2 Mice, 2 Keyboards, 2 Screens and 1 OS

Diabolus

I have :
2 screens (1 x 17" CRT + 1 x 15" TFT)
2 Mice (1 x optical + 1 x Wireless)
2 Keyboards (1 x Usb + 1 x Wireless)
Win XP

No im not here to try boast but i want to know if having two desktops independant of one another and under control of seperate mice and keyboard is possible. All are connected btw.

Any suggestions?

BTBB

Unsure about any MS solutions(they will probably try to charge you by the io device) but X-Free86(i.e. requires a Unix) should be able to handle it.

Just run two X servers, assuming that the keyboards etc can work independantly of each other. Different config for each and let em rip. Something I want to try alright, just don't ask me about the details....

Side note: Your specification of input devices is interesting. All I can say for definite is that you have at least 1 USB device.

BTBB

sceptre

Originally posted by Diabolus
No im not here to try boast but i want to know if having two desktops independant of one another and under control of seperate mice and keyboard is possible. All are connected btw.

Any suggestions?

There used to be a PCI card hardware solution on the market for this very purpose. Can't remember the name of it to be honest but at least you know it's out there.

Blitzkrieger

Most gfx/video cards nowadays come with more than one monitor slot (or a splitter cable) and software that allows multiple desktops on one PC. I've heard that it's possible to use different mice and keyboards to effectivly make one PC into 2, but I've no idea how.

There's a hardware solution you can get in the form of a PCI card that gives an extra mouse, keyboard and video port. These also come with software for getting the whole shebang working properly. I haven't seen any advertised for about two years, cos most people who need 2 PCs have 2 PCs.

I'd recommend searching the sites of manufacturers who make KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switches.

Egyptian

This is the only thread I found on the subject, but its perfect!!
I was wondering has anyone got more info since September 2003?

Ive got XP on a brand new cpu, along with mouse keyboard and monitor, downstairs in a house,

Ive also got another mouse keyboard and monitor, upstairs (no cpu).

Anybody have any idea how I would control the cpu from both upstairs and downstairs. They don't have to work at the same time, just one or the other.

I found this KVM Splitter

but I don't really want to trail wires all over the place. Something wireless would be perfect, but im guessing it'd be pricey!

Any info from anyone that has experience in doing something like this, would be greatly appreciated!

impr0v

www.daxten.ie do a whole range of KVM switches and extenders, i've dealt with them before and they are very helpful. from a quick browse of their catalogue there doesn't seem to be any wireless options though. To do what you want to do with wires, you'll need a KVM switch and extender (there may be a combination device, didn't really look), and a VGA booster and/or switch with a long VGA cable, depending on whether your gfx card has two outputs or not and whether the second monitor is >7m away.