Solved dual monitor issues

Hi everyone, didn't know where to post this, so went with general hoping someone can help as small stuff like this really bugs me.

I've just setup a 2nd monitor, a shiny new 30" dell, I'm using my old 28" hanns.g as my main, with desktop icons, start bar and everything on it, thats on the right hand side, with the 30" on the left. The trouble is, is that when I changed the monitors around so the mouse could go from left to right within windows, the icons where shifted to the left hand monitor the 30". I've managed to drag them back accross, but there is now a space above the startbar where I can't place any icon's, those that are placed there are moved to the monitor on the left. I also can't scroll across to the lef hand monitor at the bottom of the right hand monitor. I have placed the right hand monitor on a stand so the top of the monitors match close enough in height.

The monitor on the left, the 30" is on max resolution of 2560x1600 and the hanns.g on the right is on max resolution of 1920x1200, is there any fix for this?

Ideally I'd like to be able to scroll across from the bottom of one monitor to the bottom of the other monitor and be able to place my desktop icons at the bottom of the screen, which I can't do on the 28" atm.

Thanks.

PS: I'm using dual link dvid for the 30" and vga for the 28"

I've just saved a file and it was automatically saved to my right hand monitor, instead of the left hand monitor, this might be at the root of the issue, is there anyway I can change this behavour, my left hand monitor is my main, and I'd like it to behave as such regarding these issues.

Instead of dragging the icons to the other monitor try Control Panel/Display then click on Change display settings on the left. You can then drag your monitors to the position you want.

I've already done that, the right hand monitor (28") is set has my main, but windows keeps saving files, and placing icons on the left hand monitor (30"), I'd like my 30" monitor to have nothing on it, but a wallpaper and all icons behave as normal on the 28" right hand monitor, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I've fiddled with it, and now I can place icons at the bottom of the right hand monitor, but not at the very top, I can also place icon's off of the screen, so they overlap the top or bottom of the monitor. I'm new to dual monitors, but I wouldn't have thought it woudl be this messy, just doesn't feel right.

Indeed, right-click on the desktop, choose Screen Resolution and then manage your displays in the window that opens.

There you may choose which monitor is "default" - that's where the icons and the start menu go. In addition you may set up which monitor is on the left, such that the mouse can go from one monitor to another from the left monitor to the right in a self-evident manner, while stopping at the left edge of the left monitor.

The settings are rather self-explanatory, but please post back with any questions you might have.

Also if I use auto-align icons, the icons are moved to the right hand edge of the right hand monitor, instead of the left hand edge of the left hand monitor which is what I want and would expect so I'm left feeling WTF???

Oh, I see that you were typing at the same time as me

To place icons where you want - right-click on the desktop, go to View and un-check "Auto-arrange". I also like to keep the aligned to grid, so that I don't need to fine-tune their location.

Whats confusing me is that my 28" monitor on my right is set to be my main / default monitor, but icons and files autoatmically want to be placed on the left hand monitor

That does not sound right.

First of all, it does not matter of course where your monitors are physically located. Just to make sure that you have set the default monitor right, go to that Screen Resolution menu, find the display for which it says "this is currently your main display" and then click the "identify" button. Does the big number appear on the monitor you want to be main?

thats the problem, my right hand monitor is listed as my main, but the number is wrong, how can I correct this?

huge thanks btw

Icons seem okay now, only issue I think that remains is that if I save a file to the desktop it is saved on the wrong monitor, not my main... I'm confused lol

Ineedzhelpz said:

thats the problem, my right hand monitor is listed as my main, but the number is wrong, how can I correct this?

Click to expand...

What exactly do you mean by the wrong number?

Try this then. In that Screen Resolution window click the Detect button. It will detect your two monitors. You can then use the Identify button to make sure the monitors are detected correctly, i.e. when you click on monitor 1 in this window, it will tell you what kind of monitor that is and then when you click Identify the big 1 will appear on that monitor. You can then drag the monitor icons to place them in the same order as you have on your desk. When this is done, you can set the main monitor and restart. If there is nothing broken in your system that should work.

I've done as you reccomended, made sure that the monitors are identified correctly and that the layout is the same as on my desk. However I'm still having the problem, where if I save a file it is saved on the desktop of the non main monitor, and I can't figure out why. I could live with this, but I have no idea why it would be doing this, my start bar, desktop icons and programs are all on my main monitor okay.

The only way to change the monitor number is to switch the cables on the back of the computer.

It appears to be working now, thanks everyone.