Dual Monitor gaming query

[MarcBHA]

Hi, just got a 7600GT (AGP) and hooked up my Primary Window with Secondary on the right. Thing is I want to plays games on the Primary whilst surfing the Web on the Secondary, but whenever I click the screen on the Secondary it causes the Game to minimise on the Primary rendering two screens pointless.
I've tried various tools but nothing so far works to the way I want it too, am I missing something obvious? I can move stuff between each screen just fine but cant play games in one whilst doing other things in the other!
Help please

 

[a_Jhawk]

I dont think its really possible. But you could inprovise and just put your game in windowed mode, move it over to the primary. then your have the other half you could use to put a web browser in. see what im saying?

 

[xaat_kil]

That will work, but most games default to software rendering in a windowed environment. There are very few games that support dual monitors natively. M$ flight sims are an exception, though there may be others. Even Matrox's triplehead2go solution wouldn't help here as it will "trick" the game to thinking 2 or 3 monitors are in fact one extremely widescreen monitor, not allowing the web-surfing thing simultaneously. Perhaps using multiple desktops (ala Hydravision for ATI or whatever nVidia calls their version of this) and just switching between the two with a hotkey.
Personally, I just use 2 monitors with the secondary on a KVM switch with an older computer doing the web thing, etc. and the primary for gaming, or if working with a sound or video editing application, having both monitors on the same machine. Very handy, those KVM switches. KVM=Keyboard,Video,Mouse - switches all these as one between computers. Various configs available.

 

[SP73]

I dont think its really possible. But you could inprovise and just put your game in windowed mode, move it over to the primary. then your have the other half you could use to put a web browser in. see what im saying?

yeah, this is what I do.

but having the second screen on decreases performance a ton, so don't do it with any games that are too intensive.

 

[MarcBHA]

thanks for the replies, windowed mode would be alright for some games but not really for the most played ones (GPU/CPU intensive). Guess it was just a dream to have it in the first place, will probably hook up a 2nd PC with internet/music and do it that way. Thanks again