Dual Screens on Windows 7 64bit PC

[marmoo]

Hi All

Hope you can help

A couple of weeks ago I built my nephew a new PC. Did not spend a fortune on it as he is only 7 and did not need a separate Graphics Card.

Here are the key Specs:

http://www.ebuyer.com/695436-biostar-h81mdv3-ver-7-x-socket-1150-vga-dvi-6-channel-hd-audio-micro-h81mdv3

http://www.ebuyer.com/339598-corsair-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-vengeance-memory-cmz8gx3m1a1600c10

http://www.ebuyer.com/658398-intel-core-i3-4160-3-60ghz-socket-1150-3mb-l3-cache-retail-boxed-bx80646i34160

A couple of days ago my brother asked if I could set up 2 monitors on it as he wants to use it for work also - Would have helped had he told me when I was building it but never mind

Few questions

I know the CPU has capacity to run up to 2 screens but will it work if I use the Motherboard Graphic adaptors?

The Motherboard has VGA and a DVI-D built in.

I do have a DVI-D to VGA adaptor so I am able to run VGA's into 2 separate monitors (one via VGA socket & one via the DVI-D adaptor)

I know how to get the 2 screens to work by extending the display in preferences but what I really want is for the 2 screens to run independent of each other so it is like 2 separate desktops. It would also be useful that both screens have their own Task bars at the bottom and if I choose to open up a program etc on screen one it does not open up on screen two and vice versa

Does Windows 7 have this built in or do I have to use a 3rd party program to do this?

Thanks in advance for any help

Edited January 4, 2016 by marmoo

[sivispacem]

Your links are broken.

[dice]

Win 7, unlike 8 or above, doesn't have the feature to extend your taskbar over multiple monitors. Ofc there're 3rd party programs like DisplayFusion or Multimon, but require some tinkering (link1, link2) to open programs on specific monitors. Windows should by default open programs on the monitor it was last closed, which may prove difficult if you want to use the same browser on both monitors. Windows may also continue opening programs outside your desktop once you remove a monitor, but that's fixable by cascading windows via taskbar

[marmoo]

Your links are broken.

Links fixed. Sorry about that.

 

 

Win 7, unlike 8 or above, doesn't have the feature to extend your taskbar over multiple monitors. Ofc there're 3rd party programs like DisplayFusion or Multimon, but require some tinkering (link1, link2) to open programs on specific monitors. Windows should by default open programs on the monitor it was last closed, which may prove difficult if you want to use the same browser on both monitors. Windows may also continue opening programs outside your desktop once you remove a monitor, but that's fixable by cascading windows via taskbar

 

So do you recommend upgrading to Windows 10 via the free option of Windows 7 Home Premium to negate the need for 3rd party software?

[AZAZEL]

 

Win 7, unlike 8 or above, doesn't have the feature to extend your taskbar over multiple monitors. Ofc there're 3rd party programs like DisplayFusion or Multimon, but require some tinkering (link1, link2) to open programs on specific monitors. Windows should by default open programs on the monitor it was last closed, which may prove difficult if you want to use the same browser on both monitors. Windows may also continue opening programs outside your desktop once you remove a monitor, but that's fixable by cascading windows via taskbar

So do you recommend upgrading to Windows 10 via the free option of Windows 7 Home Premium to negate the need for 3rd party software?

 

Yes, very much this. Multi-screen window handling/snapping and such is also much better implemented in Win 10.

[JN92]

I only recently upgraded our work machines to Windows 10 from Windows 7, some colleagues are struggling with it but I wish I'd made the jump before now it's been well worth it. Some of the new features are so good I can't beleive we've lived without them (or in varying degree's) for years.