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Section 2.4: Configuring Display Settings

Windows XP Professional allows you to configure the appearance of your desktop and how your monitor displays information. Windows XP Professional also allows you to install and simultaneously use up to ten monitors. These monitors will require their own video adapter cards.

Note: You can use either PCI or AGP video adapter cards to support additional monitors but not ISA video adapter cards.

To install additional monitors:

  • Switch off your computer and open the computer's case
  • Insert the additional PCI or VGA video adapter card into a free slot
  • Plug your additional monitor into the video adapter card
  • Close the computer's case and boot the computer
  • Windows XP Professional will detect the video adapter card and will install the appropriate drivers
  • Open the control panel
  • Open DISPLAY
  • Click on the settings tab
  • Select the extend my windows desktop onto this monitor check box
  • Click on the monitor icon that you want top use as an additional monitor
  • Select the color depth and resolution for the secondary display

You can repeat this procedure for every additional display you want to use.

Table 2.2: Troubleshooting Display Problems

Problem Solution
You cannot see any display on the secondary monitors Activate the device in the Display Properties dialog box.
Check that the correct video adapter driver has been installed.
Switch the order of the adapters in the slots. The primary display adapter should be installed in the either PCI slot 0 or 1.
The Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor check box is unavailable. Select the secondary display rather than the primary one in the Display Properties dialog box.
Confirm that the secondary display adapter is supported.
Confirm that Windows XP Professional can detect the secondary display.
An application fails to display on the secondary display. Run the application in full-screen mode, if it is a DOS-based application, or maximized, if it is a Windows-based application.
A DOS-based application opens but the display area is scrambled. The monitor functions correctly when you run Windows-based applications. Some legacy DOS applications can only run in 256 indexed color mode. You should therefore set the video adapter to 256 colors.
You want to configure a nonPlug and Play video adapter to use 16-bit color and 1024 x 768 resolution. The color setting for the video adapter is set to 16 colors and 640 x 480 resolution, and you cannot change that setting. Windows has installed a standard video adapter driver. Install a driver that is compatible with Windows XP Professional.