Sharing Computer is Capable?

[MapleE.]

Hi:
There is one PC with XP and two monitors.

Like printer-sharing, is the Computer-sharing capable, ... one PC with two
monitors, one is CRT and another is flat-screen?

I need to use PC in the basement in the morning and at night in the
spare-room?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Don Phillipson]

There is one PC with XP and two monitors.
Like printer-sharing, is the Computer-sharing capable, ... one PC with two
monitors, one is CRT and another is flat-screen?

I need to use PC in the basement in the morning and at night in the
spare-room?

It is not clear what you want to do that you cannot
already do.
The use of two monitors is not what WinXP calls "Sharing"
(see help file.)

Monitors and PCs must be connected by wire. No ordinary
monitor connects by wireless.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi:
There is one PC with XP and two monitors.

Like printer-sharing, is the Computer-sharing capable, ... one PC with two
monitors, one is CRT and another is flat-screen?

I need to use PC in the basement in the morning and at night in the
spare-room?

Thanks for your help in advance.

I've read this a few times, but I'm sorry to say that I still don't
understand what you are asking. Please clarify exactly what you want
to do, and what your question is.

 

[MapleE.]

Thanks for the response.

There is one computer sitting in the basement, and there are two monitors,
one CRT/monitor in the basement and another, flat-screen in the spare-room.

In the morning, I want to use the PC by using CRT in the basement, and at
night, I want to use the PC by using flat-screen in the spare-room.

I do not like to purchase another PC, then can I use ONLY one PC by
hooking-up with two monitors?

If it's possible, how to hook-up two monitors with ONLY one PC? Is there
any device available for this to work?

Thanks,

 

[VanguardLH]

There is one PC with XP and two monitors.

Like printer-sharing, is the Computer-sharing capable, ... one PC with two
monitors, one is CRT and another is flat-screen?

I need to use PC in the basement in the morning and at night in the
spare-room?

So, after trying to decipher what you meant to say but didn't say, are
you trying to have the host (base unit) with its monitor in the basement
and also have another monitor connected to it but in a different room?

A really long video cable from the video card's output connector
(assuming you have one with 2 outputs and supports dual-monitor mode)
would incur far too much attentuation due to the length to get a second
monitor in another room. Also, what good would a monitor alone be in
the second room? You'll also need a keyboard and mouse for user input.
The monitor is an output-only device.

My guess is that you're looking for a networked KVM switch. This lets
you connect multiple sets of monitor-keyboard-mouse to the same host.
Because the second room is too far away, you'll need something that
works over a wire network (or perhaps is wireless if you don't want to
run CAT 5/6 cables between the rooms). If the KVM isn't wireless, you
could connect it to a wireless AP (access point).

KVM switches over IP (i.e., networked KVM switches) aren't cheap,
probably costing you half as much or even more than a consumer-grade
home computer. At that point, you might as well as buy another computer
and connect it to your old computer via wired/wireless networking to use
file sharing or to run a remote-access client on the host in the second
room to control the old host in the basement.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks for the response.

There is one computer sitting in the basement, and there are two monitors,
one CRT/monitor in the basement and another, flat-screen in the spare-room.

In the morning, I want to use the PC by using CRT in the basement, and at
night, I want to use the PC by using flat-screen in the spare-room.

I do not like to purchase another PC, then can I use ONLY one PC by
hooking-up with two monitors?

You can hook up two (actually up to ten) monitors to a single computer
and doing so permits using them simultaneously to give you more screen
real estate, or have the same thing displayed on both.

Or you can buy a KVM switch, which permits you to have a keyboard,
mouse and monitor for each of two users, using one at a time.

The second choice sound like what you want. *But* (and it's a big
but), you won't be able to do that with the two places as far apart as
the basement and the spare room.

You don't want to buy another PC, but almost certainly you will need
to to do what you want.

If it's possible, how to hook-up two monitors with ONLY one PC? Is there
any device available for this to work?

Thanks,

 

[Jim]

You are moving the tower and keyboard between the basement and
spare-room each day ?

Thanks for the response.

There is one computer sitting in the basement, and there are two monitors,
one CRT/monitor in the basement and another, flat-screen in the spare-room.

In the morning, I want to use the PC by using CRT in the basement, and at
night, I want to use the PC by using flat-screen in the spare-room.

I do not like to purchase another PC, then can I use ONLY one PC by
hooking-up with two monitors?

If it's possible, how to hook-up two monitors with ONLY one PC? Is there
any device available for this to work?

Thanks,

 

[Paul]

Hi:
There is one PC with XP and two monitors.

Like printer-sharing, is the Computer-sharing capable, ... one PC with two
monitors, one is CRT and another is flat-screen?

I need to use PC in the basement in the morning and at night in the
spare-room?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Yes, you can do this.

An implementation was built by Jetway. I'm not sure at this point,
whether Jetway is selling this stuff any more or not.

Jetway Magic Twin
http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2025

The basic idea is, the video card has two display channels,
and it is possible to partition the display, so that each
user has their own display.

But this is not a configuration which is generally available.
Jetway provided some software, to make this work. I don't
think there is anything special about the hardware.

This is the MagicTwin software manual, so you can see their claims.
Jetway owns the Machspeed trademark.

http://www.machspeed.com/manuals/MAGIC TWIN/MAGIC TWIN SOFTWARE XP.pdf

Paul

 

[Paul]

Yes, you can do this.

An implementation was built by Jetway. I'm not sure at this point,
whether Jetway is selling this stuff any more or not.

Jetway Magic Twin
http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2025

The basic idea is, the video card has two display channels,
and it is possible to partition the display, so that each
user has their own display.

But this is not a configuration which is generally available.
Jetway provided some software, to make this work. I don't
think there is anything special about the hardware.

This is the MagicTwin software manual, so you can see their claims.
Jetway owns the Machspeed trademark.

http://www.machspeed.com/manuals/MAGIC TWIN/MAGIC TWIN SOFTWARE XP.pdf


Paul

For one user to be able to sit at two different tables and
work, you can set the Display control panel to "clone" or copy
the display, so both monitors show the same information.

http://www.weethet.nl/images/pc2tv/nvidia_clonemode.gif

You would need a long cable, to run the VGA signal to another
room. That can degrade the signal quality, and you may be
restricted to using lower display resolutions while doing so.
Long cables may only have RGBHV signals, and be missing
the serial connection for DDC. (Install the "monitor driver",
to compensate for the missing DDC signals.) The cables here,
claim to support UXGA (1600x1200), so maybe this would work.

http://www.av-cables.net/VGA-component-video/vga-cables-3.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UXGA

USB cables can be extended with "active" USB cables. This
is how you could run the keyboard and mouse to another room.
You can connect up to five of these in a chain. (Read the reviews
for more comments - not all USB active cables work well when
chained together.) Each cable has a "one port hub" at the end
of the cable, which functions as a digital repeater. If you use
a USB hub at the end of the cables, then only four cables
can be used (20 meters or 60+ feet or so).

VANTEC 16 ft. USB Active Repeater Cable Model CB-USBARC - Retail $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232008

http://www.usb.org/about/faq/ans5#q4

It 60+ feet of USB cable is not enough, you can use a wireless
keyboard and mouse, and place the wireless dongle on the
end of the 60+ foot cable. And that would buy perhaps another
20 feet or so.

To do all of this completely with wireless technology is also possible,
but at great expense. Using wires to make the connections
is a lot cheaper, and should give consistently good results.
Wireless solutions may be affected by other wireless interference,
depending on the frequencies involved.

With two monitors set to "clone" mode, two keyboards and two mice,
both work tables will be controlling the *same* WinXP session at
the same time. Only one user should be using their keyboard and
mouse at one time.

The Jetway solution allows two users to have completely
*isolated* sessions, so that is the difference between the
two approaches. Just using "clone" mode, there is only
one session, being controlled by two display stations.

Paul

 

[Bob I]

I prefer a laptop and wireless router.

 

[Richard]

[see bottom reply]

:
Thanks for the response.

There is one computer sitting in the basement, and there are two
monitors, one CRT/monitor in the basement and another, flat-screen
in the spare-room.

In the morning, I want to use the PC by using CRT in the basement, and
at night, I want to use the PC by using flat-screen in the spare-room.

I do not like to purchase another PC, then can I use ONLY one PC by
hooking-up with two monitors?

If it's possible, how to hook-up two monitors with ONLY one PC? Is there
any device available for this to work?

Thanks,

Hi Maple,

If both monitors are plug and play, you can use either or both.

If you are talking about moving the computer itself back and forth between
two rooms, simply shutdown the computer, disconnect the devices, move the
computer to the other room and re-connect everything with the 2nd monitor.
(Plugging and unplugging things a lot tends to wear out connectors.)

If you are talking about having the computer in only one location, with a
second monitor in the other location connected to the computer, you may need
a signal booster in the long connecting cable. If the location in the upper
room is directly above the basement location, the cable may be short enough
that there is no significant signal loss. Of course, in the room with
monitor only, you would only be able to view whatever the computer in the
other room is displaying unless you also had a wireless keyboard and/or
wireless mouse. With a wireless setup, you could leave the computer and one
monitor in place, and move only the keyboard and mouse to the location of
the other monitor. (Or get an additional keyboard and/or mouse.) Again,
depending on distance, and building construction, there may be a radio
signal loss problem with a wireless setup. You can also use both a wired
mouse and a wireless mouse with the same computer.

Click Start, click Help and Support, Search for:
wireless mouse
wireless keyboard
multiple monitors
Plug and Play overview

HTH. (Hope This Helps.
--Richard

 

[Shenan Stanley]

There is one PC with XP and two monitors.

Like printer-sharing, is the Computer-sharing capable, ... one PC
with two monitors, one is CRT and another is flat-screen?

I need to use PC in the basement in the morning and at night in the
spare-room?

Thanks for your help in advance.

After reading this many times - and the responses to it, including another
post by MapleE, here is what I can decipher and what i suggest.

MapleE has a computer in the basement of MapleE's home. The computer is
connected to a CRT monitor there in the basement. I do not know if this
computer is a laptop or a desktop computer (portable or less portable.)

MapleE has a LCD (flat-screen) monitor elsewhere in the home - upstairs
presumably - in a 'spare room'.

MapleE wants to know how to connect the computer that is in the basement to
the LCD monitor in the spare room.

MapleE,

Here's the deal. You have a computer in the basement. If you want to hook
it up to the monitor upstairs, you unhook the computer from the basement,
drag it and all of its cables upstairs (excluding the monitor it is
currently connected to) and connect it upstairs.

You see - you need more than a monitor to use that computer. You need at
least a keyboard and possibly a mouse. Just because you can see something
on the screen (which you can probably do over network/wifi with the right
equipment) doesn't mean it is of any use.

My suggestion... Get yourself a laptop and a couple of docks.

 

[Kevin]

Maple,

I will cut the crap and give you a straight answer. NO you can't do what you
want to do. It is not the monitor that gives you access to the computer
processor.

The only exception is if if you have a keyboard with 100 ft cable, mouse with
100 ft cable and monitor with 100 ft cable (you get the idea) but again this is
not recommended because you will have cables all over the place in your house
and if you have children, it would be dangerous. Also, from physics point of
view, the signal from your computer and various bits and pieces like keyboard,
mouse and monitor would be degraded by the time it reaches you in your bedroom.

The only solution is to buy a laptop with wireless capability which you can
keep in your bedroom.

I apologize for MVPs being so thick not to understand your question. They are
a bunch of pigs who are harassing Microsoft Customers recently and I have
reported them but like everything their human rights are respected. I don't
know how pigs are considered to be humans!

hth

 

[Shenan Stanley]

<snipped>

<suggestion: Review entire conversation before answering in the future>
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...p.general/browse_frm/thread/590f7162a70ffb7c/
<entire conversation archived indefinitely above>

I will cut the crap and give you a straight answer. NO you can't
do what you want to do. It is not the monitor that gives you
access to the computer processor.

The only exception is if if you have a keyboard with 100 ft cable,
mouse with 100 ft cable and monitor with 100 ft cable (you get the
idea) but again this is not recommended because you will have
cables all over the place in your house and if you have children,
it would be dangerous. Also, from physics point of view, the
signal from your computer and various bits and pieces like
keyboard, mouse and monitor would be degraded by the time it
reaches you in your bedroom.

The only solution is to buy a laptop with wireless capability which
you can keep in your bedroom.

I apologize for MVPs being so thick not to understand your
question. They are a bunch of pigs who are harassing Microsoft
Customers recently and I have reported them but like everything
their human rights are respected. I don't know how pigs are
considered to be humans!

Only an hour and a half after a similar answer (without any name calling,
any unnecessary personal rants, etc) was given.
(See suggestion at the top, post 13.)

Not bad. ;-)

BTW - keyboard and mouse cables do have limits. However there are certain
types of KVMs (albeit on the pricey side for a home user, network variety)
that could do what the OP wants - to a point.