Connect a Second Monitor to Your Computer

efore we discuss the how we begin with a brief discussion of the why.
Firstly, multiple monitors are quite useful aids when it comes to multitasking. They can increase productivity by allowing for more information to be available in front of the operator at the one time. Further, they can reduce the time spent searching through windows, tabs, files and folders and can free up brain power that would otherwise be spent remembering the location of things.
Clearly, the existence (and level) of benefit, is dependent on the tasks a person performs on his or her computer. For a person using their computer to pay their bills online and play the odd game of Solitaire, there really is no need to consume the extra kilowatts of an additional screen. If for example, you are a graphic designer, a stock market analyst or simply someone who requires a lot of programs or files to be open at the one time, then the arguments for setting up additional monitors are, in the author's opinion, persuasive.

This is a notion that more and more businesses are accepting by providing workstations with two or more monitors for their staff. This fact has no doubt been aided by the increase in the affordability of computer displays over the past few years.

With regards to the how, in most cases, connecting a second monitor is quite simple. Modern PCs will generally offer two suitable ports, oftentimes a VGA and a DVI. Connecting one monitor to one port and the other monitor to the other port is typically enough for an operating system (such as Windows 7 or Apple's Snow Leopard) to recognize both. However, sometimes a level of tweaking through the operating system is required. For Windows 7, this can be achieved through Change Screen Resolution, which can be found under the Control Panel. For Snow Leopard, System Preferences - Displays. It is within this folder that you can setup one monitor as the primary, adjust the resolution as well as refresh rate.

If your PC does not support two monitors, you may need to upgrade your video card, add an additional video card or consider the use of a splitter or adaptor. When dealing with splitters and adaptors, you should remain mindful of the fact that certain configurations can result in mere duplication of the images on both monitors, as opposed to doubling your independently workable viewing space.