I don't know why it has taken me so long to realize how great running dual monitors is. I have had a few different computers able to run dual monitors but I never actually set it up for some reason.

The spot I Plime from has had two computers setup right next to each other for a while networked together. I have used the computers for different things. My main Plimeing computer is dead for the time being so I hooked up the monitor to the other port and set up my dual monitors in settings. I love it. I can really multitask my slack-off internet time. I can now play two different games at the same time one on each of the monitors. I can Plime and not miss any of my games.

My setup at the moment is Plimeing on the right and playing Thecritters game Flash Element Tower Defense 2 on his (I believe his) website Casual Collective on the left.

For those of you that have not been to his site, I suggest you check it out. It is a great site for some fun games (single player and multi-player. I know there was a news post about it a week or so ago, but I have been spending the other 50% of my time there. I thought that I should let people know about it again. Thecritters even made a Plime group that you guys can join. I really suggest you check it out, especially since Thecritters wrote a couple of the games.

Yeah dual monitors rock. Great for graphics editing because you can have an imgae on your big monitor and your tools on a smaller monitor. Finding a color calibrator that will work with dual monitors however...is a big fat PITA.

I have yet to try calibrating them, but the color contrast is the one drawback so far.

Dual monitors are the way forward. Or possible one double wide one.

I first did it years ago when I had a Matrox graphics card (remember them). So far as I know they were pioneers in DualHead (as they called it) technology. As it happened I had a spare monitor and have never looked back.

Blurmore, unless it's for reasons of economy then get yourself two identically sized monitors - it enhances the experience even more. But you're right about it being a bitcah to calibrate them. On one of my rigs I have two identical monitors so close they have consecutive serial numbers but their colours are wildly different.

Tito, once you have both 'puters up and running set Synergy up on them. Two computers, two monitors, one keyboard, one mouse. Or more. For a time I used to run four separate computers like that.

My one criticism of it is that it doesn't know to switch focus between computers based on which monitor you are looking at - you do have to move the mouse between them. But until there is an update for corneal movement then it is pretty good.

Lappy + Big Nokia CRT. Sorry but I don't want 2 17 inch monitors to edit pics on. If I was on a desktop I'd still have a CRT (for the image) + a decent LCD (for the tools), for the price CRT is still superior for a graphics monitor. 21 inch gently used LaCie CRT 250 bucks, 21 inch LaCie LCD like 1600 dollars. Until you reach that 1k range in LCD's CRT's still beat the pants off of them in illumination consistency, and contrast (until the CRT is ragged), LCD's do have a natural advantage in alignment but my CRT has alignment fine tuning.

Mine are all CRT (except for the laptop - CRT laptops are no fun...).

I've workstations for work and a laptop for, well, for going on my lap. Generalised computing when I don't want to sit at a desk.

And no need to apologise.

I wish I would have known this sooner. Synergy sounds like a really cool app. It may take me a while to try this because my other computer is pretty jacked-up. I am planning on backing up whatever files I need and then ditching that system. It is becomeing a little dated anyways. I figured I would build a new system once I get all of my financial problems sorted out.

I have two main problems why it is proving hard to get my other computer running. The main problem is my ps/2 port burnt out. That wasn't going to be a problem, I will just switch my keyboard to a usb port using a ps/2 to usb converter. Well for some reason I can not get my computer to recognize the keyboard, so I still can't type. I can still use the on screen keyboard.

The other problem that is proving to be a b***h is someone else in my household was an idiot and allowed some ActiveX control to be downloaded and installed on my system. You no whats coming now. My computer is infested with some very persistent and annoying malware. I have tried running Spybot, Ad-Aware,Hijack This, AVG anti virus and Panda a.v. and I have gone through and cleaned the registry by hand to no avail.

The malware has my computer runing so bad it is nearly impossible to clean without using my keyboard. It is also nearly impossible to get my keyboard going with how slow my system is running when I have 40 pop-up windows coming from nowhere.

one of my computers has two monitor ports, but i have my second computer wired to my one monitor through a KVM switch. Don't know how that would all work together..

If that were my machine, once I'd finished beating whoever it was let the filth on with the sacred baseball bat of retribution I'd think about what was on there and whether any of it were critical to me.

It sounds like the best thing to do to it is an OS reinstall.

If there is stuff on there that you want to keep and you don't want to/can't boot into Windows to get it, download Knoppix, burn the ISO with ImgBurn or DVD Decrypter or similar.

Boot the troublesome computer from this disc and you will be able to access your original file structure. If you've got some sort of USB storage, like a hard drive or a memory stick or something, plug it in, right-click the icon for it and assign read/write permissions.

If you've not got that sort of thing at your disposal, then Knoppix includes k3d, which can burn CDs and DVDs.

If none of those work, you could sign up with Box.net and upload what you want to keep to there.

Final suggestion is to get another Linux distro with a good partition editor, create the relevant install partitions in the empty space and then work from their.

Once you're done and you've recovered what you want, wipe it out and start again with the OS of your choice.

If you've only one monitor then KVM is the best way to go.