Ignorant newbie

[CuriousGame]

Hi all,
This question is probably dumb but I honestly looked hard for an answer here and elsewhere before posting. If the answer is out there, just point me in the right direction.
I've had a G400 for several years butt always had unmatching monitors (one 19" and one 14") which was fine for web design (frontpage on 19 and IE previewing on 14 at 800x600) and not so fine for music where I would have preferred working with my apps spread across both screens.
Now I've got a second 19" but can't get my apps to maximise across the desktop. They go full-screen on either one or the other but not over both. I can drag corners until they fill both screens but the apps don't remember that position and the next time I start them, they're back on one screen.
Have I been clear about the problem. can anyone explain what I should be doing?
I have win98SE Italian and the latest drivers in that language.

Just remembered: the Win98 task bar is also only the main screen, not across both...

[Maggi]

it looks like you're using indpendant DualHead and if you want your apps to maximize over both screen, you should use stretched DualHead instead ...

[CuriousGame]

Is that the option in the regular windows screen properties popup where you see the picture of both screens and can set resolutions and relative positions? I've checked the option that asks if I want the desktop over both monitors...

[Maggi]

nope, it's in PowerDesk's DualHead tab ...

[CuriousGame]

I'm at work now but if I can get my wife away from my PC long enough, I'll try that this evening.
Thanks Maggi.

[CuriousGame]

Couldn't get it to work. All I get on the DualHead tab is a single checkbox to activate Dual head and some buttons to OK, apply or cancel.
Both monitors have the same resolution, 1280x1024, and I've kept clours at 65536 16bit for both. I was wondering about refresh rates - something I read in the Italian FAQ suggests that the main monitor should not have a lower refresh rate than the secondary. True?
Latest drivers loaded for both monitors.
Tonight I'll try updating the Matrox BIOS.
Any other suggestions?

[Rags]

Originally posted by CuriousGame
Couldn't get it to work. All I get on the DualHead tab is a single checkbox to activate Dual head and some buttons to OK, apply or cancel.
Both monitors have the same resolution, 1280x1024, and I've kept clours at 65536 16bit for both. I was wondering about refresh rates - something I read in the Italian FAQ suggests that the main monitor should not have a lower refresh rate than the secondary. True?
Latest drivers loaded for both monitors.
Tonight I'll try updating the Matrox BIOS.
Any other suggestions?

I have a suggestion, if you want this functionality, you will need to go with NT4/Win2k/XP.

Rags

[Maggi]

Originally posted by CuriousGame
Couldn't get it to work. All I get on the DualHead tab is a single checkbox to activate Dual head and some buttons to OK, apply or cancel.
Both monitors have the same resolution, 1280x1024, and I've kept clours at 65536 16bit for both. I was wondering about refresh rates - something I read in the Italian FAQ suggests that the main monitor should not have a lower refresh rate than the secondary. True?
Latest drivers loaded for both monitors.
Tonight I'll try updating the Matrox BIOS.
Any other suggestions?

In the DualHead confirguration tab, isn't there an option to choose between "identical resolutions and colordepth" and "independant resolutions and colordepth" ???

[CuriousGame]

Rags, you mean the G400 has never been *true* dual head under win98 ?

Maggi, There really isn't an option. A message appears under the checkbox to activate DualHead when I check it. I'll get the text of the message tonight...

[Maggi]

Originally posted by CuriousGame
...
A message appears under the checkbox to activate DualHead when I check it. I'll get the text of the message tonight...

exactly that one should give you the needed option ....

[CuriousGame]

But it's just a message without any options or further checkboxes...

[Rags]

Originally posted by CuriousGame
Rags, you mean the G400 has never been *true* dual head under win98 ?

Maggi, There really isn't an option. A message appears under the checkbox to activate DualHead when I check it. I'll get the text of the message tonight...

You are confused.

Win98 has ALWAYS had true dualhead. True dualhead is when Windows treats the displays as separate video card outputs. This means that each display is independent of the next.

If you want to be able to have the two displays treated as one big display, then you will have to move to an NT system. It's always been this way and I don't know why Maggi thinks that win98 has ever had this, but it hasn't.

Rags

[Maggi]

Originally posted by Rags
...
It's always been this way and I don't know why Maggi thinks that win98 has ever had this, but it hasn't.

Rags

most likely because it's been so long that I've touched a W98 system ...

Seriously, I thought there was an option for stretched DH in W98 as well.

Thanx for clarification, Rags !
Maggi

[GNEP]

So hypothetically speaking, if Matrox had drivers for the Parhelia on Win9x, then we could get independent triplehead only because the stretched desktop is not an option?? Could this be another reason that they didn't do drivers? (i.e. it can't be done)?

[CuriousGame]

Thanks a lot for clearing this up guys. At least I can stop trying to do something impossible.
:-(

I'll just have to make do with what I've got until making the move up to XP. I'd planned it anyway but I guess it'll have to be more sooner than later.
Busy Christmas coming up...