Dual Monitor problem

[fox4god]

Hi everyone,

I am attempting to set up my computer to use two monitors. I have a DVI-D and a VGA port and two monitors with VGA cords. I purchased a VGA to DVI-D adapter so that I could plug both in. However, only the monitor plugged into the VGA port is being detected. It does not matter which monitor is in the VGA, it will be the only one showing up.

I also happened to have a VGA splitter and plugged them both into that. Both monitors showed (but of course it was just the same thing on both screens, and not an extension which is what I want).

I have tried updating drivers and such, but I am not 100% sure which drivers to update or if that is even the problem. Here are some specs and model numbers:

OS: Win 7
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 4200 built by AMD, integrated within the motherboard
Mother Board: ASUS M4A785-M
Monitors: Envision H1781 and Compaq FP 15

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Everything I have read seems to indicate that I should have been able to just plug them both in and be all set, but that is not the case. Thank you!

 

[Captain Pooka]

On some of the motherboards the two ports aren't made to be used simultaneously. What happens when you plug a monitor in to the DVI port and nothing else?

 

[fox4god]

When a monitor is only in the DVI port and nothing else, nothing happens. The monitor is blank and simply says 'check video cable'. I've double and triple checked that everything is plugged in correctly.