Hey all you IT and Computer guys a quick ?

Ok, I've done some research on the net and even asked and couldn't find anything that answered what I was looking for (it may have, but if so, I didn't catch it). I know my way around computers and assume that this should be a fairly easy task.

I'm trying to be able to hook my laptop up to my desktop at home. I want to be able to have the two monitors for a project I am working on. I know that part is possible, but not sure what to connect the two computers with. Also, I will have access to files on both computers correct? I need to be able to take my laptop with me sometimes during the days, so I'm looking for the easiest way to be able to do this. any tips or anyone know what I need to go buy? Thanks

do you want to work on the laptop or the desktop? If you work on the laptop then its fairly easy. Just hook up the desktop monitor to the laptop and you can run dual screens. To exchange files simply use a network file share system.

this is the way I would do it but there may be other ways out there.

I'm not sure if you are trying to simply network your laptop and desktop or if your trying to hook your laptop to two screens. Your post is a little unclear.

If your trying to network them both, you need to simply get a hub, switch, or possibly a router to network them for file sharing. It's a little more difficult than simply connecting them both because you have to worry about addressing them as well which is a little difficult for those who aren't familiar with IP settings. Most of the time an Internet router will handle all the addressing for you.

If you are trying to hook the laptop and expand your desktop onto both screens, your laptop video card has to support multiple monitors and have a vga connector on the back. If you are just looking to show your laptop screen on your desktop monitor, you should just be able to connect the monitor to the back of the laptop with a vga cable. You might even want to look into a KVM switch if you want to share your desktop/laptop keyboard, video and mouse. Again it's a little unclear as to what you are really asking.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Paul, sorry for the clarity, I wasn't really sure how to word it. You are correct, I would like to have to both monitors linked together for a larger workspace. As I also need to be able to access data from both computers, would an ethernet cable between the two take care of that? and then just the cable to connect the monitors? Does that make a little more sense? Would it work?

(Message edited by bac on July 13, 2008)

I have the router and all of that for the wireless network at my house. I just want to have a workstation I can expand when at home, but then easily grab my laptop to take when I need it.

It depends on the limitations of your laptops video card. Hooking up the extra desktop monitor to your laptop will give you a mirror image of what your doing, but hopefully your video card will allow you to expand windows onto the extra monitor. Hook up the extra monitor, (you might have to press function f4, or whatever function key switches screen views, press it until the image is on both monitors at the same time), then go into display settings and check the box for extend windows desktop onto this monitor.

Ok guys, i see what y'all are saying. From my tinkering, I don't think that what I want to do will be exactly possible, but networking them together will be fine.

Paul and Taylor, I'm looking to be able to expand my windows onto another monitor. It would be really nice to have two screens that I can work on instead of having to constantly min and max windows. I have the connection for a monitor on my laptop, but am not sure exactly where to find the setting to switch it to expand. Its an older laptop, about 4 years or so, so it may not be able to do that. I can't make up my mind on a new laptop yet, so since this thing is upgraded with crazy memory , it works for now, but Im starting to dislike it. (Those new macs look sweet) Anyways back on topic, where can I find the settings for being able to expand my windows onto two monitors? I hooked up a monitor and just got the mirror image thing, which is absolutely useless in my opinion. Thanks guys

Right click on the desktop and click properties. click on the settings tab and there should be a checkbox that says "extend my windows desktop onto this monitor". Check that and you should be good.

If its grayed out then click on the blue screen labeled "2" (still in the settings tab) and see if it becomes available. If not There may be some more workarounds.

good luck