Second monitor ?

[CyberBeach]

I can't get the guest to see or run on two monitors. Clicking the dual-monitor toggle icon places the guest centered on the two montors but that leaves black unused bands on the left and right, ie the actual guest window is not any bigger than when running on one monitor.

Host: Windows 7 64

Guest: Vista 64

Resolution: Both monitors are 1920 x 1080

The guest display config screen does not see a second monitor. Settings / display is set to automatic.

[golddiggie]

When you enter full screen mode, it might require a few clicks to get the screen to toggle through the modes and finally give you both as being live. I would also right click on the desktop (in the VM) and make sure it's actually seeing a second display, and is set to use it. Try that first, before changing the settings in Workstation. I just went through the process on a Win XP VM. It took a few clicks of the display item (when in full screen mode) but eventually it entered dual display mode. Right clicking in the VM, on the desktop, shows both of my displays, set the way I prefer them (from a previous time when I ran the VM spanning both screens).

Also, which version of Workstation are you running?

VCP4

[CyberBeach]

GUEST in full screen mode:

Shows VM on primary monitor 1, shows Host on secondary monitor 2

Click the icon for CYCLE MULTIPLE MONITORS , shows the VM GUEST centered / split across monitors 1 & 2, with black bars on left and right. In other words, it just moves my screen at the same resolution it was (1920 x 1080) to the middle, so half is on each monitor. HOST desktop is no longer displayed.

Click the icon for CYCLE MULTIPLE MONITORS just returns to original state. Clicking again (and again) just cycles between these two states.

Right-clicking the GUEST desktop to get to PERSONALIZE and then DISPLAY shows only one monitor.

Right-clicking the HOST desktop to get to PERSONALIZE and then DISPLAY

shows both monitors.

[golddiggie · Accepted solution]

Try altering the setting under the Display (VM settings) section to 2 (area shown in jpg)... I think once you set the VM up one time with the two option, the guest OS remembers those settings and will allow you to go dual screen even without hard coding it. I'm running a pair of 24" LCD's that way (1920x1200 resolution) without much issue. It does take the few clicks (as mentioned) before it cycles to the setting I want, but nothing excessive. I did click into the VM's window during one of them and it went right to dual display mode...

VCP4

[vanRijn]

Are you using Aero in either host or guest? If so, try turning Aero off and see if that helps.

[rocket888]

Thanks for this tip.

I had 2 monitors of same resolutions. It worked fine. Then I replaced monitor 2 with a larger monitor and got the symptom of only one display showing up half on one half on the other. I shutdown the vm, checked the box so I could change it to 2 monitors, and then it worked fine.

BTW, my monitors are 1280x1024 and 1920x1080 (1 and 2 in that order).

The only minor thing is that it doesn't stretch the background picture on the larger monitor, centering it instead. But no biggy, I just chose a pattern instead of a picture and that works fine.

[CyberBeach]

The advice in this thread worked and I got the 2nd monitor going reliably.

Thanks to all.  Sorry for the late confirmation.