If you have two monitors-either your notebook PC screen and an external monitor, or two external monitors hooked up to the same PC-you can display the presentation on one of them and your own notes on the other. Very handy!
| Caution |
If you create a presentation CD using the Package for CD feature (covered later in the chapter), you can show that presentation on any PC using the built-in PowerPoint viewer. However, you won't be able to use a multi-monitor setup unless PowerPoint is installed on the PC on which you are presenting the show. |
First, you need to prepare your display hardware. On a notebook PC, that means enabling both the built-in and the external monitor ports and connecting an external monitor. Some notebook PCs toggle between internal, external, and dual monitors with an Fn key combination; check your documentation.
On a desktop PC, you'll need to install a second video card and monitor, and then set them up in the Display Properties in Windows (on the Settings tab).
Confused? Okay then, here are some specific steps:
After you install the second video card and hook up a monitor to it (with the power off, of course), you'll restart the PC, and Windows will recognize the new video card and install any drivers for it, as needed. If it doesn't, you may need to run a Setup utility that came with the video card.
Right-click the desktop and choose Properties. In the Display Properties dialog box that appears, click the Settings tab. There should be two monitors shown in the Sample area, as shown in Figure 15-16. If there are not, Windows is not seeing one of the video cards; troubleshoot using the Device Manager (from the System properties in the Control Panel.)
Assuming you see two monitors on the Settings tab, the monitor that you use most of the time should be 1 and the other one should be 2. To determine which is which, click the Identify button, and large numbers will briefly appear on each screen.
If you need to swap the monitor numbering, click the one that should be the primary monitor and mark the Use This Device as the Primary Monitor checkbox. (It will be unavailable if the monitor is already the primary one.)
Select the secondary monitor (by clicking its picture in the sample area) and then click Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor checkbox.
(Optional) If the monitors are not arranged in the Sample area in the way that they are physically positioned on your desk, drag the boxes for the monitors in the sample area to match your physical arrangement. This is not essential, but it does make it easier for you to remember which is which.
(Optional) Click a monitor in the sample area and adjust its display settings, if needed. You can change the screen resolution and color quality from the Settings tab. You do not have to have the same resolution for both monitors.
Figure 15-16: Set up the monitors in the Display Properties box in Windows.
Now, close all open dialog boxes (click OK), and you're ready to go. You can drag things from your primary monitor to your secondary one. This can be great fun outside of PowerPoint as well as inside. For example, you can have two applications open at once, each in its own full monitor window.
Next, you'll set up the presentation in PowerPoint to take advantage of the second screen.
Open the presentation and choose Slide Show⇨Set Up Show to display the Set Up Show dialog box. In the Multiple Monitors section, open the Display Slide Show On list and choose the monitor that the audience will see. Then, mark the Presenter View checkbox (see Figure 15-17) and click OK.
Figure 15-17: Configure the presentation to use a two-monitor setup.
Now when you enter Slide Show view, you'll get two very different displays. On the monitor you chose in the Set Up Show dialog box, the presentation will appear in Slide Show view. On the other monitor, Presenter View will display, which is sort of like a modified Normal view. It displays your speaker notes if any, along with thumbnails of the presentation slides and some buttons for controlling the action (see Figure 15-18).
Figure 15-18: Presenter View provides tools for helping you manage your slideshow from a second monitor.
Presenter View doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. For example, it doesn't have a pen, and it can only black the screen, not "white" it. However, don't forget that the audience's monitor is still active and available for your use! Because you extended the desktop onto the second monitor, you can simply move the mouse pointer onto the audience's display and then use the buttons in its bottom left corner (or right-click for the Slides menu) as you normally can.
| Note |
After giving your presentation in Presenter view, you might need to reset the primary display monitor in the Windows display settings, especially if the second monitor is going to be disconnected. |