Classic British Flight Sim

Hey all..... Blame Ben for mentioning FSNav here..... anyway I have it on one machine and was just thinking about firing it over to the new PC.... and thought about running dual monitor..... but, I'm wondering if there's a suitable dual cable available anywhere (and also any hints on running dual screen)

The new PC is rigged up with a DVI/VGA adapter into the 2" monitor, and there's a spare VGA output on the tower. Is there a cable availble that will aloow me to run two machines into one monitor (IE pipe the VGA feed into the old monitor) and keep the old PC wired up too?

forthbridge wrote: The new PC is rigged up with a DVI/VGA adapter into the 2" monitor, and there's a spare VGA output on the tower. Is there a cable availble that will aloow me to run two machines into one monitor (IE pipe the VGA feed into the old monitor) and keep the old PC wired up too?

Wow Jim!

A 2" monitor..........is it wide screen???.......2x1 perhaps

Garry

Garry Russell wrote:

forthbridge wrote: The new PC is rigged up with a DVI/VGA adapter into the 2" monitor, and there's a spare VGA output on the tower. Is there a cable availble that will aloow me to run two machines into one monitor (IE pipe the VGA feed into the old monitor) and keep the old PC wired up too?

Wow Jim!

A 2" monitor..........is it wide screen???.......2x1 perhaps

Garry

Great FPS tho!

Not sure I'm following Jim, but heres what i think You mean.

1 x Monitor that has two different input types... 1 x DVI and 1 x VGA?

If so, its the same as mine. I use the DVI cable input on my main PC, but if I'm fixing one for someone else, I plug theres into the VGA connection and use the button on the front of the monitor to switch between the two inputs.


Having said all that, dual monitor "normally" means running two monitors. IF this is what you mean, then all you need to do is connect monitor 1 to one of the outputs on the video card and monitor 2 two the other. Windows will automaticly detect the two displays and ask what you want to do with them in the "display properties" section of the control panel. i.e. do you want to extend the desktop onto the second monitor, or mirror so that both monitors show the same thing.

Fot the purposes of FSnav, you'll want to extend the desktop. I can't remember exactly, butI then think you initially need to lauch FS in windowed mode. Hit F9 to bring up FSnav and drag it to the other monitor. Then switch FS back to full screen mode. from now on, FSnav should (if memory serves) open in the second monitor and FS run fill secreen in the first one

I'm not sure if there's a cable that would do it, you might need a KVM switch like the one below, it lets you control two PCs with one Keyboard Video and Mouse (hence KVM). Note other providers are available it was just the first one I looked at.

http://www.dabs.com/products/edimax-2-p ... M%20switch

Cheers for the advice guys


EDIT
Here's the connections available. Old PC is VGA out to monitor, which has a second (DVI) input). the new PC only has DVI and HDMI out. It's connected on the DVI socket, so I think I'm pretty scuppered for a dual setup, as HDMI is useless for the old monitor (the new monitor doesn't have HDMI in so I can't go down that road)

Ok Mate... you can't run two monitors from one cable, simple as that. Its not like a coax going to the back of your tele.

You need to have two monitor outputs from your PC, the type doesn't mater... e.g. 2 x DVI, 1 x DVI 1 x VGA, or 2 x VGA. then you use the appropriate cable to connect to each monitor. easy as that.

Sorry... I'm totally lost now... what is it your trying to achieve? Is it to Run FSNav on one screen while FS is on the other?

Just to clarify, you have a monitor which you want to run two PCs through? In which case either the switch thingy I linked above, or you might be able to get around it using DVI for one input and VGA for the other and switching source, certainly I'd try that first as you'll probably have the leads lying around or can pick one up cheap.

If you want to run two monitors from one PC then you need a separate output for each monitor.

You're doing a good job of confusing the population here Jim.

If you only have one pc but want to use 2 monitors.. use the last method Ben suggested. You simply plug the second monitor into the second hole on your video card. If the output from the second monitor is different to what you have available (you have a DVI on the monitor but VGA spare on the card (or vice versa) you can do 2 things. Either use an adaptor to convert DVI/VGA or VGA/DVI or.. swap your monitors around on the card. You can specify in windows which is to be your primary monitor so it will always make that one no.1 regardless of where it's plugged. Of course, you can also drag the monitors around in the setup window in windows (rather a lot of windows there isn't there!) so.. if your main monitor is on the left and your second monitor is on the right.. you can find it by moving the mouse off the RH side of the main monitor. If the new one is to the Left.. the same thing applies.

Then.. open FS then FSN as Ben suggested and it will always be there. If you happen to remove the 2nd monitor.. fear not as both Windows and FSN will know and FSN will open in your single monitor

Alternatives to the above involve the use of a KVM switch but you'd generally only go for one if you have more pc's than monitors. My setup includes 4 pc's and 2 monitors. The second monitor is always plugged to the pc I use for flightsim but I can switch between pc's when flying using the KVM and keep an eye on what my flight is doing via FSN running on the second monitor

I hope all that is clear

ATB

DaveB