FSX with two monitors

[ziffel]

About a month ago, I tried FSX after hooking up a 2nd monitor, but had an annoying problem where FSX would always start on the 2nd monitor, rather than my main one, which I wanted. I have since removed that monitor, but now want to add it back again, but without FSX insisting on using it.

What i'd like is the ability to have FSX running full-screen on my my main monitor, ignore the 2nd altogether, and run Plan-G on the 2nd monitor.

Is it possible to have FSX completely ignore the 2nd monitor, so that it doesn't try to load on that one?

thanks.

[Maurice_King]

I suspect the reason your FSX kept wanting the second monitor was because you had not moved it to the first or primary and then shut it down correctly from that location , since FSX remembers window locations this might have been your issue.

I use 4 monitors inf FSX but wanting to run Plan G on one and FSX on the other I think running in Windowed mode is going to be your only option.

[ziffel]

I suspect the reason your FSX kept wanting the second monitor was because you had not moved it to the first or primary and then shut it down correctly from that location , since FSX remembers window locations this might have been your issue.

Actually, it was quite strange, I'd always have to go to windowed mode, then move the window to the primary monitor, then i'd exit from that one. Restart the sim and poof, it'd jump back to the secondary monitor.

I use 4 monitors inf FSX but wanting to run Plan G on one and FSX on the other I think running in Windowed mode is going to be your only option.

Hmm, yeah, I didn't think about the fullscreen thing. Would it be possible to run FSX in full screen and just view PlanG on the 2nd monitor? I've not actually used PlanG too much yet, so I'm not sure how much interaction it needs once the flight gets going.

Thanks for your help.

[Maurice_King]

Did you go back to full screen after moving FSX to that monitor ?

very strange

[ziffel]

Did you go back to full screen after moving FSX to that monitor ?

very strange

Ok, I just hooked the 2nd monitor back up again, and here's exactly what happens:

My main monitor is a 24" Dell, the secondary is a 22" Acer. In Win7, the Dell is listed as "main monitor" and has an identity of 1, and the Acer's identity is 2.

On the Dell, I launch FSX. The FSX splash window opens, and begins to process normally (on the Dell, not the Acer). Then FSX goes full-screen, blacking out both monitors, and then the odd part, the actual sim jumps over to the 2nd monitor, leaving my Dell with a black screen. If I then go to windowed mode, I can drag the FSX window back to the Dell, go back to full-screen, and it will use that monitor for that session. If I then completely close FSX, and restart it, duplicates the process I listed above with no changes.

What I would like is to be able to fly full screen, and have FSX completely ignore the 2nd monitor, and treat it as if it doesn't exist. Then I could open Plan-G on it and track my flight path.

[stiletto2]

You wouldn't happen to be using Track IR 5 software would you?

Stiletto2

[ziffel]

You wouldn't happen to be using Track IR 5 software would you?

Stiletto2

No, don't have that.

As an update, I've found that in windowed mode, FSX will retain the last monitor used. It's only full-screen that always insists on jumping to the secondary monitor first.

After flying in windowed mode, I found it acceptable, and may go with that anyway, even though I suppose I'll lose vsync.

Is there a way to do a "fake full screen", where you'd technically be in windowed mode, but still have it take up the whole screen?

[VOZzer]

Go to start -> run -> connect to and external display

Make sure that two monitors are showing on the display setup page.

Then, make sure your DELL Monitor is selected as main monitor (click on the dell monitor and put a tick in the "make this my main monitor" box").

Then, from one of the drop down menus at the bottom, click EXTEND THESE DISPLAYS.

Once you've done all this, and your screens have adjusted accordingly, the second screen will always be black Unless something is dragged onto it.

[ziffel]

Go to start -> run -> connect to and external display

Make sure that two monitors are showing on the display setup page.

Then, make sure your DELL Monitor is selected as main monitor (click on the dell monitor and put a tick in the "make this my main monitor" box").

Then, from one of the drop down menus at the bottom, click EXTEND THESE DISPLAYS.

Once you've done all this, and your screens have adjusted accordingly, the second screen will always be black Unless something is dragged onto it.

I wish that were true! I know it should be true, but for me it doesn't work. I already had those settings, and the Dell is #1, set to main display, and the Acer is #2.

No matter what I do, if I open FSX in full-screen, it will jump to the 2nd monitor first. It's actually even stranger than that. My 2nd monitor, the Acer, also has a screen res of 1920x1080, same as the Dell. But when FSX opens on it, it's clearly in a much lower resolution. I can go to display settings, and it will say that it's in 1920x1080, but actual appearance is around 1280x720 - stranger yet, it's not using either AA or AF. If I then window it, drag the window back to the Dell, then go full screen again, it goes back to 1920x1080, and uses AA & AF properly.

In searching through my FSX.cfg, I found these entries near the end:

[DISPLAY.Device.ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series .0.1]

Mode=1280x720x32

[DISPLAY.Device.ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series .1]

Mode=1024x768x32

I'm pretty sure with one monitor, the 'Display.Device' entry only appears once. Up earlier in the FSX.cfg, I also have

[DISPLAY.Device.ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series .0.0]

Mode=1920x1080x32

Anisotropic=1

AntiAlias=1

Which appears to be the normal entry that I'm used to seeing.

[VOZzer]

Try adjusting your settings in the ATI control panel.

[ziffel]

Try adjusting your settings in the ATI control panel.

I tried that as well. However, one thing I've noticed is that in the ATI cp, the Dell is listed as monitor #2, and the Acer as #1. Reverse of what the Win7 display properties says. I could find no way to re-assign them.

For other reasons, I'm switching video cards today anyway, and will have a GTX 285 this afternoon. I plan to sweep my ATI drivers fully, then we'll see how things work with Nvidia. I have a feeling the FSX monitor issue is ATI driver related somehow.

Thanks for your help.

edit: I do have a question though, when switching video cards, do you think it'd be a good idea to back up the fsx.cfg file, then delete it and let FSX build a new one?

[VOZzer]

Try sawpping the monitor ports around. If the dell is plugged into DVI/VGA Port 1, put it into port 2, and vice versa. Then set the dell as the main monitor, reset ALL your resolutions, and then when all looks good and stable boot up FSX.

[ziffel]

Try sawpping the monitor ports around. If the dell is plugged into DVI/VGA Port 1, put it into port 2, and vice versa. Then set the dell as the main monitor, reset ALL your resolutions, and then when all looks good and stable boot up FSX.

You're going to want to kick me in the shin for this response, but yeah, I've tried that too. Something's borked. Hopefully the 285 will clear things up.

[gheeD]

I tought in full screen its supposed to be spread to the other screen too? or is that only on Matrox dual/triple head 2go? But, to make windowed mode more immersive, you can right-click your task bar and click properties -> auto-hide task bar. Now if your mouse isn't near the task bar, it wont show up. Only when you slide your mouse to the bottom, it will popup.

[VOZzer]

I tought in full screen its supposed to be spread to the other screen too? or is that only on Matrox dual/triple head 2go? But, to make windowed mode more immersive, you can right-click your task bar and click properties -> auto-hide task bar. Now if your mouse isn't near the task bar, it wont show up. Only when you slide your mouse to the bottom, it will popup.

That's only if you select both Monitors 1 & 2 as "the same" thing in the Windows 7 display options.

[gheeD]

You mean "clone"? Will it then be like streched to both screens, not just cloned like its title says?

[ziffel]

Switching from the 5850 to the GTX 285 fixed my multi-monitor issues. It now only loads on the main monitor, even in full-screen.