Windows 10: can't get y splitter to work on 2 monitors

Hello,

I bought a new Dell Inspiron. I already had 2 pretty old Dell monitors, but they work fine. With my old Dell, I had a y splitter that ran out of the back of the VGA port and split and then each monitor was plugged in to the y splitter. This worked great. I had 2 monitors where the screen worked independently of each other.

For the new Dell, I had to buy a new y splitter. I hook it up to the VGA port and plug each monitor into the y split, like before. Each monitor does get a signal but it shows the same thing on each monitor. It doesn't allow me to select Monitor 1 and Monitor 2. The auto detect doesn't seem to work. Any ideas on how I can get each monitor to work independently of the other?

Thank you

:)

 

dual monitors using a 2 port VGA monitor splitter Y cable?

How can I get Windows 10 to recognize dual monitors using a 2 port VGA monitor splitter Y cable? Display settings does not detect the second monitor.

 

dual monitor using VGA splitter Y cable

I have added a second monitor using a 2 port VGA monitor splitter VGA HD-15 splitter Y cable. Second monitor simply displays same thing as 1st one. Windows cannot detect the second monitor. Help?

 

I'm replying so as to kick in the Subscribe and follow it.

The use of a Y-splitter process is quite fine at places like reception desks where the user and client can see exactly the same things.

I have a client with the same problem of wanting different views, so far I've come to the conclusion that a video card with separate output sockets is needed and the Y-splitter is only feeding the same signals to the 2 monitors.

 

Except that the one I had before had just one vga output going into a y splitter that went to 2 monitors, and each showed independent screens. I'm wondering if the older hardware or newer OS has something to do with it not working anymore.

 

What you likely have is one of these,

DMS-59 - Wikipedia

Which if that is the case it won't work as the port needs to be the same.

 

Ah. In the pic below you can see the OLD y splitter that worked. When I got the new pc it had a different port in the back so I could use the old y splitter. I had to get the NEW splitter in the pic. Does this confirm your assumption?

If this is true that I can't split this way, how can I set up the two monitors for separate viewing? Is that still possible?

-Thanks so much for your help!

 

The 'new' is the VGA type splitter I had to deal with, haven't seen the 'old' type yet, especially not on Notebooks. Even newer/thinner Notebooks don't have the VGA port for external monitors or projectors, have opted for an HDMI port.

 

As you can clearly see, the pinout on the old adaptor is totally different then the new, and the socket of course is totally different too, your new PC would have to have a video card with that socket for it to work.

Otherwise it`s just a duplicate screen, like you have now.

 

The VGA out only has 1 signal and can only ever supply the 1 source signal. It doesn't have two independents signals to drive two monitors. The VGA splitter just sends that same one signal to both monitors. The other splitter is a custom connector that had access to more than one video signal, more than one source, and thus could drive two monitors independently.

 

Thanks all. So how do I get the two independent monitors with my current pc? I bought the pc for my wife and she's fussing that she doesn't have her expanded desktop. *Smile

Thanks

 

You`d have to plug each monitor into a separate video output on the PC.

If you don`t have more then 1, I guess you can`t.

How many different video outputs does this (Laptop ?) (desktop ?) have ?

If it has a VGA output and a HDMI output, then you`d have to get a monitor with a HDMI input.

But why can`t you just use the (laptop?) screen and 1 other monitor ?


What exact model do you have ?

If it`s a desktop, then you just need a video card with at least 2 outputs, most cards today come with 4.

Or just use the video card from your old PC, that is if the new Dell is a desktop.

Even the motherboard should have at least 2 video outputs.


I`ve done many a job where we installed all new equipment and all we had to do was add the old video card to the new pc.

 

That's a brilliant idea AddRAM! Fortunately I haven't thrown the old box away yet as I planned to smash the hard drive with a hammer first! I'll give it a go! thank you!

45%x

 

Why does everything have to be difficult?

Ok. Apparently it's been a LONG while since I cracked open a PC. My brand new Dell Inspiron 3650 only has 1 card slot! When did this happen? I remember there typically being 4-6 available. I'm guessing the USB ports replace the old card slots? Anyway, I only need one so I'm good. I've installed the old graphics card into the new machine.

Next, I hook up the old splitter to the old graphics card (on my new pc) and connect the previously used monitors. Turn on the pc. I got nothing. No video. So I pull one of the monitors off of the splitter and plug it in to the old vga port. Nothing. I then turn off the pc and turn on again. Interestingly, I DO get video on one pc and it has a cool graphic and tells me that it detects I have a monitor plugged in to the old vga port and that I should unplug it and plug it in to the graphics card and reboot. Ok. So I do that and... nothing. No video.

I kind of feel like it needs to have a device driver downloaded for this new graphics board but how can I interface with the pc to download it if I don't have any video? Also, if I uninstall the board and use the regular vga port then how would the OS check to see what device driver is needed if the board isn't installed any more?

Harummpf. What should I next do?

Thanks

 

Welcome to the technology march! One video slot became popular with motherboards having a single AGP slot which morphed into one PCIe X16 slot. PCIe = PCI Express
PCIe boards may also have one or two PCIe X1 or X4 slots for other cards. And there's exceptions such as boards with two PCIe X16 slots. The older PCI slots have been included to accommodate the older PCI cards. Basically, check the specs of any motherboard involved.