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Windows 98
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Prior to the release of Windows 98, if you had a PC and wanted to access multiple displays from a single system, you had to run under Windows 95 or Windows NT, and purchase one or more relatively expensive multiport graphics adapters like an Appian or Colorgraphic Communications card. (Macintosh users have been able to run multiple displays for a long time.) With the advent of Windows 98, you could easily run multiple displays (up to nine) on your PC using relatively inexpensive single-port PCI and AGP graphics cards. At least, that's the idea. In practice, there were (and are!) some lingering compatibility issues and misinformation that sometime make this process confusing and difficult for users trying to set up a multiple-display system. Just because a manufacturer states that their card is compatible with Windows 98 does not necessarily mean that card supports multiple display usage! Following are real-life issues that I've encountered in setting up my own and other systems, plus links to important documents that you should review before choosing graphics adapters. As stated in the overview, you may still have a valid reason to select one or more of the higher-end multiport cards from Appian, Colorgraphic Communications, Matrox or elsewhere. Microsoft lists some of the manufacturers in the following support document: Third-Party Solutions to Multiple Monitor Support for Windows However, if you simply want a couple of good, relatively inexpensive single-port PCI graphics cards for a new system, or a secondary PCI card (or cards) to go with a PCI or AGP adapter already in a current system, I'll tell you about the ones I'm aware of that work, and try to point you in the right direction for the other ones that I don't have personal experience with. Microsoft Support Online Documents Pertaining to Multiple Display Support Under Windows 98How to Query the Microsoft Knowledge Base Using Keywords Following are links to the Microsoft Support Online documents that pertain specifically to multiple display support under Windows 98. The first document link is the most important, as it lists the chipsets currently supported by Microsoft. Hardware Requirements for Multiple Display
Support in Windows 98 How to Enable Multiple Display Support Using Windows 98 How to Troubleshoot Multiple Display Support in Windows 98/ME Appian Monitor Does Not Return Correctly From Hibernate Mode In Multiple-Monitor Configuration ATI Problems Using the ATI Rage II PCI as Secondary Display Adapter ATI OEM Rage II Drivers Do Not Work with Multiple Display Support Unable to Use Secondary Monitor After Installing ATI Software Matrox Multiple Display Not Working with Matrox G400 DualHead Display Adapter nVIDIA RIVA 128 Video Adapters Are Incompatible with Multiple Display Feature STB/3DFX/S3 Multiple Monitor Feature Unavailable with STB MVP-3D Adapter Miscellaneous Blank Screen After Installing Secondary Video Adapter Horizontal Line Scrolls Down the Screen with Multiple Monitors Desktop Icons May Not Appear on a Secondary Monitor Programs Run on Primary Monitor But Not on Secondary Monitor Cannot Drag a Window from One Screen to Another Cannot Move Programs Between Multiple Monitors Screen Saver Is Displayed Only on Primary Monitor Mouse Can Be Used Only in the Primary Monitor MS-DOS-Based Programs Can Be Run Only on Primary Monitor Windows 98 Second Edition May Not Shut Down or Restart in MS-DOS Mode Some Programs Are Displayed Off the Screen Mouse Pointer Stays on Primary Monitor After Moving to Secondary Computer Stops Responding When Enabling Multiple Display Support Setup Does Not Detect Multiple Display Adapters Correctly Font Smoothing Does Not Work with Multiple Monitors Monitors Need to Be Reconfigured After Reinstalling Windows 98 Unable to Reposition the Channel Bar if it Is Off of the Screen Multi-Monitor Color Rendering on Displays with Different Color Depths Cannot Resume Toshiba Tecra Laptop Computer in Docking Station Security Risk Using Screen Saver Password with Multiple Monitors PCI Video Adapter May Not Function on Secondary PCI Bus DVD Playback Not Supported on Secondary Monitor Explanation of Error Codes Generated by Device Manager Windows 98 Programs.txt File Contents Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Display.txt File Contents Troubleshooting Video Problems in Windows Following are Microsoft Support Online documents applicable to specific applications: Unable to Reposition the Channel Bar if it Is Off of the Screen Adobe Photoshop May Not Run Correctly on a Non-Primary Monitor NBA Hang Time Program Does Not Display on a Secondary Monitor "Shot Making with Tom Kite" Program Works on Primary Monitor Magnifier Tool Does Not Work with Multiple Monitors Dialog Boxes Are Displayed on Primary Monitor Mouse Does Not Work on Secondary Monitor in Windows 98 Cannot Move Adobe Photoshop 3.0 Toolbars to Secondary Monitor Computer or Mouse Hangs Playing Game with Multiple Monitors Problems Running Agile Warrior F-IIIX in Windows 98 Unable to Click Item in Drop Down List Box in a Dialog Box Gray Line Appears When Using Internet Explorer Desktop Wallpaper Displayed Incorrectly with Multiple Monitors Horizontal Line Scrolls Down the Screen with Multiple Monitors Outlook Express: Right-Click May Not Display Context Menu Context-Sensitive Help Message May Appear on Primary Monitor 3M Post-it Version 1.5 Notes Become Scraps on Secondary Monitor Dragging Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Window Changes Color Segasoft Obsidian Is Only Partially Displayed at Top of Screen Mathe Klasse 3+4 Version 2.5 Incompatible with Mutiple Monitors Graphics Adapter Combinations Known to Work in MultiDisplay ConfigurationsThe following table includes graphic adapter combinations that have either been tested by me or have been reported by others to be working together in their own systems. Where possible, the table indicates whether or not the adapter is PCI- or AGP-based, also which card is installed as the primary adapter and which card (or cards) is secondary, tertiary, and so forth. I will update this table as I get more feedback from other users.
(3/17/99): Added the built-in ATI Rage IIc 3D AGP chip on the emachines 300k PC to the compatible-adapter list. Graphics chips built-in to the motherboard have been notoriously problematic for multidisplay configurations, but this one worked fine. Leave it to ATI, one of my favorites for multidisplay compatibility. This is interesting also for the benefit of traders who want to outfit a relatively inexpensive trading station. The emachines units use cheaper and somewhat slower AMD, Cyrix, and Intel Celeron CPU's, but CPU speed is not as important as other system features for trading purposes, and all the eMachines units have 56K modems, sound, and CD-ROM drives built-in, at least one PCI slot for expansion, and you can add RAM up to 256MB. You DO need to be cautioned from buying one of these units with minimal PCI slot expansion if you plan to not only add PCI-based graphics adapters to your system for multidisplay usage, but also other PCI cards such as, for example, an Ethernet card for cable modem access. (1/20/99): Added the Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Extreme PCI card to the compatible-adapter list. A trader has notified me that he has been able to install two (actually, three now as of 3/1/99!) of these cards in his system and they are working properly, though he did have to download updated drivers. Please note that the graphics chip on this board is the Permedia-2, not the original Permedia chip, which is not multidisplay compatible. This card is a prime example of a manufacturer not stating a word about support for Windows 98 and multidisplay compatibility, and no information in the Microsoft database about it, yet it works in multidisplay mode with updated drivers. The driver download section of their web site doesn't even state that the updated driver provides Windows 98/multidisplay capability. I've been in the PC business for 16 years, and it never ceases to amaze me how poorly some equipment manufacturers communicate with their users. (11/5/98): Bought and tested the Matrox Millenium G200a AGP 2X card successfully in multiple-display mode with an STB Velocity 3D PCI card. My TMC 16NB motherboard and Award BIOS include the capability to have the AGP card initialize first (before any PCI adapters in the system) and therefore serve as the primary adapter in a multiple display configuration. (Windows 98 defaults to having a PCI graphics card act as the primary adapter in a multiple-display configuration that also includes an AGP card.) However, the feature's not currently working in my system, and my motherboard manufacturer's support department is working on a solution. (One of their support units has it working properly, so I know it's possible.) As soon as a solution is reached for my system, I'll report it here, and we'll put another Windows 98 multimonitor-mode myth to rest!
Multiple Displays: Overview | Windows 98 | Windows 2000 | Windows ME | Windows XP | Multiport Cards | Myths & Realities
Home | About MadDog | Multiple Displays | CyberTrader | Build a PC | Configure a Dell | Books | Other Stuff | Links Copyright © 1997-2002 MadDog's Day Trading and Investing InfoHouse. All rights reserved. All products/services and trademarks mentioned here are properties of their respective owners. Information is subject to change without prior notice. |
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