MultiMonitor w/ Windows 2000/XP

This is a list of resources that may be useful when configuring Windows 2000/XP for MultiMonitor support.

Note: Do NOT e-mail me asking for technical support. I make no warranties or guarantees as to the correctness of this information. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

• Multi-Monitor Compatibility Database
  The DEFINITIVE MultiMonitor resource.

• Microsoft Multi-Monitor Compatibility List for Windows 2000 [cached]
  A little old, but still useful. This link above contains both compatible AGP and compatible PCI video cards. Chances are you already have an AGP card and need a secondary PCI card. In that case, I have provided a shortened list of only the PCI cards from the complete list.

• Notes On Windows 2000 MultiMonitor [cached]
  This nice guy from Japan has posted his experiences with MultiMonitor setups under Windows 2000 and was the inspiration for this page.

Hints

• Most old PCI video cards do NOT properly support MultiMonitor under Windows 2000/XP.
• Ideally, if you want to use an old, cheap PCI video card, the card should allow you to disable VGA.
• Most newer PCI video cards should auto-disable VGA if they are the secondary video card in a system.
• Older S3 and Trident chipset video cards may work if you set the "Init Display" option in your BIOS to initialize the PCI video card first. Your BIOS may have a different name for this option.
  • Some systems do not have any such option and, in such a case, you will just have to hope your BIOS initializes the PCI card first.
  • On many systems, these older PCI video cards won't work regardless.
• In my experiences, the PCI Matrox Millennium and the PCI Matrox Mystique work well as secondary cards. The Millennium has a switch to disable VGA and the Mystique just works.
• Get these off eBay or at your local ghetto computer store.

Feel free to e-mail mujty@yahoo.com if you find errors in any of the information above.

Copyright © 2002 Mujtaba Ali. Microsoft, Windows, Realtime Soft, Godzilla, and other trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.