How to Connect Multiple Monitors to your Laptop

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Given their small size and portability, most laptops come with a screen size that is rather small. If you are a gamer, like to watch movies or television on your laptop, or simply have a job that requires dual monitors, you may want to consider connecting multiple monitors to your laptop. Whether you are running a Windows, Mac, or Linux operating system, connecting multiple monitors to your laptop is actually very easy.

It is not known just how many monitors you can connect to your laptop. However, most professionals recommend that you never connect more than 10 monitors to your laptop, as you may exceed the limitations of your display properties.

Most laptops these days will come with an additional VGA output, which is a small, blue port. If you pick up an LCD monitor, simply connect the cable into the VGA output, and as long as your operating system and video card supports multi-monitor mode, you’ll be up and running in no time.

Many people do not realize that they can add additional monitors to their laptop by using a USB port. When you are looking for a new monitor, just make sure that it comes with a USB connection instead of a VGA connection.

Pretty much all laptops are able to support a PCMCIA video card. Once you have purchased a PCMCIA video card that supports multiple images, simply slide it into the PCMCIA slot on your laptop. You will then be able to connect multiple monitors to your laptop by using one of the other methods mentioned in this guideline.

If your laptop does not have a video card that provides multi-monitor support, you can purchase a docking station that comes with a video card. You can then connect the laptop to the docking station and connect your additional monitors using either the VGA output or USB method. If the docking station doesn’t come with a video card, you can install one in a matter of minutes.

The ongoing theme here is that you need both an operating system and a video card that provide multi-monitor support. Instead of going with a PCMCIA video card or a docking station, an external video card is another option. External video cards will generally connect to your laptop via USB or the PCMCIA slot.

Using another computer as a second monitor can be a bit tricky, but it can be done. You will need to be running at least Windows 2000 on both laptops to do this, and you will likely need a special program, such as MaxiVista. Using Ethernet or a wireless connection, network both computers together. As long as both computers have multi-monitor support, you will be able to use the second laptop or desktop as a monitor.