quick dual-monitor enabling/disabling

June 17, 2005 8:08 AM

I need a way to quickly enable/disable the Windows XP option of extending a desktop over two monitors

I am working for my school ITS department over the summer, and we are installing a classroom with two monitors, and two projectors. Most people will only ever need one of each, but some will want to use both at the same time (CompSci in particular, but not exclusively). Right now, we are going to have the computers default to one monitor on boot. Is there an easy way (one-click would be ideal) to extend the desktop without going through "right-click->properties->settings->click second monitor->check extend my windows desktop", and also to reverse that process? We aren't concerned about the CompSci folks, but Lit professors have to use this thing too ;). Thanks!

posted by Who_Am_I to computers & internet (4 comments total)

You know, I asked the very same question to ask.mefi a while ago... didn't get answered to my complete satisfaction but maybe you'll be luckier.
posted by humuhumu at 8:33 AM on June 17, 2005

You got the answer that I'm about to give! Ultramon. Double-click on the icon in the taskbar to enable/disable the second monitor.
posted by blag at 10:35 AM on June 17, 2005

Hmmm, I guess I missed that one in the archives humuhumu. Ultramon looks like exactly what we need, but I don't think they will go for spending $39.95 for just this one feature. Thanks for the help though, and if anyone has a free solution that does the same thing, let me know.
posted by Who_Am_I at 10:48 AM on June 17, 2005

Sometimes video drivers have the ability to use hot keys to do that. In my office we have the Matrox drivers set so that Ctrl+Alt+1 and Ctrl+Alt+2 switch between 1 screen and 2 screens. Check in your driver settings and see if you have a similar option.

For what its worth I found this kind of thing very easy to configure in Matrox's software, but very difficult to set in Nvidia's software. So, as they say in the internet, YMMV.
posted by bDiddy at 2:18 PM on June 17, 2005