To uninstall the monitor from Vista, click the Start orb and then click Control Panel. Next, click Hardware And Sound and then click Device Manager. When the Device Manager appears, click the Plus (+) symbol next to Monitors and then right your monitor's name. Select Uninstall from the context menu.

Some advanced monitors also come with utility software that you should remove, as well. Back in the Control Panel window (in WinXP), click Add Or Remove Programs. In the Add Or Remove Programs window, look for any control software that is associated with your monitor. It would usually be listed under the manufacturer's name (for example, ViewSonic, Mitsubishi, etc.). Highlight this program, click the Change/Remove button to start the uninstall process, and follow the prompts.

To uninstall monitor software in Vista, Click the Start orb and then click Control Panel. Click Uninstall A Program when the Control Panel appears. Finally, find the monitor software and then click Uninstall/Change to start the installation.

Once you have uninstalled the monitor and its supporting software, you can reboot the PC with your current monitor still attached. WinXP may now recognize your old monitor as a Plug And Play Monitor and install its own generic drivers for it. If your new monitor came with its own drivers and instructions to install them before installing the new monitor, keep your old monitor attached to your PC to perform the next step.

2. Load drivers. Before actually plugging in your new monitor, many manufacturers will want you to load the drivers for your hardware. This helps Windows recognize the make and model of the display when you boot up with the new monitor plugged in. Check the manual that came with your monitor for specific instructions on installation. Also, go to the manufacturer's Web site to download the latest drivers. Once the drivers have been installed, you can shut down your PC and unplug your monitor.

3. Plug it in. All power to all devices should be turned off when you connect the monitor to your PC. The PC should be shut down; the monitor should be unplugged.

Find the video output plug on your PC's video card. It usually is in the first card slot, closest to the center of the back panel of your PC. Some PCs may have onboard video, which means that the video output comes from the motherboard rather than an add-in card. In this case, you should find the video output in the same cluster of outputs as your keyboard and mouse plugs.

Some monitors use a standard VGA connector (15 pins in three rows) to plug into your video card, although many LCDs (liquid-crystal displays) and video cards now use DVI (Digital Visual Interface) connectors (24 pins in three rows, plus an additional connector). You need to match the connector for your monitor with the one on your video card or use a DVI-to-VGA adaptor. Most video cards that use DVI plugs supply an adaptor.

Plug the monitor connector to the video output of your PC and hand tighten the mounting screws. If you are using a DVI adapter, make sure that both the adapter and the VGA connectors from the monitor are screwed securely together and into the video card. This ensures that all pins in the adapter make proper contact.

Plug the monitor's power cord into a surge protector. Monitors are sensitive to damage from power spikes and surges, so we can't emphasize enough the importance of protecting yourself by keeping your display connected to a good surge protector rather than plugging it directly into a wall socket.

4. Boot to a new view. Turn on the monitor's power switch and boot your PC. If your monitor came with drivers that you already installed, it is likely that Windows will detect your new monitor when you boot and automatically install the relevant driver. Otherwise, Windows may open the Found New Hardware Wizard. Click Next, and if Windows cannot find the correct driver for your monitor, it will ask you to insert your manufacturer's installation disc or use the Browse button to find the relevant driver in a specific directory on your PC. Click Next to finish the process.

If Windows does not find the correct driver, it will install the monitor as a generic Plug And Play Monitor. In many cases, this is just fine, as you still will be able to make the adjustments we outline later. The best reason to use manufacturers' monitor drivers is that they can tell WinXP the precise profile of your monitor and the resolutions and refresh rates in which it can run safely.

If you do get a manufacturer's monitor driver after the new monitor has been installed, you can update the driver easily. Repeat the process we used in step 1 to open the Monitors listing in the Device Properties window. (See above.) Right-click the monitor that Windows has installed (usually Plug And Play Monitor) and click Update Driver. In the Hardware Update Wizard, click the radio button labeled Install From A List Or A Specific Location and click Next. In this next window, activate the radio button labeled Search For The Best Driver In These Locations. If your driver is on a CD, check the first box below (Search Removable Media). If the driver is already in a subdirectory on your hard drive, check only the second box (Include This Location In The Search) and use the Browse button to locate the monitor drivers. Click Next to finish the installation. In some cases, WinXP might warn you that the driver you are trying to install has not passed Windows logo testing, and it might not be safe to install. This simply means that the manufacturer has released the driver before or without getting Microsoft's official certification that it works properly in Windows. If you want to play it safe, try to get WHQL certified drivers from the manufacturer's Web site.

5. Get your settings straight. You need to determine the best display resolution to use for your size of monitor. (Check your monitor's documentation to see what the acceptable resolutions are for this monitor.) You do not want to set the display at a higher or lower resolution than the hardware. In WinXP, right-click any open space on your Desktop and use the Properties command to call up the Display Properties box. Click the Settings tab. In the Screen Resolution section, use the slider to adjust the resolution and then click Apply to see the change immediately. Windows will ask if you want to keep the new settings. If the screen image changes size and seems much larger or smaller than the display, don't be alarmed. We will adjust for that change later. For now, simply decide which resolution setting is most comfortable for your eyes. In Vista, right-click any open space on the Desktop and then click Personalize in the context menu. Click Display Settings.

LCD monitors are different from CRTs (cathode-ray tubes) in that they come with a native resolution at which they are the sharpest. If you have the proper drivers installed for your monitor, Windows will probably set your display setting to the native resolution. Check your manual for the correct resolution, but if screen text and image edges look fuzzy on an LCD, it is likely that you need to change the display resolution.

6. Get refreshed. For CRT monitors, the refresh rate setting is the number of times the display card redraws the image on your screen every second. A low refresh rate creates flicker on a display, which leads to eyestrain. By default, WinXP will set your refresh rate to 60Hz, but most experts recommend a setting of 72Hz or 75Hz for optimum viewing.

From the Display Properties screen that we opened in the previous step, go to the Settings tab and click Advanced. Go to the Monitor tab and first check the box labeled Hide Modes That This Monitor Can't Display. It is extremely important that you only use refresh rates that your monitor can support for a given resolution. Each display resolution setting on a monitor (for example, 800 x 600, 1,024 x 768) has a corresponding range of refresh rates at which it can operate safely. Consult your hardware documentation for the acceptable range. Most contemporary monitors can support at least a 72Hz or 75Hz rate in every one of its available resolutions. Now use the Screen Refresh Rate drop-down menu to highlight the appropriate rate and click Apply. Again, don't be alarmed if the screen image resizes itself. Once display and refresh rates are properly set, we will adjust the monitor image appropriately.

LCD monitors do not suffer from flicker problems and do not have the same range of adjustable refresh rates as CRTs, so you can leave them at the Windows default settings.

Also note that every display resolution that you use will require its own refresh rate. This is why the screen image usually readjusts when you play a game; Windows is being told to change to a resolution different from your usual Desktop setting, so the default 60Hz refresh rate usually kicks back in. To defeat this effect, you need to switch into each of the display resolutions that your games and other applications may use and then set the optimum refresh rate for each of those resolutions just as we did above for your basic Desktop resolution. When you switch back to your standard resolution, Windows will remember which refresh rate to use when a program calls for one of these other display resolutions.

7. Supersize it. Once your display resolution and refresh rate are set to your liking, you can size your display properly. As you may have noticed in the previous steps, adjusting resolution and refresh rates can change the size and positioning of your Windows images within the available space on your display. Most monitors have buttons on their front panels that let the user stretch the current screen image vertically and horizontally to fill the screen. Every monitor's controls are different, so consult the manual. Use a combination of the horizontal/vertical positioning and sizing controls to bring the edges of your Windows image to the edges of the viewable screen.

Switch into each screen resolution you plan to use regularly and repeat this resizing procedure. Most modern monitors will remember the sizing and positioning you establish for each resolution/refresh rate setting and switch to them when you change your screen settings.

See Double: Set Up Dual Displays

If one monitor does not give you enough Desktop real estate, many video cards have a second output to accommodate dual monitors. You can use a second display to literally extend your Desktop to stretch across two screens. In this configuration, moving your mouse off the right side of your primary screen moves the cursor onto the second screen, where you can keep another Desktop of open windows.

The easiest way to install dual displays is to use a video card that already has two video outputs. Generally, these are called dual-display cards. While it is possible to install a second video card in your PC, this requires hunting down an older PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)-based card because there is only one modern AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) video card slot in most PCs, and that one is already occupied by your primary card.

1. Plug and play. Simply perform steps 3 through 6 above, but with the second monitor attached to the remaining output on your dual-display video card. It is best to get your primary monitor and video drivers properly installed before tackling this second display. As above, Windows probably will boot and simply install the default plug-and-play monitor driver for the second display. As in step 4 above, go to the Device Manager to find the Monitors listing, where you now should see two displays. If you have specific manufacturer drivers for the second monitor, right-click it here and use the same procedure we did in step 4 to install monitor drivers.

Take note that when you first boot with the second monitor attached, you will probably see the initial BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) screen duplicated on both displays, and then the second display will go blank when WinXP boots up. That is because we still need to tell the operating system to recognize and use the second monitor.

2. Extend the Desktop. Right-click your Desktop and use the Properties command (Personalize, Display Settings in Vista) to bring up the Display Properties window. In the Settings tab, the Display drop-down menu should now have your primary monitor and the new secondary monitor listed. Highlight the secondary monitor and check the box below labeled Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor. Click Apply, and your dormant second monitor should come to life. If you move your cursor off the right edge of your primary display, it will show up on the secondary display.

3. Tweak and tune. With your secondary display activated, you can now go through steps 4, 5, and 6 (resolution, refresh rates, and resizing) for this display. In the Display Properties menu, notice that when you choose your secondary monitor from the drop-down menu, the Screen Resolution box lets you set the resolution specifically for this monitor. Click Apply. You can also use the Advanced button and go to the Monitor tab to set the refresh rate for this monitor. With these settings done, you can resize the second display using its own onboard controls.

4. Get a Desktop manager. To get the most out of a dual-display setup, you should go to your video card maker's Web site and look for Desktop manager software specifically designed for running dual displays off of your card. For Nvidia cards, this tool is called is bundled with the drivers Nvidia cards at www.nvidia.com. For AMD graphics cards, the necessary Catalyst software is available at AMD's Web site (www.amd.com). Both Desktop managers walk you through the process of setting up the two displays into various configurations. You can assign certain applications so that they only open on one or the other display. You can have your Windows system dialog boxes appear on both or only one of the monitors. You can also assign hotkeys for switching among the displays or swapping the displays currently on the two monitors.

In fact, once you get used to the new freedom and flexibility that two monitors offer, you may start wondering about the prospects for a triple-display setup. No joke. Some video cards are now designed to drive three monitors at once.


by Steve Smith