Dual Monitor: Permanent Start Screen on #1 and desktop on #2?

Cyberbard

New Member
Messages
3
What ho all,

I'm running Win 8 with two monitors, and am having the issue where the Start Screen will disappear once I click anywhere on my desktop on the other monitor.

This is frustrating and in my eyes completely removes the purpose of running Windows 8 on a multi-monitor setup.
Basically I want the Start Screen to always be up on my second screen, and always have the classic desktop up on the primary screen.

Do you know if there is a way to set this up, or if Microsoft has simply forgotten about this issue/ignored it, or if they will fix it in a future patch?

Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
It's supposed to do that. The start screen is just like the old start menu. If you click off of it, or run an app from it, it goes away. That's the point, it doesn't get in your way. Otherwise, people would be frustrated that they couldn't figure out how to get back to their normal display.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
Thanks for the response.

Well, that's poor design if you ask me. The Windows button on my keyboard exists for a reason, and would (and should) make the Start Screen pop up or disappear (alternatively by clicking the start screen/desktop buttons on the screen). Simply clicking somewhere should not, as that interrupts your workflow and essentially makes the Start Screen redundant. The purpose of Live Tiles is that you can get the information you need at all times without having to open any programs. If I have to open the Start Screen each time I want that information, I could just as well have opened the program instead at little extra cost.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Well, it makes perfect sense to me. As I said, the Start screen has the same purpose as the old start menu. This is how windows has worked for 17 years.

Either way MS did it, they would have people complain. I think there are fewer people that think like you than the other way around.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
Thanks for the response.

Well, that's poor design if you ask me. The Windows button on my keyboard exists for a reason, and would (and should) make the Start Screen pop up or disappear (alternatively by clicking the start screen/desktop buttons on the screen). Simply clicking somewhere should not, as that interrupts your workflow and essentially makes the Start Screen redundant. The purpose of Live Tiles is that you can get the information you need at all times without having to open any programs. If I have to open the Start Screen each time I want that information, I could just as well have opened the program instead at little extra cost.

I agree somewhat. With the inclusion of "Live Tiles", it would be nice to have the option of keeping the Start screen static on one of the screens in a multi screen setup, having it behave similar to an Omnimo setup for Rainmeter.
If you wanted to go to desktop on that screen, you still could.

The issue I have most of the time is, if I "leave" an app on display 1 and go back to Start, then go to do something in an application or window I have open on display 2, it kicks my display 1 back into the most recent app instead of leaving it on Start -or- kicking it to desktop. I have to actually Alt+F4 out of apps to get it to behave properly.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
Well, it makes perfect sense to me. As I said, the Start screen has the same purpose as the old start menu. This is how windows has worked for 17 years.

Either way MS did it, they would have people complain. I think there are fewer people that think like you than the other way around.

Well, no it doesn't. You didn't have any Live Tiles on the old start menu. You had a navigational menu which allowed you to access a big portion of your applications in an easy way. The Start Screen is meant to combine that with providing you with live information all of the time. If the Start Screen closes down whenever I do something which isn't related to it on my other monitor, that not only removes that information from my sight, but it also makes it a bit of a hassle to bring the Start Screen back up.

The start button used to bring up a small menu on the screen, not cover your screen. It just feels unintuitive and clumsy to have the SC pop up and down all the time. Not elegant and fluid like W8 is supposed to be. That leads me to believe the Start Screen would serve its own purpose a lot better if there was an option to make it static on one screen (and open/closed only by clicking the Windows button on your keyboard or its digital counterparts on your screen).

In my eyes, this is simply a miss in MS's design, and should be changed.

I agree somewhat. With the inclusion of "Live Tiles", it would be nice to have the option of keeping the Start screen static on one of the screens in a multi screen setup, having it behave similar to an Omnimo setup for Rainmeter.
If you wanted to go to desktop on that screen, you still could.

The issue I have most of the time is, if I "leave" an app on display 1 and go back to Start, then go to do something in an application or window I have open on display 2, it kicks my display 1 back into the most recent app instead of leaving it on Start -or- kicking it to desktop. I have to actually Alt+F4 out of apps to get it to behave properly.

Exactly. I'd like to have the Start Screen on one screen permanently, always having the live information in front of me, while all of my apps and programs open up on the 'desktop screen'.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
In my eyes, this is simply a miss in MS's design, and should be changed.

Yes, the miss here is being wrapped up in tablet functionality so much in their futile effort to catch up to the iPad/Nexus (insert anyone else that beat them to it here) - that they've forgotten 25 years of desktop logic.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
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