Multiple Displays

wayne_th:

The following article should answer your question:

Extended Desktop Support in Windows 2000 on Inspiron/Latitude Systems

Extended Desktop is the ability to "stretch" your Windows desktop across multiple monitors, effectively using each monitor as a unique and separate portion of the desktop display area. This functionality was introduced in Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) and was fully planned for Windows 2000. Several pre-release versions of Windows 2000 did have full extended desktop support.
Unfortunately, as Windows 2000 was developed, Microsoft decided to de-feature multi-monitor support for single-adapter /dual-controller video solutions as part of the Operating System. Single-adapter /dual-controller video is often found in portable computers, including Dell Inspiron and Latitude systems with ATI-based video solutions, including the ATI Mobility M/M1/P, Mobility 128 and Mobility M4. This type of video solution uses a single video adapter with multiple video controllers emulated in driver software, rather than a single adapter for each video controller (as commonly found in desktop systems).

Although Windows 98 SE and Me (Millennium Edition) do support extended desktop with a single-adapter /dual-controller video solution, this functionality is not natively supported in Windows 2000. Microsoft originally planned to add this support in a service pack release for Windows 2000, but all Windows 2000 efforts have been dropped, focusing instead on developing it for Windows XP Professional (NOTE: At the time of this writing, Windows XP Home will *NOT* have native support for extended desktop). It should be noted that Windows 2000 does support extended desktop using multiple video controllers with single-adapter/single-controller solutions. This type of hardware configuration is only possible on desktop systems or portable computers with docking stations that allow for PCI-based video solution expansion. This functionality has not been tested and is not supported on Dell Latitude products with the C/Dock solution.

Extended desktop is possible on a portable computer with a single video adapter, but it must be configured as a dual channel controller by the manufacturer. The only other means to support extended desktop with a single-adapter/dual-controller configuration on Windows 2000 is a separate program/applet that ignores Windows 2000 operating system limitations and emulates extended desktop itself. Neither of these are available with Dell's current ATI-based video solutions. There are no plans to support or implement this functionality on any of Dell's ATI-based video solutions. Future products from Dell may support this functionality.


Reference from the Microsoft Resource Kit for Windows 2000 Professional:

Page 840: MULTIPLE MONITORS

"Multi-Monitor allows you to configure up to nine monitors so that the Windows 2000 Professional Desktop can be spread out over their display areas. For each display you can adjust the position, resolution and color depth..."

Page 843: USING MULTI-MONITORS WITH PORTABLE COMPUTERS

"You can use docked portable computers in a multi-monitor configuration if the docking station allows the use of PCI display devices. The onboard display on the portable computer [i.e. LCD panel] must be used as the VGA device..."

This is not supported on any Dell Inspiron or Latitude products.


In addition ShapiroJM has posted a possible PC card solution:

I have found only one option in all of my research, and that is to use a PCMCIA video card. There are two on the market, one from Appian and one from Margi systems. For a review of these cards by a Dell notebook user, go to http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/faq.asp. Based on info. provided there, I will be purchasing one of these cards for use on my C800.

Hopefully, this info will save others the grief that I had to go through to ultimately get to this answer, and I hope that Dell's tech's read this so that they can distribute accurate info to others who call with this question.

mauers:

Your system has been validated for use with Windows98 and you will find the necessary drivers for this Operating System in the Dell File Library. Just go to our website at the following address:

Insert your system's service tag in the text box labeled "System Service Tag" and click the "Go" button. You will be given a list of files and drivers specific to your system.

I'm using Dell D600 laptop... on the docking station it will ONLY allow me to either use one single display or soan the display across two monitors.  Off the docking station I have the option of Monitor 1 and Monitor 2 in the display properties.   I would like this to be the same for when it is docked.   

 

Radeon 9000
Windows 2000
Latitude D600

Any ideas?  The article I don't think applied to my situation.  Maybe there is some fresh info out there?