dual monitor etended desktop issue in XP

rleescott · 09-17-2014, 11:57 AM

I have MA3 on win7 ultimate and win7 pro and display an extended desktop properly. With xp it only displays on one monitor of the two, but the built in windows screen savers display across 2 monitors as an extended desktop as expected. The specs for MA 3.2 suggest that this upgrade allows for dual monitor extended desktop. Will this upgrade fix this XP issue? If the MA3.2 is designed to allow dual monitors/extended screen, how is it that I can already do it with win 7 and 3.0? Is it perhaps theAero setup that coincidentally allows the extended desktop?

rleescott · 09-19-2014, 04:04 PM

It's been 2 days and 34 hits. Is there no one who knows whether the dual monitor extended desktop works with xp using MA3?

Ralph · 09-20-2014, 08:22 AM

It has been a long time since I had XP on a system.. But as I recall I was able to have SS on both monitors and have fish swim from one monitor to the other. What version of SS that was I do not remember but likely predates MA3.
I have been monitoring this thread and have expected Cliff to weigh in.. he was very much into the dual monitor trouble shooting of SS.

rleescott · 09-20-2014, 08:30 AM

Thanks for the reply. I do have MA3.2, and it does work with win 7. The dual monitor #2 says monitor not available when I go to display settings, if that is helpful, but works properly as an extended desktop with the generic xp screen savers. If needed info, it is 32 bit Centrino duo, 2G ram, motherboard video with 256 ram dedicated to video.

Nicki · 09-20-2014, 07:10 PM

A couple of months ago I was fiddling about with MA 3.3 on two screens with my old XP laptop. Unfortunately that laptop has since joined the choir invisible so I cannot do further testing. It was really frustrating to get it all set up so that I had MA (and/or Dream Aquarium) across both screens. It took lots of fiddling with the settings sometimes having to disconnect the second screen while I made changes. If remember rightly, I had to set it not to extend the desktop onto the second screen. It was very much trial and error and mostly I got the same thing on both screens or if I did get it on both screens the left screen showed the right side of the aquarium and the right screen showed the left. Lots and lots of fiddling and eventually I got it right. That's all I can recommend really. Just keep trying and remember to click the apply button every single time.

The two setups I got to work were - spare 4:3 VGA monitor as left screen and laptop 16:10 screen as right

and

16:10 laptop screen as left and Sony Bravia HDTV 16:9 as right.

It can be done but I seem to remember the setup being slightly different every time.

cjmaddy · 09-21-2014, 03:18 AM

Originally posted by Ralph:

....

I have been monitoring this thread and have expected Cliff to weigh in.. he was very much into the dual monitor trouble shooting of SS.

Having never used XP I decided on this occasion not to make any comment.
Over the years there have been many detailed discussions on this forum regarding multi-monitors and their problems. I can only suggest using only the very latest version of MA. - Also, trying to use older version of Windows with newer version of software, or visa-versa, can so often lead to problems, - in my experience!

I am currently having no problems with dual monitors using the latest MA ver3.3 with my Windows 7x64 Pro.

rleescott · 09-21-2014, 09:06 AM

All very useful comments, thanks. I guess I would like to hear from Mr. Sachs or another equally knowledgeable person... Is MA3 supposed to work with XP as a dual monitor extended setup or not, regardless whether I have a unique problem? I ask because with MA3 being advertised as supporting this feature, I cannot find any disclaimer that XP does not support this option, or that it does so sporadically. Remember MA3.0 was available while XP was still widely used and supported by Microsoft.

Ralph · 09-21-2014, 09:40 PM

For what it is worth..
I dusted off my old laptop that I had a dual boot, Vista and WindowsXP and hooked up an old monitor to it.
Right clicked on the XP desktop selected Graphics Options > Extended Desktop.
Then started MA33jBeta and it showed on only my laptop. Went to settings Selected tab for Monitor 2 and selected Display screen saver on this desktop.. Nothing

Right click on MA3 get mini menu and selected "Windowed" instead of "Full screen" and bingo

MA3 is on both monitors with fish swimming from one to the other.

The selection from the main settings (space bar) Display Settings has a place to "Render same image on all monitors". That too is dependent on the "Windowed or Full Screen" selection.

Looking at the right click menu on my desktop I notice I also have a selection for "Intel Dual Display Clone", where I then have an option to select Notebook+Monitor or Monitor+Notebook. Selecting this lot and the MA3 settings section changes a bit. The Display tab no longer gives a choice about monitors. This makes sense when I think about it as both monitors are synced and act as one. MA3 will play on each (identically) and there is a performance hit as the mouse pointer flickers and the FPS drop to ~36

09-17-2014, 11:57 AM	#1
rleescott Registered Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 20	dual monitor etended desktop issue in XP I have MA3 on win7 ultimate and win7 pro and display an extended desktop properly. With xp it only displays on one monitor of the two, but the built in windows screen savers display across 2 monitors as an extended desktop as expected. The specs for MA 3.2 suggest that this upgrade allows for dual monitor extended desktop. Will this upgrade fix this XP issue? If the MA3.2 is designed to allow dual monitors/extended screen, how is it that I can already do it with win 7 and 3.0? Is it perhaps theAero setup that coincidentally allows the extended desktop?

09-20-2014, 08:22 AM	#3
Ralph Retired Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Edmonton Alberta Ca Posts: 2,443	It has been a long time since I had XP on a system.. But as I recall I was able to have SS on both monitors and have fish swim from one monitor to the other. What version of SS that was I do not remember but likely predates MA3. I have been monitoring this thread and have expected Cliff to weigh in.. he was very much into the dual monitor trouble shooting of SS. Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.

09-20-2014, 07:10 PM	#5
Nicki Sugar Plum Fairy Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,267	A couple of months ago I was fiddling about with MA 3.3 on two screens with my old XP laptop. Unfortunately that laptop has since joined the choir invisible so I cannot do further testing. It was really frustrating to get it all set up so that I had MA (and/or Dream Aquarium) across both screens. It took lots of fiddling with the settings sometimes having to disconnect the second screen while I made changes. If remember rightly, I had to set it not to extend the desktop onto the second screen. It was very much trial and error and mostly I got the same thing on both screens or if I did get it on both screens the left screen showed the right side of the aquarium and the right screen showed the left. Lots and lots of fiddling and eventually I got it right. That's all I can recommend really. Just keep trying and remember to click the apply button every single time. The two setups I got to work were - spare 4:3 VGA monitor as left screen and laptop 16:10 screen as right and 16:10 laptop screen as left and Sony Bravia HDTV 16:9 as right. It can be done but I seem to remember the setup being slightly different every time. Run you clever boy. And remember...

09-21-2014, 03:18 AM	#6
cjmaddy Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lancashire, UK Posts: 7,854	Originally posted by Ralph: .... I have been monitoring this thread and have expected Cliff to weigh in.. he was very much into the dual monitor trouble shooting of SS. Having never used XP I decided on this occasion not to make any comment. Over the years there have been many detailed discussions on this forum regarding multi-monitors and their problems. I can only suggest using only the very latest version of MA. - Also, trying to use older version of Windows with newer version of software, or visa-versa, can so often lead to problems, - in my experience! I am currently having no problems with dual monitors using the latest MA ver3.3 with my Windows 7x64 Pro. Last edited by cjmaddy; 09-21-2014 at 04:41 AM.

09-21-2014, 09:40 PM	#8
Ralph Retired Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Edmonton Alberta Ca Posts: 2,443	For what it is worth.. I dusted off my old laptop that I had a dual boot, Vista and WindowsXP and hooked up an old monitor to it. Right clicked on the XP desktop selected Graphics Options > Extended Desktop. Then started MA33jBeta and it showed on only my laptop. Went to settings Selected tab for Monitor 2 and selected Display screen saver on this desktop.. Nothing Right click on MA3 get mini menu and selected "Windowed" instead of "Full screen" and bingo MA3 is on both monitors with fish swimming from one to the other. The selection from the main settings (space bar) Display Settings has a place to "Render same image on all monitors". That too is dependent on the "Windowed or Full Screen" selection. Looking at the right click menu on my desktop I notice I also have a selection for "Intel Dual Display Clone", where I then have an option to select Notebook+Monitor or Monitor+Notebook. Selecting this lot and the MA3 settings section changes a bit. The Display tab no longer gives a choice about monitors. This makes sense when I think about it as both monitors are synced and act as one. MA3 will play on each (identically) and there is a performance hit as the mouse pointer flickers and the FPS drop to ~36 Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for. Last edited by Ralph; 09-21-2014 at 09:52 PM. Reason: more investigating..

09-19-2014, 04:04 PM	#2
rleescott Registered Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 20	It's been 2 days and 34 hits. Is there no one who knows whether the dual monitor extended desktop works with xp using MA3?

09-20-2014, 08:30 AM	#4
rleescott Registered Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 20	Thanks for the reply. I do have MA3.2, and it does work with win 7. The dual monitor #2 says monitor not available when I go to display settings, if that is helpful, but works properly as an extended desktop with the generic xp screen savers. If needed info, it is 32 bit Centrino duo, 2G ram, motherboard video with 256 ram dedicated to video.

09-21-2014, 09:06 AM	#7
rleescott Registered Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 20	All very useful comments, thanks. I guess I would like to hear from Mr. Sachs or another equally knowledgeable person... Is MA3 supposed to work with XP as a dual monitor extended setup or not, regardless whether I have a unique problem? I ask because with MA3 being advertised as supporting this feature, I cannot find any disclaimer that XP does not support this option, or that it does so sporadically. Remember MA3.0 was available while XP was still widely used and supported by Microsoft.