Dual moitors (2 graphic cards)

I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
one has any suggestions I am all ears.

To run dual monitors, you need either a single graphics card with connectors for
two monitors or two identical graphics cards. You also need drivers and
utility software to handle two monitors. If you nVidia card does not have two
connectors for two monitors, you've got the wrong card, AND the 82865G graphics
chip on the 170L motherboard will not handle two monitors, either.

For really simple dual-monitor setups, I've used a really old Matrox G450 AGP
card. Not fancy by today's standards, but it works. There are plenty of
other AGP cards with dual monitor support. Take the 3-year old NVIDIA GeForce
FX 5500 back to the store where you bought it and ask for a full refund. The
technician works at the same store? ... Ben Myers

On Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:13:18 -0700, wrote:

>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
>82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
>dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
>Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
>by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
>which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
>one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
>When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
>up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
>I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
>only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
>one has any suggestions I am all ears.

I have two computers here that have old GeForce 5200 cards. They both run
dual monitors.

Does your 5500 have connectors for two monitors? If so you need to connect
both monitors to the 5500.

<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
> 82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
> dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
> Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
> by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
> which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
> one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
> When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
> up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
> I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
> only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
> one has any suggestions I am all ears.
>
>

my understanding is that the 170l comes with integrated video and has not
video specific expansion slot (no agp or pci-express slots - only general
purpose pci slots). if you install a pci video card then you should enter
the bios to select the behavior of the integrated video. there are two
options in the bios for something called 'primary video' - auto and onboard.
i believe that if leave it on the default 'auto' then the primary video is
hat has a monitor connected to it. if it is set to onboard then the
onboard/integrated video is the primary. some dells refuse to allow you to
use the onboard video in conjunction with an add on video card. not
familiar enough with the 170l to tell you what the story is with this
machine. but i would set the 'primary video' in the bios to onboard, and
then boot the system and enter display properties and look for the second
monitor and select to extend your desktop to the second monitor... the
comment above about multiple video cards needing to be identical is not
true. but it would probably have been better to have selected a single dual
monitor video card instead of using the integrated video at all... keep us
posted of your progress.

<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
> 82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
> dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
> Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
> by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
> which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
> one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
> When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
> up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
> I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
> only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
> one has any suggestions I am all ears.
>

<> wrote in message
news: oups.com...
>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
> 82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
> dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
> Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
> by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
> which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
> one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
> When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
> up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
> I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
> only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
> one has any suggestions I am all ears.
>

did you get a 5500 with a DVI connecter ?
did you get a DVI to VGA adapter with the card ?
(it makes the DVI connecter into a normal 15 pin D type VGA connecter)
so you plug 2 monitors into your 5500

I have never set up or used a dual monitor system with different video adapters,
so I'll take your word that it can be made to work. IMHO, either a single card
with dual monitor connectors or a matched cards allows for better integration
and ease of managing a dual or triple or quad monitor setup... Ben Myers

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 02:11:45 -0400, "Christopher Muto" <>
wrote:

>my understanding is that the 170l comes with integrated video and has not
>video specific expansion slot (no agp or pci-express slots - only general
>purpose pci slots). if you install a pci video card then you should enter
>the bios to select the behavior of the integrated video. there are two
>options in the bios for something called 'primary video' - auto and onboard.
>i believe that if leave it on the default 'auto' then the primary video is
>hat has a monitor connected to it. if it is set to onboard then the
>onboard/integrated video is the primary. some dells refuse to allow you to
>use the onboard video in conjunction with an add on video card. not
>familiar enough with the 170l to tell you what the story is with this
>machine. but i would set the 'primary video' in the bios to onboard, and
>then boot the system and enter display properties and look for the second
>monitor and select to extend your desktop to the second monitor... the
>comment above about multiple video cards needing to be identical is not
>true. but it would probably have been better to have selected a single dual
>monitor video card instead of using the integrated video at all... keep us
>posted of your progress.
>
><> wrote in message
>news: roups.com...
>>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
>> 82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
>> dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
>> Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
>> by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
>> which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
>> one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
>> When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
>> up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
>> I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
>> only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
>> one has any suggestions I am all ears.
>>
>

Ben Myers wrote:
> To run dual monitors, you need either a single graphics card with connectors for
> two monitors or two identical graphics cards.

Why identical? I've set up dual monitors with a mix of AGP and PCI cards
with different manufactures and chips. No problems.

Bob

Bob Levine wrote:
> Ben Myers wrote:
>> To run dual monitors, you need either a single graphics card with
>> connectors for
>> two monitors or two identical graphics cards.
>
> Why identical? I've set up dual monitors with a mix of AGP and PCI cards
> with different manufactures and chips. No problems.

Nevermind. I see this has been address further down in the thread.

Bob

there are lots of cavets with mutliple video cards in a system... vista is
said to require a single driver for all installed cards (perhaps what you
were refering to), some pcs with integrated video automatically disable the
integrated graphics when an add-on card is installed (rendering it useless),
and i recently saw a optiplex 745 with dual head pic-express card that
refused to work with a add on pci video card (and only one mention of this
problem found anywhere, and on the dell forums). different brands do work
with xp but youmay encounter problems. when it works it is very nice, when
it dosen't it is a nightmare...

"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
news...
>I have never set up or used a dual monitor system with different video
>adapters,
> so I'll take your word that it can be made to work. IMHO, either a single
> card
> with dual monitor connectors or a matched cards allows for better
> integration
> and ease of managing a dual or triple or quad monitor setup... Ben Myers
>
> On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 02:11:45 -0400, "Christopher Muto"
> <>
> wrote:
>
>>my understanding is that the 170l comes with integrated video and has not
>>video specific expansion slot (no agp or pci-express slots - only general
>>purpose pci slots). if you install a pci video card then you should enter
>>the bios to select the behavior of the integrated video. there are two
>>options in the bios for something called 'primary video' - auto and
>>onboard.
>>i believe that if leave it on the default 'auto' then the primary video is
>>hat has a monitor connected to it. if it is set to onboard then the
>>onboard/integrated video is the primary. some dells refuse to allow you
>>to
>>use the onboard video in conjunction with an add on video card. not
>>familiar enough with the 170l to tell you what the story is with this
>>machine. but i would set the 'primary video' in the bios to onboard, and
>>then boot the system and enter display properties and look for the second
>>monitor and select to extend your desktop to the second monitor... the
>>comment above about multiple video cards needing to be identical is not
>>true. but it would probably have been better to have selected a single
>>dual
>>monitor video card instead of using the integrated video at all... keep
>>us
>>posted of your progress.
>>
>><> wrote in message
>>news: groups.com...
>>>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
>>> 82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
>>> dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
>>> Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
>>> by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
>>> which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
>>> one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
>>> When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
>>> up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
>>> I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
>>> only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
>>> one has any suggestions I am all ears.
>>>
>>

Which is why I figured I would steer the OP in the direction of using cards with
identical chipsets and drivers... Ben Myers

On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:51:27 -0400, "Christopher Muto" <>
wrote:

>there are lots of cavets with mutliple video cards in a system... vista is
>said to require a single driver for all installed cards (perhaps what you
>were refering to), some pcs with integrated video automatically disable the
>integrated graphics when an add-on card is installed (rendering it useless),
>and i recently saw a optiplex 745 with dual head pic-express card that
>refused to work with a add on pci video card (and only one mention of this
>problem found anywhere, and on the dell forums). different brands do work
>with xp but youmay encounter problems. when it works it is very nice, when
>it dosen't it is a nightmare...
>
>"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
>news.. .
>>I have never set up or used a dual monitor system with different video
>>adapters,
>> so I'll take your word that it can be made to work. IMHO, either a single
>> card
>> with dual monitor connectors or a matched cards allows for better
>> integration
>> and ease of managing a dual or triple or quad monitor setup... Ben Myers
>>
>> On Mon, 22 Oct 2007 02:11:45 -0400, "Christopher Muto"
>> <>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>my understanding is that the 170l comes with integrated video and has not
>>>video specific expansion slot (no agp or pci-express slots - only general
>>>purpose pci slots). if you install a pci video card then you should enter
>>>the bios to select the behavior of the integrated video. there are two
>>>options in the bios for something called 'primary video' - auto and
>>>onboard.
>>>i believe that if leave it on the default 'auto' then the primary video is
>>>hat has a monitor connected to it. if it is set to onboard then the
>>>onboard/integrated video is the primary. some dells refuse to allow you
>>>to
>>>use the onboard video in conjunction with an add on video card. not
>>>familiar enough with the 170l to tell you what the story is with this
>>>machine. but i would set the 'primary video' in the bios to onboard, and
>>>then boot the system and enter display properties and look for the second
>>>monitor and select to extend your desktop to the second monitor... the
>>>comment above about multiple video cards needing to be identical is not
>>>true. but it would probably have been better to have selected a single
>>>dual
>>>monitor video card instead of using the integrated video at all... keep
>>>us
>>>posted of your progress.
>>>
>>><> wrote in message
>>>news: egroups.com...
>>>>I have a Dell Optiplex 170L that has a Plug and Play Monitor on Intel
>>>> 82865G Graphic Controller and I wanted to have the capability for a
>>>> dual monitor. I have two monitors one is a Dell and the other is a
>>>> Proview. I purchased a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 after it was recomended
>>>> by a technician at a local computer store. After I installed it,
>>>> which seemed fairly simple, and now that I have two cards, I connected
>>>> one monitor to the old card and the other monitor to the new card.
>>>> When I start the computer the new monitor displays the Windows start
>>>> up and then goes black and the old monitor displays windows desktop.
>>>> I can not seem to get both monitors to display at the same time. The
>>>> only time I get the new one to work is if I disable the old. If any
>>>> one has any suggestions I am all ears.
>>>>
>>>
>