I am Installing 3 monitors, I need help!?

Question

I am setting up my laptop (HP Pavilion zv5000) with 3 monitors. Do I need to purchase a driver or a video card for this?

What do I need to set all of this up?

I have only one video port. It looks like I cannot add another video card to it. I can try and see if there is a way I can install it. Is there any good video cards for my computer?

I have a VGA Multiplier, would that work?

Answer 1

This help I have collected from Windows help and support section as follows:
To add a second monitor to your computer, you'll need to make sure that you either have a video card that supports multiple monitors, or that your computer has more than one video card. The easiest way to determine if your video card supports multiple monitors is to look at the back of your computer and see if your card has two video ports for connecting your monitors.
Set up multiple monitors
When you connect an additional monitor to your mobile PC, Windows automatically detects the monitor and displays your computer's desktop. You can then choose how you want your desktop to appear and customize the display settings, such as screen resolution and color depth.

Physically connect the monitor to your mobile PC.

If Windows can't identify the monitor, open the New Display Detected dialog box by using one of the following methods:

Press the keyboard shortcut that turns on an additional display.

The FN+F5 keyboard shortcut is used for this purpose on many mobile PCs. To determine which keyboard shortcut turns on an additional display, check the information that came with your mobile PC, or go to the manufacturer's website.

Click to open Windows Mobility Center.

Then, on the External Display tile, click Connect display.

Note
Windows Mobility Center is available only on mobile PCs.

In the New Display Detected dialog box, select one of the following display options, and then click OK.

Mirrored. Mirrors, or duplicates, your desktop on each display that you connect. Mirrored is the default display option. This option is useful if you plan to use your mobile PC to give a presentation on a projector or a fixed display in a conference room, such as a wall-mounted plasma display or TV-type monitor.

Extended. Extends your desktop across all of the displays that you connect. This option is useful if you want to increase your desktop area.

External display only. Shows your desktop on each display that you connect, but not on your mobile PC display. This option is useful if you're using a mobile PC and you want to conserve battery power. You can also use this option when you play a DVD on a mobile PC that supports full-screen video playback on only one display.

If Windows can't identify the monitor that you connect, it automatically applies the last display settings that you used for that type of monitor and asks whether you want to keep the settings. Click OK to keep these settings.

If you click Cancel or do nothing, the Display Settings dialog box appears so that you can manually choose the display settings.

Note
To select different display settings at any time, open Display Settings in Control Panel.

Answer 2

Most laptops will support two displays, typically the laptop LCD + an external.

Three displays gets tricky.

If you want all three to show the same thing, then a buffer or multiplexer box is fine.

If you want to extend the desktop across three external monitors you have a problem.

What you can try is to call up HP an see if they have a dock for your system that will support a multi-head video card. If they do you can run one monitor of the back of the dock, and then two more of a dual head video card.

Docks tend to be dodgy on support of video cards - slot type limitations and power limitations, so I would want to get a complete package from HP. It will probably cost a bit more, but there can be no finger pointing between different dock and video card suppliers if something does not work right.


Or get a desktop.

Answer 3

First you need to make sure that your laptop has enough ports to support the monitors. If it does than just plug in the monitors and see what happens. If you don't than you need to buy a video card that will support 3 printers. After you get the hardware figured out to set up the computer to see the other monitors what you have to do is, make sure that you have the drivers to support multiple monitors if you do all you have to do is right click on the desktop and select properties. One of the tabs on the top should give you the ability for multiple monitors.

Answer 4

Get more cards.