testing for the best solution).

Good luck!

]]> By: dave_xse http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-180 dave_xse Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:32:31 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-180 I tuned my configuration a bit further and I'm happy to say it almost works the way it should. At this stage, I have: 1. Removed bootcamp NVIDIA drivers 2. Installed tuned drivers from laptopvideo2go website 3. Rebooted PC and installed the laptopvideo2go driver 4. Rebooted PC By doing this, I can select the external monitor as main display, but the Windows taskbar does not move the display automatically. You need to drag it to the external monitor desktop. With the DVI connector I had nothing but troubles because after reboot the external monitor's resolution would change to 1600 * 1000 instead of the original 1680 * 1050 I put in place before reboot although the PC says the resolution is still 1680 * 1050. Because of that I switched to the VGA cable which is not causing this problem. The bug now is when I reboot without the external monitor plugged in: all my desktop icons start moving all over the place and don't get back in place when I reboot with the external monitor attached. So I decided to use the laptop screen as primary display and configure UltraMon to send the applications to the external monitor automatically. After at least 8 hours I can start to work almost as normal. The NVIDIA drivers are just a pain, I wish I could exchange the card with the ATI one I had in my previous MacBook Pro. It was just sooo easyy.. I tuned my configuration a bit further and I’m happy to say it almost works the way it should. At this stage, I have:

1. Removed bootcamp NVIDIA drivers

2. Installed tuned drivers from laptopvideo2go website

3. Rebooted PC and installed the laptopvideo2go driver

4. Rebooted PC

By doing this, I can select the external monitor as main display, but the Windows taskbar does not move the display automatically. You need to drag it to the external monitor desktop. With the DVI connector I had nothing but troubles because after reboot the external monitor’s resolution would change to 1600 * 1000 instead of the original 1680 * 1050 I put in place before reboot although the PC says the resolution is still 1680 * 1050. Because of that I switched to the VGA cable which is not causing this problem. The bug now is when I reboot without the external monitor plugged in: all my desktop icons start moving all over the place and don’t get back in place when I reboot with the external monitor attached. So I decided to use the laptop screen as primary display and configure UltraMon to send the applications to the external monitor automatically. After at least 8 hours I can start to work almost as normal. The NVIDIA drivers are just a pain, I wish I could exchange the card with the ATI one I had in my previous MacBook Pro. It was just sooo easyy..

]]> By: Paul Solt http://paulsolt.com/2008/09/macbook-pro-windows-dual-monitors-painful/comment-page-1/#comment-179 Paul Solt Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:33:28 +0000 http://www.paulsolt.com/?p=36#comment-179 Thanks. 1. I looked into the laptopvideo2go site, but I was afraid of messing up my graphics drivers. I'm doing a lot of programming with graphics right now and I'm trying to keep the system stable. I'm not sure if using a non-certified driver on my macbook pro would cause compatibility issues, so I've avoided them. Using those drivers won't affect the warranty, since you're in Windows and Apple doesn't really support it. I'm not worried about that. 2. I haven't tried the VGA only because I have my VGA on my monitor being used by my xbox 360, so that leaves the DVI for video from the macbook pro. It works really well on the Mac side of things; unfortunately the same thing can't be said for the Windows side. The issue is a driver problem where NVIDIA and Apple didn't work together to get it working for Windows. I'm hopeful that an update to Boot Camp will fix this issue. 3. In addition to dual monitors I use Synergy which lets me share mouse/keyboard between multiple computers and multiple OS's. I have a Windows desktop and a macbook pro that can share input in Windows/Windows and Windows/Mac setups. Check it out at: http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/ Documentation can be a bit frustrating to setup via command line in Mac, so I would use the GUI synergy program called: SynergyKM http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergykm Thanks.

1. I looked into the laptopvideo2go site, but I was afraid of messing up my graphics drivers. I’m doing a lot of programming with graphics right now and I’m trying to keep the system stable. I’m not sure if using a non-certified driver on my macbook pro would cause compatibility issues, so I’ve avoided them.

Using those drivers won’t affect the warranty, since you’re in Windows and Apple doesn’t really support it. I’m not worried about that.

2. I haven’t tried the VGA only because I have my VGA on my monitor being used by my xbox 360, so that leaves the DVI for video from the macbook pro. It works really well on the Mac side of things; unfortunately the same thing can’t be said for the Windows side.

The issue is a driver problem where NVIDIA and Apple didn’t work together to get it working for Windows. I’m hopeful that an update to Boot Camp will fix this issue.

3. In addition to dual monitors I use Synergy which lets me share mouse/keyboard between multiple computers and multiple OS’s. I have a Windows desktop and a macbook pro that can share input in Windows/Windows and Windows/Mac setups. Check it out at: http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

Documentation can be a bit frustrating to setup via command line in Mac, so I would use the GUI synergy program called: SynergyKM http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergykm

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