It is quite possible to connect two monitors to one computer! And most interestingly, you can connect more monitors, for example, three, four or even five. In this tutorial I will show you how to connect a second monitor in a minimum amount of time. In the end, we will summarize, and I will tell you for what purposes you can use multiple monitors connected to one computer.
How is the first monitor connected?
First, all newbies need to understand how the first monitor is connected? Unfold your monitor and inspect the cables that are connected to it. There are usually two of them! The first cable is power and the second is VGA, HDMI or DVI... We need it. One end of the cable is connected to the monitor, and the other to the computer system unit. Here's an example:
How do I connect a second monitor?
First, place the second monitor on the table and inspect the connectors at the back:
In addition to the power connector, there will be one or more connectors. It could be VGA, HDMI or DVI port. In my case, this is VGA, and it looks like this:
DVI looks like this:
And HDMI like this:
We need to insert the appropriate cable into this port, it usually comes with the kit when buying a monitor. Find this cable and insert either end of it into the monitor connector.
Its second end must be connected to the computer system unit, next to the first cable, which we already talked about at the beginning of the lesson.
But if you have, say, a VGA cable, but there is no corresponding connector on the system unit, or it is occupied by the first monitor, then you need to use a special adapter to connect. I bought myself and inserted a cable into it. It turned out like this:
Now we insert this cable with an adapter into the DVI port on the system unit. It turns out like this:
Okay! We figured out how to connect the second monitor, now it remains to turn it on so that it works together with the first. For this we will use the first monitor. On the desktop, we need to right-click and select an item.
In the window that opens, first of all, click the Find button and the computer will find the second monitor in a couple of seconds.
It will be displayed next to the first and we will remain in the section Multiple displays select an item.
After saving the changes, you will see two working monitors. Of course, in order for the second monitor to work, you must remember to plug it in and press the power button on the monitor itself.
Here's what I ended up with:
How do I connect a second monitor to my laptop?
You can connect a second monitor to the laptop in the same way as to the system unit. Look for the connector for the cable on the side, where the USB ports are. Follow the steps above and you should be good to go.
And also, it is worth mentioning that you can also connect a TV to a computer or laptop according to this instruction. That's it:)
Why connect 2 monitors?
Before I connected several monitors to my computer, I did not know how convenient it could be. Here are some examples:
If you like to have fun at the computer, then you can turn on a movie on one monitor, and play Minecraft, Tanks, Dota, Contra or any other game on the second.
If you like to chat at the computer, then you can open a browser on one monitor with social network Classmates, and on the second run Skype or VKontakte.
If you are editing video, it is very convenient to place the timeline and all the tools on one monitor, and move the video preview window to the second
If you are working on a computer, then you can open and write an article on one monitor, and launch some important graphs or something similar on the second.
In general, if you decide to connect two monitors to one computer, then you may already have a bunch of ideas for what purposes they can be used. Be sure to write in the comments for what purposes you will use two or maybe three monitors connected to one computer.
P.S. If something did not work out for you during the connection process, then I advise you to watch the video that I posted at the beginning of the lesson.
The need to use two PCs may arise in situations where the power of the first is fully involved in the work - rendering or compiling the project. The second computer in this case performs the usual daily functions in the form of surfing the web or preparing new material. In this article, we'll talk about how to connect two or more computers to one monitor.
As mentioned earlier, the second computer helps to work fully, while the first is engaged in high-resource tasks. It is not always convenient to change to another monitor, especially since there may be simply no place in your room to install a second system. The second monitor may also not be at hand for a number of reasons, including financial ones. This is where special equipment comes to the rescue - a KVM switch or "switch", as well as programs for remote access.
Method 1: KVM switch
A switch is a device capable of supplying a signal to the monitor screen from several PCs at once. In addition, it allows you to connect one set of peripheral devices - a keyboard and mouse and use them to control all computers. Many switches provide the ability to use speaker system(mostly stereo) or headphones. When choosing a switch, you should pay attention to the set of ports. You need to be guided by the connectors on your peripherals - PS / 2 or USB for the mouse and "keyboard" and VGA or DVI for the monitor.
The assembly of switches can be performed with or without a housing (box).
Switch connection
There is nothing difficult in assembling such a system. It is enough to connect the supplied cables and perform a few more steps. Let's consider the connection using the example of the D-Link KVM-221 switch.
Please note that when performing the steps described above, both computers must be turned off, otherwise various errors in KVM operation may appear.
- We connect VGA and audio cables to each computer. The first is connected to the corresponding connector on motherboard or video card.
If it is not there (this happens, especially in modern systems), you need to use an adapter depending on the type of output - DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort.
The audio cord plugs into the line-out on the built-in or discrete audio card.
Be sure to also connect the USB to power the device.
- Next, we include the same cables in the switch.
- Connect the monitor, acoustics and mouse with keyboard to the corresponding connectors on the opposite side of the switch. After that, you can turn on computers and start work.
Switching between computers is carried out using a button on the switch case or hot keys, which are set for different devices may differ, so read the manuals.
Method 2: Programs for remote access
To view and manage events on another computer, you can also use and special programs e.g. TeamViewer. The disadvantage of this method is that it depends on the operating system, which significantly reduces the number of functions available in "hardware" control tools. For example, with the help of software, you cannot configure the BIOS and perform various actions during boot, including from removable media.
Conclusion
Today we learned how to connect two or more computers to a monitor using a KVM switch. This approach allows you to simultaneously service several machines at once, as well as rationally use their resources for work and solving everyday tasks.
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Accordingly, I had a need to quickly switch between workstations. One of possible solutions I propose to disassemble today.
Go! Sometimes it becomes necessary to work with several computers at once, or quite often connect / disconnect other computers for setup or repair. In this case, constantly switching the keyboard, monitor and mouse of one computer to another is not the most suitable option. Of course, you can put 2 monitors, 2 keyboards and 2 mice on the table, but this is quite expensive and eats up a lot of work space.
There is a fairly simple and convenient solution to this problem - this is KVM-Switch. Let's take a look at what it is and how to work with it.
KVM-Switch or KVM-switch is a special device designed to connect one set of I / O devices to multiple computers. Speaking in simple words The KVM switch allows you to connect one keyboard, mouse and one monitor to multiple system units, then switch to control any computer with the push of a button.
This is how a typical representative of the KVM family looks like:
In the photo above, we see 1 VGA connector for connecting to a monitor and two connectors for connecting a mouse and keyboard. On the back side there are 2 VGA connectors for connecting to two system units through special cables. This is how they look:
There is a wide variety of KVM switches and they have different characteristics, the key one being the number of computers connected. There are two, four or more port switches. Also, they may differ in the types of usb or ps / 2, vga or dvi outputs, which allows you to choose the required option. Some KVMs have the ability to switch audio.
Almost all modern KVMs do not require a separate power supply, but get it through PS / 2 or USB connectors, which saves us from unnecessary wires.
This is how the scheme of connecting computers through the KVM-switch looks like:
Switching between computers is done by pressing one button on the device itself. It is also often possible to programmatically switch by double pressing the Scroll Lock key.
Someone might argue that there are special remote access programs, for example, TeamViewer, which allow you to control another computer without any extra devices at all. However, these programs are intended for other purposes. Considering that KVM switches do not depend on the operating system at all and carry out switching at the circuit level, they allow you to perform absolutely any action with connected computers, for example, configure the BIOS.
Thus, we can connect two computers, on one of which we will work in operating system, and on the other, run tests or install the OS. Another example - you can run a complex task on one of the computers, for example, video processing or copying a large amount of data, and then switch to another computer and continue surfing the Internet)). Convenience, and more!
Such devices can often be seen in server rooms, where there are usually several servers and only one monitor, one keyboard and mouse.
In this way, you can organize comfortable work at several stations at once.