Dual Monitor Hardware & Software

Now you can blank out any of the multiple monitors connected to your Windows computer. Windows does not offers a software switch to just turn off any selected monitor without disabling the monitor. When you disable a Monitor, your virtual Window settings change and yes it can be really difficult to struggle with control panel to just enable or disable multiple monitors. Now with Multi Blanker software utility, you do not need to struggle with complex multiple monitor settings with Screen Resolution control panel option or anything else and just show up a blank screen on any of the monitors and avoid staring at a monitor which you actually do not want to remain ON.

Multi Monitor Utility to blank Multiple Monitors connected to a Windows Computer

Whether you have dual or any number of monitors connected to your Windows computer, this Blank Screen Utility can be really handy and provide you full control over the display on your other Monitors. This Multi Monitor utility has got a small window and a listbox containing names of monitors connected in extended mode to your Windows computer. In order to blank out or display a Black Screen on any of the Monitors, you can select single or multiple monitor names from the list and click on the Toggle button to show up a Black Screen on all the selected Monitors. You can even double click on any of the Monitor(s) name to toggle the black screen displayed on the selected monitor. The black screen is displayed in a System Modal fashion which prohibits any other currently running window to actually show up on the selected monitor above the black screen. This Multi Monitor utility is presented as a plugin with MurGeeMon and can be downloaded from the How To tab of the software. In case you are already using MurGeeMon, you can download this Multi Blanker utility and manage the screen of all other monitors from your primary or number 1 monitor of your Windows computer.

This Multi Monitor utility is compatible with Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista and even with Windows XP. The black screen can be started on any of the monitor connected in extended mode using the main screen of the software. In order to exit or close the black screen on any of the monitors, you can either togggle the black screen using the software interface or right click on the black screen and select the option to close the black screen. This Multi Monitor utility when closed removes the black screens from all the monitors. This can be even used as a quick alternative to a software switch to turn on or off any of the monitor using a software utility. When the black screen is running on any of the selected monitor(s), you will be able to move the mouse cursor on the screen, however all other applications on the monitor would run beneath the black screen.

Windows 8 taskbar can be configured to be displayed on dual or multiple monitors. This post will describe few features of the taskbar when using dual monitors on a Windows 8 computer. The same properties will apply when using Windows 8 wilth multiple monitors. This post will talk specifically about the dual monitor taskbar which you get free with Windows 8. Screenshot and appropriate description of the taskbar will help you get the most out of your dual monitor experience of Windows 8. Have a look at the given below screenshot captured on a Dual Monitor Windows 8 computer displaying the dual monitor taskbar with properties available to configure and using the right click on the taskbar of the secondary monitor on the windows explorer icon.

Task on a Dual Monitor Windows 8 Computer

There are many useful things that can be figured out from the above Dual Monitor Taskbar screenshot of Windows 8 Computer. Let’s start with Monitor Resolution, the first monitor has a resolution of 1024 X 768 and the other Monitor has a resolution of 800 X 600. Yes the monitors can have other bigger resolutions depending on the appropriate hardware and software. You can click on the above screenshot to view the actual size screenshot. Note that the taskbar is displayed on both the monitors, however the System Tray Icons are displayed only on the first or primary monitor. Start Menu, the Show Desktop Button, Volume Control and other System Tray Icons are displayed only on the first or primary monitor. The other monitor does have a taskbar and has another button on the extreme left which allows to Move the Start Screen onto the secondary monitor.

The Dual Monitor Taskbar is also a Multi Monitor Taskbar and will be displayed on all the extended monitors using Windows 8. The Taskbar has many standard typical taskbar features like JumpList on the icons displayed on the right click. The JumpList was introduced in Windows 7 and is available in Windows 8 as well even in the dual monitor taskbar of Windows 8. The screenshot above displays the menu options (i.e. JumpList) displayed when right clicked on the shortcut displayed onto the taskbar. Have a close look at the Taskbar properties as well which will allow you to control how the taskbar on the secondary monitor should behave. Pinning icons on the taskbar is available only on the main or primary monitor. The Dual Monitor Software (i.e. MurGeeMon) is also seen in the screenshot taken above and works well with Windows 8 providing quick and useful dual monitor control options for Windows 8 computer.

Now you can open up any window on second or third or any other monitor really easily. All you need to do is place shortcut to launch the application on the desired monitor and use your mouse cursor to launch it. Many applications launch themselves on primary monitor by default and you have to move them to the desired monitor manually. Moreover many applications remember the last position of the application window and launch themselves on the last monitor with optionally last configured size irrespective of whether that specific monitor is turned on or off.

Let’s say you have a dual monitor windows computer and you use an application on second monitor. The desired application launches itself on second monitor or you manually move that application onto second monitor. Now if you have to always move that application window to second monitor manually then this post can be really useful to you, as a software is presented here which can be used to open an application window on second monitor automatically.

Consider another scenario where your second monitor has been turned off and when you launch the application window, it goes to the second monitor and you will be required to turn on that second monitor, move the window to first monitor and then turn off second monitor.

These small things can really hamper the benefits of having dual or multiple monitors connected to a windows computer. The Software presented can be used to automatically move or open up a window on second or any other monitor. The Multi Monitor Application helper is presented as a plugin for MurGeeMon and can be downloaded from here.

The Multi Monitor Software Utility presented above Monitors all windows and monitors the mouse cursor position. In case your Mouse Cursor is present on second monitor and a window opens up on first monitor, the software will move the window to second monitor automatically after getting a confirmation from you.

Yes Finally Windows 8 does provides better Multi Monitor Support even better than provided in Windows 7. Now Windows 8 provides the option of having TaskBar on every connected Monitor. The Start Menu Button is displayed on Primary Monitor and every other monitor has another quick button to Move the Start Screen to the selected Monitor. When author tested that functionality on Windows 8 with dual monitors connected to a Windows 8 computer, the start button was shifted to secondary monitor easily. So effectively you will be able to shift the start button to any monitor of your choice easily.

The Taskbars on non primary monitors are typically used to display the Windows minimized. Taskbar properties as displayed below can be used to configure what windows does the taskbars displays. As seen in the screenshot below, there are three options available to choose from. First of all you can enable or disable the taskbar on non primary monitors. Under Multiple Displays section in the screenshot below, note the checkbox which says Show Taskbar on all displays. Unchecking this checkbox will display extended multiple monitors similar to how the monitors or displays used to appear on Windows 7, Vista, etc. In case you do enable the option to display the taskbar on all displays, you can then configure what all those taskbars display ?

Enable or Disable Taskbars on Multiple Monitors in Windows 8

The options available for Windows displayed in the taskbar are to Duplicate Windows on all taskbars, Unique to each taskbar and on main taskbar, and Unique to each taskbar. Windows 8 also allows to selectively choose the option to combine the windows on taskbars in configurable 3 options.

Other things to note about Multi Monitor support of Windows 8 is that although the taskbars on other monitors can be displayed, they are not as sophisticated as the taskbar on Main Monitor. The Taskbar on secondary, ternary or other multiple monitors are limited to displaying minimized application windows only. You will be able to right click on any Window displayed on non primary taskbar and view the JumpList of the software, hover over the window icon in taskbar and preview the application window without restoring it and just like application icon on main taskbar, you will be able to close any application window on any taskbar by selecting the close option from the right click menu.

In case you would like to pin a shortcut to main taskbar, yes this will work as it used to work on Windows 7, however you will not be able to pin a shortcut specifically to any non primary taskbar. Applications launched from a shortcut on secondary monitor will not forcibly appear on secondary monitor. Application Windows will still hold the responsibility of starting up on an appropriate monitor. In case you would like to have seperate wallpaper on multiple monitors on Windows 8, you will still have to use 3rd party software application such as MurGeeMon. The MurGeeMon is a Dual Monitor Software and hence can be used only to set different wallpapers on dual monitor windows 8 computer, however developments are going on which would allow the MurMeeMon to support Multiple Monitor Windows 8 computer.

Windows 8 is expected to provide taskbar on secondary Monitor. Whether Microsoft provides extra taskbar on Windows 8 or not will be uncovered soon. However an extra 3rd party Multi Monitor Software can provide you whatever microsoft does not provides. Yes Windows 7 provides many useful ways to control dual or multiple monitors with control panel, still there are many things that a Multi Monitor Software can provide and make using of Multiple Monitors on any version of Windows really easy and fun to have.

Having different wallpapers on dual monitors is something that Microsoft does not provides on Windows 7 and there are chances that Microsoft will continue not to provide way to set different background on different Monitors. In case you are using only 2 Monitors connected to your Windows 7 and plan to use same number of monitors on Windows 8, the Dual Monitor Software can be of help.

Shortcut Keys, Desktop Shortcuts, System Tray Menu in comprehensive software with all Monitor control features can be really of use. You can even submit a feature request to the provider and the software provider can try to implement the feature for your version of Windows. Even if an extra taskbar is provided in Windows 8, an additional Multi Monitor Software can still be of use & worth giving a try.