dual monitor support windows 7

[jjdonohue]

Hi
i have a hp2010i DVI and VGA capable monitor with hp 6610. I have an older VGA only monitor from my dell xp computer. I want to see if i can use both monitors as a dual monitor config but i am thinking i may need some kind of video adapter. . is it possible to have both monitors run to the vga port via some kind of adapter or can i even do this at all? Or worse do i need to buy another monitor compatile with my new monitor. I also dont know what they mean by a video adapter. the new monitor only has vga and dvi outputs and the old is vga only as i said. The hp computer only has a dvi port and then an hdmi port, but not vga. i currently have a vga to dvi adapter to run the new monitor off the vga port.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[Hikertrash]

It depends on your computer, and it's video card. Do you have more than 1 video output?

I have two external monitors set up to my laptop. An old Dell monitor via VGA, and a HDTV via HDMI. However, my card only supports using two at a time. If I had a better video card I could run all three at once.

I also have a digital projector I use (disconnecting the HDTV) that can run with a VGA cable or a HDMI to DVI-D cable

 

[jjdonohue]

i have two video ports on the computer. one is DVI and the other is hdmi. no vga.

 

[Hikertrash]

OK, re-reading your post. Since it doesn't look like either monitor support sound, you could run the one monitor via DVI with a straight DVI cable, just make sure the ends are compatible. And the other monitor with a HDMI to VGA cable. Amazon sells them all fairly cheap.

PS DVI can be tricky some some have 18 pins (single link) and others 24 (dual link) although both should work. There's also DVI-D and DVI-I and DVI-A

 

[Hikertrash]

Once you get two monitors set up it's really cool. You want to extend your display (rather than mirror) that way you can have a program running on each, for example watch a movie and surf the net. Depending how you set it up your mouse travels across into the other horizontally or vertically.

Once you're set up you may want to invest in a program like UltraMon where you can have separate taskbars, screen savers, desktop photos that stretch between the two etc.

 

[Hikertrash]

Hey, looking into this, rather than what I suggested before, you may want to get a DVI (computer) to VGA cable (monitor) and a HDMI (computer) to DVI cable (monitor).

That way without any potential problems, you'll have the best of both connections, analog with the VGA monitor and digital with the DVI connection.