Dual monitor, either totally separate desktops or lock icon positions?


  1. crouchsw
    Posts : 1
    Windows 7 home premium 64 bit
       New #1

    Dual monitor, either totally separate desktops or lock icon positions?


    I have my PC in the office, connected to a 19" monitor through the VGA port, and a 720P plasma in the living room, connected with the HDMI port. I can do dual desktops, but whenever I turn off my TV, or change the input source, Windows disables the second desktop, and my icons all move back to the 19" monitor. How do I do the following?

    Setup 1 (ideal): Totally separated desktops: the monitor is controlled by the wired mouse and keyboard, the HDTV is controlled by the wireless mouse and keyboard, the cursors cannot move from one desktop to the other.

    Setup 2 (acceptable): Lock the icons in place so that, even when Windows thinks the monitor has been disconnected (in the case of a power off), it will hold the icon locations on the HDTV extended desktop.

    Thanks,
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  3. Everlong
    Posts : 3,322
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
       New #2

    You could set the dual monitor setup to replicate the desktop on both screens? So you can have the 19" monitor turned off and get the same desktop on your plasma vice versa. Or do you want the dual monitor functionality, so you have stuff on your 19" monitor that you don't want on your plasma?
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  4. CB
    Posts : 2,076
    Windows 11 Prerelease
       New #3

    Hi Crouch.
    I don't know how you set your desktop.
    But here is mine. I have ATI card, set on first to 19" LCD Monitor and the extended to Toshiba LCD TV, have some icons spread on the second monitor. As long as the setting stays as extended, then those icons in the second screen will remain though I change the TV channel and even turn it off for hours. It is pulled back to the first monitor only if I accidentally change the setting to duplicate or first monitor only. But it certainly go back to second monitor when I set it back to extended. It works both through DVI/D-Sub port or HDMI port.

    The option you mentioned as Setup 1 (ideal) is not possible on my knowledge, wish somebody know how to do that.

    Give your self a try and see if it works the way you want it.

    Kevin
      My Computers
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  6. Zepher
    Posts : 2,164
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
       New #4

    Ultramon may be able to do a quasi-setup #1 using hotkeys to swap the primary screens between the tv and the 19" monitor.
    You go into the living room and on your wireless keyboard, press a hotkey and now that the primary.
    Press the hotkey and it swaps.
    It would be setup to disable the opposite screen.

    Realtime Soft UltraMon
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