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Toward a Better Computing Experience | Moe Norris, Member, Topeka PC Users Club, Kansas http://www.topekapcusersclub.org vnorris (at) cox.net |
Have you dreamed of having two monitors sitting on your computer desk with all the added screen real estate which that would provide? But that would entail buying a second monitor, then replacing your computer's video card with a dual head model (and if you are using a laptop, forget about it)......all in all, an expensive project that your wallet (or your spouse) may not tolerate. But don't give up hope—there may be another solution.
Do you have two computers in the house? You need two – any two: desktop, notebook, or netbook. You can mix or match in any combination, and turn the second computer into a dual monitor for your primary machine. How? Through the magic of software.
What you need:
• Two computers running any 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows from 2000
through 7 (you can mix or match).
• The two computers must be connected through a network which supports the
TCP/IP protocol. (If you don't already have an ethernet or wireless LAN setup,
you can connect the two computers directly using a crossover ethernet cable,
Firewire cable, or a special USB-to-USB cable.)
• Forty dollars you can shake out of your piggy bank for a copy of MaxiVista,
the magic software that makes the whole thing happen. (There are more expensive
versions of MaxiVista with additional features, but you only need the $40
version to enable the screen stretching.)
So how does it work? When you install MaxiVista on the primary computer, it creates a virtual video driver on that machine. This causes Windows to think that an additional monitor is installed. The contents of this virtual video card are compressed and transmitted to the secondary PC via any standard network connection and displayed by a separate MaxiVista viewer program on the second computer. Now you can spread the screen content across two monitors!
The picture below shows a dual monitor setup with a Photoshop image open for editing in the primary monitor, a 24" model running at a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The secondary monitor is a 15" laptop screen with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels.
Problem: The control panels cover a portion of the image that is being worked on.
Not to worry! Just move the panels to the secondary monitor…
This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).