Windows 7: MCE on Secondary Display?

ukgovsucks · 06 Mar 2009

I have just installed Windows 7 Build 7048 and having a tinker around with it. Very nice.

One thing though. Does anyone know how I can run MCE on the secondary display. i.e. Not on my main pc monitor but on the cable that runs to my LCD TV?

Having never used MCE before ( always used MediaPortal before ), I assume that you can do this. But I just can't see how! MediaPortal allows you to set it to appear on the TV as the main display, but this won't install on Windows 7, at least not the normal way anyway!

ibocpro · 06 Mar 2009

Hi ukgovsucks,

what gov doesn't?

You should be able to set up a second display.

The 8600 GT can run two monitors so you need to plug both in and go to the Nvidia Control panel and enable multiple displays. nView will let you set each monitor's res to fit. I set up a system with two monitors using a 9600 gt and it works well enough.

One little quirk though was that if you are running MC on your second display you can not enter full screen mode as it will set on the primary display and black out the secondary. So you can run the MC in windowed mode and strech it to fit the second display.

Should go pretty easy for you.. just enable two displays and drag MC to the second.

Cheers.

ukgovsucks · 06 Mar 2009

Quote: Originally Posted by ibocpro

Hi ukgovsucks,

what gov doesn't?

You should be able to set up a second display.

The 8600 GT can run two monitors so you need to plug both in and go to the Nvidia Control panel and enable multiple displays. nView will let you set each monitor's res to fit. I set up a system with two monitors using a 9600 gt and it works well enough.

One little quirk though was that if you are running MC on your second display you can not enter full screen mode as it will set on the primary display and black out the secondary. So you can run the MC in windowed mode and strech it to fit the second display.

Should go pretty easy for you.. just enable two displays and drag MC to the second.

Cheers.

Thanks mate.
I know what you mean about "what gov doesn't"!!
lol

hdjunkie · 06 Mar 2009

Quote: Originally Posted by ibocpro

you need to plug both in and go to the Nvidia Control panel and enable multiple displays.

You can do this without any special software. Right click desktop, and choose screen resolution.

Quote: Originally Posted by ibocpro

One little quirk though was that if you are running MC on your second display you can not enter full screen mode as it will set on the primary display and black out the secondary. So you can run the MC in windowed mode and strech it to fit the second display.
Cheers.

That's not true. You can go full screen mode no problem. Even if it does go to the main monitor when you go full screen, hit winkey/shift/+left or right depending on which direction the window needs to move.

johngalt · 07 Mar 2009

Yup - confirmed - if you hit [WIN] + [SHIFT] + {left or right arrow} WMC moves to whichever direction (and thus other monitor) you want it to go to. And if it is in full screen mode, hitting [WIN] gives you your mouse back *outside* of WMC so you can do other things- I been doing that for years so I can watch TV on one monitor and do whatever on another....

ukgovsucks · 07 Mar 2009

NICE ONE lads!
Now I can carry testing everything out. If I couldn't have my MCE working on the TV I would of given up Win 7 as a bad job! lol.

THANKS!

ibocpro · 07 Mar 2009

Hi hdjunkie,

OK I feel a bit..

Cool stuff though, does this work for Vista also? I would assume so since johngalt says he has been doing it for years.

My sisters system has the dual monitors and is running Vista 32. It is a home office and so work is done on the primary and TV is background on the secondary. So I did set up the build and configured the system but alas I did not look far enough into running dual monitors...

Again many thanks!

johngalt · 07 Mar 2009

The part I said I was doing for years was the WIN key trick to get the mouse out of the full screened WMC so I could do stuff on the other monitor.

I don't think Vista had the WIN Shift Arrow shortcut for moving windows, IIRC....

hdjunkie · 07 Mar 2009

Yeah, the shortcuts are new in Windows 7. I can't imagine not having them now, though.

LePoilu · 07 Mar 2009

There's nothing really tricky for having MCE on the secondary monitor in full screen mode.

Put MCE in windowed mode => move the windows on the display you want => put MCE in full screen mode. Like any other application it will go in full screen in the monitor you put it on. The good news is that it will keep this settings. Nxt time you launch it, it will be ont the "good" display.

Windows 7: MCE on Secondary Display?

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