Hello! It seems that there are quite a few confused ppl out here and there about using a PCI graphx card alongside an AGP gfx card for dual monitor systems. I've had some ppl saying that an AGP card wil shut off PCI gfx card (as in my case apparently, error 10: the device failed to start) while others say they are happily running a multi screen beast with multiple gfx cards. Does anyone have a stronger than standard force and can resolve my (and others) dilemma? Thanx, Spinal

When you tried the pci card in a different slot did the problem stay the same? If so, you'll want to try a different driver. I would change both drivers to "standard vga driver", just to see if you can get them running. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/TechNet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/prjk_dec_lgsc.asp In bios you also want to set "initial display device" to agp and if that doesn't work, to pci. Just to see if one of the two settings will work. I would uninstall nview in the meantime. Also check control panel > system > display to see if there is just one device listed there, or both. An agp card will not shut off a pci card on win98 or higher. win98 and higher are multiple-display OS's. win95 was not.

The excerpts below are from the Windows 2000 halp files. Search for "Support for multiple monitors" Multiple monitors overview Windows 2000 has a new multiple monitor functionality that increases your work productivity by expanding the size of your desktop. Connecting up to ten individual monitors, you can create a desktop large enough to hold numerous programs or windows. You can easily work on more than one task at a time by moving items from one monitor to another or stretching them across numerous monitors. Edit images or text on one monitor while viewing Web activity on another. Or you can open multiple pages of a single, long document and drag them across several monitors to easily view the layout of text and graphics. You could also stretch a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet across two monitors so you can view numerous columns without scrolling. One monitor serves as the primary display and will hold the logon dialog box when you start your computer. In addition, most programs will display windows on the primary monitor when you initially open them. Different resolutions and different color depths can be set for each monitor. Multiple monitors can be connected to individual graphics adapters or to a single adapter that supports multiple outputs. You can use Display in Control Panel to configure the settings for multiple monitors. Related Topics To install additional monitors 1. Turn off your computer. 2. Insert your additional Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) or Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) video adapter into an available slot. 3. Plug your additional monitor into the card. 4. Turn on your computer. Windows 2000 will detect the new video adapter and install the appropriate drivers. 5. Open Display in Control Panel. 6. On the Settings tab, click the monitor icon that represents the monitor you want to use in addition to your primary monitor. 7. Select the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box, and then click Apply or OK. Notes „h To open a Control Panel item, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click the appropriate icon. „h Selecting the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box allows you to drag items across your screen onto alternate monitors. Or, you can resize a window to stretch it across more than one monitor. „h To use the multiple monitor support feature, you need a PCI or AGP video adapter for each monitor. If you have an onboard video adapter (one that is not a plug-in card but is part of the motherboard) that you want to use as part of a multiple-monitor configuration, it must be set as VGA. For more information about configuring multiple monitors, see the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. For a comprehensive list of the devices supported by Windows operating systems, see the Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List at the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/). „h The operating system always needs a VGA device. The computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) detects the VGA device based on slot order, unless the BIOS offers an option for choosing which device is to be treated as the VGA device. „h The VGA device cannot be stopped, which is an important consideration for docking units. „h The monitor that is designated as the primary monitor will display the logon dialog box when you start your computer. In addition, most programs will display windows on the primary monitor when you initially open them. Related Topics