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Windows Vista multiple monitor restriction
by Jason Clarke Nov 6th 2006 at 6:00PM
I've been a multiple-monitor nutjob since Windows 98 (first edition), when only a small number of video cards were even supported for a multiple monitor configuration. As time has gone on, Microsoft has made Windows better at dealing with multiple video cards driving multiple monitors. I'm sure part of this has been Microsoft guiding the video card companies to support certain standards, allowing Windows to get some consistency. I hadn't really even considered the multiple monitor situation with respect to Windows Vista, because since Windows XP, it just really hasn't been much of an issue. Need another monitor? Slap in another video card, and away you go.
Now, it turns out, if you want to run the new Aero interface, you'll need to be using the same video driver to drive all of your monitors. Now, since Aero (in my opinion) is one of the only reasons to run Vista, obviously not running Aero isn't going to be an option. Hopefully this means that different cards within the same families that run on the same drivers, for example ATI's Catalyst drivers, will be supported. But if it turns out that Microsoft is requiring identical cards for each additional monitor, they've taken a big step backwards.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Richard said 6:15PM on 11-06-2006
hell, you should try to use the same type of video card when running a dual video card setup, and both ATI, and Nvidia, use the same driver when in a dual video card setup so I don't see the problem, well unless you are not using either ATI or Nvidia video cards
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Peter Kirn said 8:11PM on 11-06-2006
Yeah, total non-issue I think. Here: "At a minimum, this means that all video cards need to use a chipset from the same manufacturer, for example all cards have either an ATI or Nvidia chipset.
You can still use video cards with chipsets from different manufacturers, but you'll be limited to the basic user interface."
Generally mixing chipsets is not such a hot idea, so no big deal.
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David said 8:40PM on 11-06-2006
I haven't had problems with Vista & multi-monitors yet, even when using four cards in the same system. (6800 PCI-e, 6600GT PCI-e, 5200FX PCI, 5200FX PCI) Course they are the same driver. I've not had any luck with vista & ATI cards at all. My R9200SE's don't work, my friend's Xpress 200 didn't work. The "Control Centers" that ATI & nVidia use now do nothing but waste space and anger me.
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Matt Grover said 12:48PM on 11-07-2006
"Slap in another video card"?!?!?!?
How many monitors do you want to run?!?!
Why not swap out the card to one that supports more than one monitor?? :/
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Andy Parkes said 12:48PM on 11-07-2006
Not really that big a deal. Cards dont have to be identical. Just the drivers!
Have posted about this over on my blog
http://parkesy.wordpress.com/2006/11/07/multiple-monitors-with-windows-vista/
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Michel Bakker said 8:35AM on 11-17-2006
Not a big deal? Let's think the big picture for starters. When you think beyond your own system, and don't assume that everybody has the same brand of video card. And that even professionals make choices of cards of different companies for 1 computer system. Then you notice that this kind of restriction is a very ugly choice and very unprofessional for such a big company. I know it will probably be because else they couldn't create everything with the power they want it to have, but still. Making an OS hardware indepedent to the point where you make the choices of hardware is pretty much what you expect and is needed for such a big market. Vista is already creating a lot of new oppurtinities and looaaads of new restrictions. In this case I agree it is a big step backwards, which is going to cost people money because some video cards become useless for their system. I'm running here with 3 big screens, with two kind of cards, and I couldn't get a nice PCI version of the brand my first card is.
So my choice has become Vista incompatible. I'm not a gamer, I'm a professional .NET software developer (.NET 3.0 is a core framework for Vista) who speeds up his work by using 3 to 4 monitors.
There are systems out there where people use different structures which are more complicated then mine and I think we'll hear more about this from Microsoft in the future.
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Mike Wheaton said 11:00PM on 11-26-2006
With Vista, would there be a performance difference between using a single video card with dual outputs vs. two individual cards? If Vista now renders the UI using the graphics card, what happens as a window moves from one monitor to the other? I'm wondering if a single graphics processor might be more efficient than two who keep passing the load back and forth.
I'm not in a huge hurry to upgrade to Vista, but am building a new computer and would like to make it as forward-compatible as possible. One higher-end video card with dual outputs, or two cheaper ones?
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Joe said 12:21AM on 11-30-2006
Actually I am having quite a bit of problems with it. I am running a 6800gt(agp) and an fx5200(pci) and whenever I attempt to initate my other monitors my system completely BSOD. Even though I am using the same version of the driver from nvidia's website. In fact I was having so many issues I am starting the load over again in hopes that it will fix itself.
I am using the Ultimate version and my PC specs are more than enough to handle it.
P4 HT @ 3ghz
2gb PC2700
Asus P4800-E Deluxe.
Any help would be appreciated.
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enigma said 12:08PM on 12-17-2006
i am running vista i have 5 monitors set up with 3 video cars 2 pci express geforce 7950 GT KO and one pci geforce FX 5500 and i have absolutely no issue what so ever. i agree that regardless of the limitations set by vista u should try and stick with the same drive set and if possible cards that use the same force ware for example a friend of mine has 2 8800 and is having a problem finding a card that will work with its driver set as it is a different driver then that of the geforce.
as it stands vista needs a lot of work but what can be expected its hardly even released yet but in the multi monitor aspect of things it does as good a job if not better then xp
in xp i had at one point in the lab 9 monitors 2 pci express and 3 pci slots filled with cards ( all nvidia driver set) and had never had a problem and i expect if i clone that set up using vista it would work just as good.
not too sure but i think 9 is the limit for windows.
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enigma said 4:49AM on 12-24-2006
ok i have a huge problem with my 5 mon set up in windows vista to the naked eye everything seemed to work just fine but recently i have been having issues with windows media player it will not play any video files what so ever music files are fine but as soon as i try to watch anything video oriented i get a message “windows media player has stopped working” I thought maybe it was a codec but after a very looong process it turned out to be that if I enable all 5 mons at the same time i cannot play video if i enable 4 of any sequence from any of my three video cards it works fine but at anytime i turn on that 5th one it stops working it turns out that it is also is the reason i have not been able to update my base score every time i try running a refresh of my score it fails half through but now when i disable any one of my 5 mons it works perfectly god knows what other issues it is having it is causing these are just the ones i have run into im sooo frustrated if anyone has any idea what so ever why this is happening please post here and or contact me please and thank you i have tried everything i know how to do so far and im lost i really need help with this one
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David said 11:59PM on 1-12-2007
I have a Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS/910GML Express Chipset Family (Microsoft Corporation - XDDM) graphics driver and upgraded to vista from XP Pro on my laptop. I had another monitor attached for use with the extended desktop feature. When I upgraded it seems that Vista chose to use my second monitor as the primary and my laptop screen as the extended desktop. It will not allow me to make the laptop screen the primary monitor so now as it stands I cannot use my laptop unless it is connected to my second monitor. How can I make my laptop screen the primary monitor? Doesn't make any sense why vista would have made this change. Please somebody help! Thanks
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Daniel said 3:37PM on 1-31-2007
I've been pulling my hair all night trying to get vista to extend my desktop (My bottom tool bar to extend to both monitors) with no success, I never had this issue with xp. I did download the latest vista 64bit catalyst/driver for my dual monitor support radeon x850 pro. Only able to make an extra working surface on my 2nd monitor but not extend truly extend my desktop/toolbar; has this happened to anyone else?
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Michael Spire Wilson said 9:26PM on 1-31-2007
Because of this unified driver requirement with Vista, the only way to run 3 or more monitors in Aero is to go with Nvidia. ATI only sells the Radeon 9250 for PCI, which isn't DirectX 9 so it doesn't run Aero and it isn't compatible with ATI's Vista driver.
So, the only way to run 3+ monitors using PCI in Vista is either Nvidia FX5200 or FX5500 PCI and a better Nvidia card for the PCI-X
This kinda sucks because I am running 5 monitors, using Radeon 9250, and Radeon x800 pro. I guess I may have to dump ATI for their lack of foresight..
http://www.exoticpayday.com
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Michael Spire Wilson said 9:36PM on 1-31-2007
I just discovered that there is another solution. PCI-X1 Radeon X1300 - if your motherboard supports it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161017
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Joseph Pisano said 12:18AM on 2-03-2007
Well, I'm not surprised about the multiple monitor situation, but I have to admit, I don't want to shell out the money for a new compatible card with my Radeon 9XXX series. The Geforce and my Radeon don't play nice together with Vista.
Cheers,
Joe Pisano
http://www.mustech.net
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