Re: Dual Monitors, the Only Way to Go
There's a cost-free alternative to dual monitors if you've got an ATI video card. While we've been using dual monitors for years -- a great productivity tool -- we also configure our video card to give us "pan and scan virtual monitors" where the actual desktop is 3 to 4 times greater than what you can see on your screen at any one time. Move your cursor to the right edge of the screen or bottom and the screen moves to reveal more screen real estate. With this feature you can open word processing files, spreadsheets, desktop publishing file, etc. full size and rarely need to use scroll bars. You can also easily have more than one application open and viewable at a time.
You can sometimes achieve this with any video card by going into Display Properties | Settings | Advanced | Monitor and unchecking "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display." Then set your resolution to something like 1600 x 1200 and you might get the pan and scan virtual desktop -- no guarantees.
Here's a step by step guide:
First check to see if your Display Properties | Settings will let you set your go into your screen resolution to, say, 1600 x 1200. If it doesn't go that high (and if your monitor is smaller than 20.1", it probably doesn't go that high), go into Display Properties | Settings | Advanced | Monitor and uncheck "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display." This will allow higher resolutions to appear. If this choice is grayed out, you may be screwed. Change your resolution for both monitors to something like 1600 x 1200, but don't exit out of Display Properties just yet.
Then you open ATI's Catalyst Control Center (CCC, for short - kind of reminds me of the Great Depression's Civilian Conservation Corps). Choose the Advanced mode rather than Basic. Go to the "Monitor Properties 0" and uncheck "Use Extended Display Identificaiton Data (EDID) or driver defaults." Then change the maximum resultion to 800x600 and the maximu refresh ratee to 60 Hz (assuming you use LCD monitors). Click on "apply". Do the same with Monitor Properties 1".
Now sometimes this doesn't quite get you the pan and scan virtual desktop -- instead you get a 800x600 desktop. Panic, not. Simply go back to your Display Properties windows and change the resolution for both monitors to 1600 x 1200. Click "Okay" and you should have a pan and scan virtual desktop on both monitors. You can, of course, change the resolution combinations to fit your personal preferences. Sometimes you have to fool around a bit to a combination that pleases you.