Help with Multiple Monitors on XP, Matrox, etc.

[Mickey]

Hi...I have relatively recent E-Machines PC running XP with sufficient
memory, etc, etc. I'm using a standard CRT monitor that came with it
and all is well (presumably using built-in video support on the mother
board, etc, etc.) Nothing special.

Now, I'm trying to add a second monitor. It's a 17" Viewsonic. I found
an old PCI video card in the junk heap (Matrox 708-01), plugged it in
to the mother board, and plugged in the monitor and turned the PC on.

The new monitor and card was detected and used, and the PC basically
booted up on the new monitor instead of the old (I hoped it would come
up on the old monitor as usual, and allow me to use the new as I might
configure it). The old monitor (which I really wanted to retain as the
main monitor) was not detected, and showed no evidence that the
computer even knew it was there.

It appears that the new card (which does NOT have any switches or
jumpers that I can find) has taken over the PC. The PC still works fine
but only uses the new external monitor, not the "main" monitor. I
obviously wanted to use BOTH monitors, but it seems the new card has
taken over the video of the PC.

If I run the Display Control Panel, where I had thought I would see TWO
monitors that I could configure, I only see the one...the new one. I
was hoping I could arrange the two monitors how I like, decide which
was to be the "main" one, and which the extra one, and drag windows
back and forth from one monitor to another, etc.

Am I doing something wrong? Or is my video card too old to be used on a
"modern" pc? (it does seem to want to take over the video of the pc.)

Any thoughts appreciated.

THANKS!

 

[DaveW]

With most motherboards you CANNOT use both the on-board video AND a PCI
video card. There are conflicts.

 

[Brian Pemberton]

With most motherboards you CANNOT use both the on-board video AND a PCI
video card. There are conflicts.

Or, to put it another way, most BIOSs these days will automatically switch over to the additional video card automatically, and
disable the on-board one. That's why Windows can't see it. You might be able to change this in your BIOS, but I doubt it.
Normally, you have to get hold of a video card which can support two monitors, and forget about the on-board one.

HTH

Brian