 Ok,
You've signed up for the
MTI 4.0 Forex Charting Trial,
Taken the
forex Education Course,
used a
Forex Demo account
and you've learned to trade the Forex.
Now you're a pro, and you want to monitor all your currency charts at once, full screen.
So how do you go about setting up a dual or multi monitor system? You'll need two
or more monitors and either 2 or more video cards or a video card that has
multiple monitor outputs. It's even possible to mix and match multi-monitor video cards with single-monitor video cards for more monitors.
Step 1: Buying the Monitors - The first step in setting up multiple monitors is
buying the monitors. If you are unable to purchase the same models, we
suggest getting two or more that are the same size and have similar builds (dot pitches,
brightness, etc.). This is because when the two are next to one another, if they
are different it can become incredibly annoying if you are dragging your mouse
over uneven areas (for example, if you drag your mouse from one monitor to the
next, if one is taller, you are more likely to bring it down on the taller
monitor before you go to the shorter one, even though this is not necessary).
Keep in mind that it is also not necessary to buy the biggest monitors possible
because they are going to be situated next to one another - so they will seem
pretty big even if they're not.
 Step
2: Buying the Graphics Cards - If you are going to have multiple monitors, you
are going to need to have multiple graphics cards (or a graphics card with two
outputs). Most computers only have one AGP slot, so you are probably only going
to be able to get one really awesome graphics card in your computer. However,
you can buy as many PCI graphics cards as your computer can fit and set up a
monitor on each one. Also, you can buy graphics cards that have two monitor
outputs, so you really can go nuts if you want to with monitors. Which graphics
card you purchase really depends upon what you want to do. For gaming, you are
going to need top of the line graphics cards. For Charting, email and excel,
etc. you are not
going to need anything too special.
Note: If you are trying to set up multiple monitors on a Laptop, you do not need
to purchase graphics cards (unless you are trying to set up three monitors).
Most laptops have a monitor output in the back of the computer, and the monitor
set up from there can be used in addition to the laptop screen. If you want to
set up three monitors on a laptop, skip to the end of this.
Step 3: Installing the Graphics Cards - Installing graphics cards is not that
hard of a task to complete. However, BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR COMPUTER CHECK TO SEE
THAT YOU ARE NOT VIOLATING YOUR WARRANTY. Most computer manufacturers have a
clause that states that if the computer is opened, for any reason, the warranty
is voided.
When you open your computer and look inside, you will see all sorts of slots.
There are usually five or eight PCI slots on the motherboard. They are located
on the side where they would be facing the back of the computer box. DO NOT TAKE
THE MOTHERBOARD OUT OF THE COMPUTER. All you have to do is click in the PCI
Video Card into a PCI slot. That's it. Screw it in if there is a place to do so
in order to secure it, and put the cover back on. If you are installing an AGP
video card, do the same but in the AGP slot (it is usually above the PCI slots).
For each graphics card that you install, you should shut down the computer, turn
it on, move onto the next steps, and then come back to this one (i.e. only
install one at a time).
4. Setup the Monitors - Set the monitors up on the desk and connect them to the
back of the computer. It's pretty straight forward and pretty easy. If you are
running Windows XP, you are essentially done at this point because XP will
detect the monitors by itself. All you have to do is configure the monitors and
you are done.
5. Configuring the Monitors - There are a few ways to get to the screen that you
need to go to. The easiest is to just right-click the desktop and go to
properties, and then go over to the Settings Tab. The other way is to go Start /
Settings / Control Panel / Display / Settings Tab. YOU SHOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO
SEE STUFF ON ONE MONITOR AT THIS POINT... DO NOT FREAK OUT.
 Click on the
secondary monitor picture (primary is the one with the big one on it, the
secondary monitor is going to have any other number in it... 2 if it's the 2nd
monitor, 3 if it's the 3rd, etc.). You can arrange the monitor pictures to
however you have your two monitors set up on your desk. Click on the new
monitor, and then click the button on the bottom that says Extend my Windows
desktop onto this monitor. Then click apply and you should be good to go! Your
desktop should not extend onto both monitors.
Extra Laptop Portion for Three Monitors - If you want to set up a third monitor
on your laptop, you are going to have to buy a PCMCIA Video Card (it's a card
that's going to go into the little slot on the side of your computer). Before
the days of built in Ethernet cards and Modems, you used to have to purchase
PCMCIA cards that would go into there (just as a reference point). These video
cards are different than the typical PCI or AGP cards. Purchase one
of these, put it in your laptop, and you should be good to go!
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