Knowledge Base

Programs Run on Primary Monitor But Not on Secondary Monitor

Article ID: 188387

Article Last Modified on 1/23/2007

Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q188387

SYMPTOMS

When you use multiple monitors with your Windows 98-based computer, you may notice that some programs only run on your primary monitor.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur because programs that are designed to display in a full screen default to the primary monitor.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

Note that if you have an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) and a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) display adapter in your computer at the same time, the PCI card will typically be the primary display because the PCI bus is enumerated before the AGP bus. This enumeration is a function of your computer's BIOS and is not controlled by the Windows operating system. To use an AGP video card as the primary, one of the following conditions must exist:

The computer's BIOS must support the enumeration of the AGP bus before the PCI bus.
The PCI video card must have the option to disable VGA functionality at the hardware level.

For information about the requirements for multiple display support in Windows 98, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

182708 Hardware Requirements for Multiple Display Support in Windows 98

Additional query words: multimon

Keywords: kbprb kbui KB188387