Topic: Full screen on dual monitors

[Matthew]

I picked up an old 15 inch flat-CRT (I think) from my mom's work that they were getting rid of. I got it set up and working fine with windows (the object not the OS), but anything with full screen and all bets are off. I can see my second monitor and anything on it, but if I dare click on it, the game immediately minimizes as if I had hit alt-tab. Is there any way to fix this?

[TechPro]

Are you saying, that while you're in a full-screen game, you can see other stuff on your second monitor ... and if you try to click on anything on that second monitor (while in a full-screen game on the first monitor) ...  it acts like you just pressed Alt-Tab?

If that's what you're saying ... That is normal behavior because Windows treats "full-screen" display mode (other than the normal display mode) as full-screen for everything.  If you click on something else, it immediately 'minimizes' (moves away from being the 'front' item) the full-screen app.  If the full-screen app is able to remain 'full-screen' while you work with other apps, that app will stay 'full-screen' however a lot of apps (mostly games, example: Descent of any flavor) are not able to remain 'full-screen' when you turn your attention to another app.

Windowed mode is a different matter.

[SaladBadger]

I've been running dual-monitors for a month or two, and I've never noticed this. Fullscreen games tend to capture the mouse for me so it can't actually drift onto the other screen.

[Matthew]

Yes, TP, that's exactly what I'm saying.

That's what most of the posts I've seen have said, Insanity. Very few people actually seem to be able to move their mouse onto their second monitor at all while playing a fullscreen game.

[Foil]

Yep, it depends on how the game handles mouse events.  Most fullscreen 3D games keep the mouse within the window.

(Shores of Hazeron doesn't, of course.)

[Matthew]

I guess I'll have to settle for just running most games in a maximized window instead of fullscreen.

[Foil]

Huh?  Why?

Most games play just fine in fullscreen.  Fullscreen prevents the issue you're describing, because it does not allow the mouse to move over to the other screen.

The problem you're talking about is very very rare.