Actual Multiple Monitors 5.1

Actual Multiple Monitors is intended to improve the functionality of Windows graphical user interface when working with a multi-monitor configuration. In this respect, it lets you avoid the limitations caused by the absence of a taskbar on secondary displays. Moreover, the tool can increase your productivity by automating various operations that would otherwise require a sequence of clicks.

In relation to the simulated taskbar that appears on the secondary monitors, it is quite convenient that it shows only those tasks that are currently associated with that display when the system is configured in individual mode. This additional taskbar even has its own Start Button, which you can use to launch programs as you would normally do from the main display. However, it is logical that, in mirror mode, there is no difference compared with what usually happens.

One of the most useful features of this tool is that it saves you from the effort of dragging windows between screens, thanks to an additional button that allows doing more quickly. Not only that, there is also a button to span a given window across all available monitors.

The program also lets you manage other aspects related to the use of multiple screens. For instance, you can stretch a background paper over all the monitors or use different images for each of them. Likewise, it is possible to create desktop profiles, which allow you to control such things as screen resolution, color depth and refresh rate on each desktop if you need to.

All in all, Actual Multiple Monitors allows increasing the productivity of your work. However, it does need some time and experience to configure it appropriately. In this respect, the tool is definitely harder to use than the features built in Windows. You should know that this tool is also available as a part of Actual Tools, a suite comprising some similar productivity programs. In this regard, it would be advisable to check on the price of the bundle as it is more convenient than buying its components separately. One last thing, you should be careful while you install it if you do not want the program to collect any kind of statistics about your activities.

v5.1 [Mar 28, 2013]
--Global system hooks are replaced with the hooks local for each process. This should fix some known compatibility problems (e.g. with Lotus Notes,
Adobe Acrobat) and also improve the overall stability.
--Ability is added to put a specific window at startup into the selected tile of a chosen Desktop Divider layout.
--List of hotkey actions can be filtered by hotkey category (System, Mouse, Custom, etc.).
--Hotkeys now work in applications (mostly, video games) that use DirectInput to provide keyboard/mouse control (e.g. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim,
Battlefield 3, etc.).
--CPU load is reduced when moving a window with the Desktop Divider active.
--Classic snapping now ignores the 100%-transparent (i.e. invisible) windows.
--Windows 7: If Internet Explorer is already open, launching a new instance of it opened an unwanted extra window.
--Windows 8: Alt-Tab Task Switcher did not:
- switch to a window by clicking its preview
- support switching via rolling the mouse wheel
- activate the desktop, in some cases
--In some cases, programs launched under administrator might lose their taskbar button after moving to a secondary monitor and then back to the primary one (e.g. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware).
--Windows 7: Start button on Actual Taskbar got lost after invoking the "Gather all windows here" command.
--Actual Multiple Monitors Slideshow screen saver stopped showing pictures on existing monitors after attaching an additional one.
--The bottom of title buttons was clipped in JRiver Media Center window.
--Moving a window between monitors via Monitor Selector dialog made the Move to Monitor title button's tool tip incorrect.
--Windows x64: In some cases, scrolling a window with the "Scrolling inactive windows" feature beyond the bottom made the scroller bounce at the end of scrollbar.