Two Monitors, Two Mice... One PC?

Reader Keith Arnold writes: Can I control one PC with 2 mice and 2 monitors in 2 locations? (near each other) I want to run a jukebox program with a touchscreen on the outside of my home bar and have a bartending program behind the bar. I don't see the need to have 2 computers. Plus, this way I could access the jukebox from behind the bar if needed. Thanks!

You don't need a home bar to have two monitors and two mice on one PC (though I could hardly think of a better use for the setup). In fact, this technology is, for the most part, built into Windows. Here's what you need to do to get it going.

First the easy part: Any recent vintage computer can support two mice. Just plug them both in (presuming you're using USB mice, of course), and see what happens. They'll both control the cursor on screen. Normally people only do this when the want to pull a prank on a guy at work and trick him into thinking his mouse is busted or he has a virus, but I suppose you can use this power for good, too. So that's the easy part: Just plug in two mice and keep one in front of the bar and one behind. But remember, a cursor war can happen at any time.

Now the trickier part: Two monitors. For this you need a video card with dual monitor support. Many newer cards support two monitors, so you just need to shop around to find one that meets your budget. Older dual-monitor graphics cards can be found for $70 or less. A newer one, like the BFG 7800 GTX, can cost over $300. You may also need DVI to VGA adapters in order to connect your monitors. (I can't vouch for how well this will work with a touchscreen, but it's worth a shot.)

Hook up both monitors, and configure them in Windows to split the display. Next, simply load up your jukebox app on one display and your bartending application on the other. That should be all it takes. Let me know how it all turns out!