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Author Topic: Windows 7 Multiple Monitors: Task Bar Only On Primary Monitor  (Read 1948 times)

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jasonbar

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Windows 7 Multiple Monitors: Task Bar Only On Primary Monitor
« on: December 21, 2012, 07:50:20 pm »
Howdy-

I have a Windows 7 PC setup with 2 monitors, side-by-side, with the desktop extended across both of them.

The taskbar is on both monitors & each taskbar displays icons for windows that appear on their respective monitors.

I would like to remove the taskbar from the secondary screen altogether & have just 1 master Taskbar on the primary monitor, so that I have but 1 place to look for open programs/windows.


A few internet searches for how to have just 1 taskbar result in a ton of links & questions & little programs to *get* a 2nd taskbar onto that second screen, as if the condition that I desire is the norm & that people are trying very hard to get away from that & obtain what I have & don't like...

OK, so I'm a rebel.

Any tips on achieving this?


Thank you,
-Jason

kuchta

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Windows 7 Multiple Monitors: Task Bar Only On Primary Monitor
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2012, 08:47:51 pm »
Jason, I don't think it's possible to have multiple task bars in Windows 7 without additional software. Are you sure some extra software isn't installed or that you aren't using Windows 8? I seem to remember that some PC vendor was including skinning software with their machines at some point, but can't remember which one or what software.

Howard_Casto

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Re: Windows 7 Multiple Monitors: Task Bar Only On Primary Monitor
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2012, 11:21:38 pm »
Yup... you can't do multiple taskbars in any version of windows.  There are third party apps, but they merely make a "fake" taskbar and they aren't reccomended. 

Now what I think you are referring to is desktop spanning.  That's when your entire desktop area is seen as a single monitor as far as windows is concerned. 

Again, this isn't reccomended.  The reason being fullscreen apps. They'll see that your "monitor" has some crazy resolution like 3840x1080 and go "I don't have a supported resolution anywhere near that wide" and not know what to do.  Also even if they can manage the resolution they'll span both monitors, meaning that you'll get a nice black bar between monitor 1 and monitor 2 (the border of your actual monitors).  This goes for all of your apps actually... internet explorer will launch spanning both monitors and you'll have to resize it, ect.....  it's just a bad idea all around. 

So unless you have a real good reason to have the taskbar on both monitors, don't do it... windows isn't really setup to deal with that. 

jasonbar

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Re: Windows 7 Multiple Monitors: Task Bar Only On Primary Monitor
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2012, 10:51:53 am »
Mystery (probably) solved. The PC in question is my work computer, in front of which I won't sit for a week and a half, so I'll execute my hunch then.

I did install MultiMon on it so that I could look at not 1 but 2 pictures of my baby boy's first bath: landscape on the left & portrait on the right. That program must have also snuck in a taskbar 2-monitor span trick on me.

When I return to work, I'll open up MultiMon & look for a taskbar-spanning checkbox in there.


Thanks,
-Jason

jasonbar

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Re: Windows 7 Multiple Monitors: Task Bar Only On Primary Monitor
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2013, 12:24:50 pm »
Back to work & double monitors.

UltraMon indeed did have a split Taskbar by default when I installed it.

Box unchecked. Taskbar back to normal. Productivity rising.

Thanks,
-Jason