PC Doctor February 3, 2010
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Dear PC Doctor,
I have somewhat of trivial request. I just setup two monitors for my desktop PC; and while they're both working good, I have one issue, the wallpaper. How it's currently setup is that both monitors are displaying the same wallpaper, but they both have different resolutions as they're different size monitors. So the smaller monitor has a somewhat squashed look to it. How can I fix this, and also is it possible for me to display one wallpaper across both screens? Thanks!
Jonathan
Dear Jonathan,
There are a few ways to do this, however a friend of mine just recently setup a two-monitor setup for his desktop. He's currently using a free application called DisplayFusion to manage the wallpaper for his two screens. I've tried it out, and it works great. I really like how simple it is. To get DisplayFusion, download it from www.binaryfortress.com/displayfusion/ where they have versions for XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Upon installation access DisplayFusion from the System Tray or from All Programs. From the DisplayFusion window, you have several options available to manage your wallpaper. You can choose to span an image across both monitors or to use a different image for each monitor! To adjust or change the wallpapers for each corresponding monitors, click on the graphical representation displayed by DisplayFusion. You can choose images from you computer, or from your Flickr account if you have one. If you are still having trouble with the squashed resolution on the smaller monitor, adjust the "Size Mode:" setting. Hope this helps!
PC Doctor
PC Doctor's Tip of the Week: Connectify
This week's tip features Connectify, an application that turns a Windows 7 laptop into a wi-fi hotspot. Wait? What? Why bother, you might ask? If the laptop is already connected to the Internet it doesn't need a wi-fi hotspot, right? True, but what this is really awesome for, is for several users who only have access to one Internet connection, such as an Ethernet LAN connection. This application works great in a situation like a hotel room, which usually only has the phone LAN connection. Plug-in your laptop, set-up a hotspot with Connectify, and presto! Your buddies now have access to the Internet, broadcasted via your laptop. The only downside is that it currently only works with Windows 7.
To get Connectify, download it for free from www.connectify.me/. Once you've downloaded and installed Connectify, go ahead and try setting up a test hotspot. To access Connecitfy, click on the little broadcast icon in your system tray by the PC's clock. To create a new wi-fi hotspot, under the settings pane enter a name for the hotspot, a password, and then select the Internet connection type. Once ready, simply click on the "Start Hotspot" button in the lower-right hand corner. You should now see the hotspot on your other wireless devices, which to connect them is the same as any other normal wi-fi hotspot. To terminate the hotspot, reopen Connecitfy, and click the "Stop Hotspot" button. It's that easy, so give it a go!
PC Doctor
Until next time… happy computing!