Did you know that your computer can have two or more monitors connected simultaneously? You can display different data on each, essentially expanding your available screen space to the combined size of both monitors. For instance, I like to have my favorite genealogy program display my family tree on one monitor while I use the second monitor to search various genealogy sites. I can display each program in a larger window, comparing search results against my existing data at a glance. At other times I’ll keep an eye on my incoming e-mail messages on one monitor while working on a word processing document or genealogy on another.
Indeed, you can have multiple windows open on each monitor to run three, four, or more simultaneous programs with each displaying data on whichever monitor you choose. All this can be done on one computer. Anyone who has ever had the experience of using multiple monitors for a few days will agree that they hate to "go back" to using a single monitor. The extra screen space is a great experience.
In theory, you can add a second monitor to any modern Windows or Macintosh system. The traditional method involves opening the computer's case and plugging in an additional video board. This can be complex and is not practical with laptop computers. Luckily, new technology allows the addition of a second monitor without opening the case.
I recently replaced a 19-inch monitor on a Windows system with a 22-inch monitor that I found on sale at a local computer store at a sale price that was "too cheap to pass up." I enjoyed the larger monitor for a few weeks but began to realize that I also had a perfectly good second monitor sitting nearby, gathering dust: the original 19-inch monitor. I began to wonder: could I use them BOTH simultaneously?
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