double/twin monitors

Hi all, last Saturday I was given a 2, double or twin monitor display for my computer by my son-in-law. After a while of trying to get them to work I discovered that my Win11 computer wouldn't work unless it has an internet connection - unlike other Win PCs! I only realized after I connected them to my old PC with Win7!

Anyway, one of the screens wouldn't work. We discovered that my computer (well,both really) doesn't have a 2nd HDMI port. I was able to connect it to my Win11 computer & it works lovely! My son-in-law said he had an adaptor & would bring it when he returned for the children later in the evening. He did bring it & I tried to connect the 2nd screen to the computer with the adaptor. I plugged the USB into a port on the back of the computer & plugged the monitor cable into it & - nothing! It wouldn't work! I swapped it for the one that worked & that one didn't work either! So I plugged, let's call it Mon1, (the other Mon2), into the HDMI port on the computer & again it worked lovely! So the fault seems to lie with the adaptor! The thing is that the power flows through the adaptor but not the signal! I know the power gets through as with the adaptor plugged into the computer the monitor stays on but if I take it out the monitor shuts down after a minute or two.

I've tried both monitors with the same results, while either is plugged into the HDMI port the screen works OK. When I try the adaptor nothing happens! So I went on eBay to have a look for a new one, I found a couple that might be what I'm looking for but there are so many it's very confusing!

I then tried plugging the HDMI screen cable into my old computer - again it worked fabulous & what vibrant screens I'm seeing! I definitely want to connect BOTH monitors to my Win11 computer! I can now have both computers working at the same time - each with its own mouse & keyboard! I think I now need a bigger desktop for so many things!

Anybody able to advise on what to do? I can't get another adaptor exactly the same because it has no name on it. I'd hoped if I looked at enough pages on eBay I might get a better idea. No luck! BTW, how can you tell the difference between a USB2 & USB3 plug?
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Never used or to be honest heard of using USB to connect up dual monitors but when we have used two separate monitors together we had to go into Settings, then Display, to let it know we had connected 2 screens.
Also you might have to tell it to use USB for a monitors output ??

No idea about any special USB adapter cables for monitors, think a web search might help there , though usually a good name branded product is more likely to work better .

 

I had to try it.
Something about second screen came up.

 

The computer & the monitors are all Dell. I know about going into settings for 2 screens, I'd looked it up before the monitors were brought round. My problem is getting the 2nd monitor to connect to the computer. The adapter doesn't seem to transmit the signal even though power is getting through.

 

Not used one, but those USB to HDMI adapters seem to need a Driver to direct the signals to the USB port etc.
Some such adapters come with their own driver disc or is already there and automatically loaded by Windows

Open /Search - Windows " Device Manager " and look at the USB/Monitors/Ports connections and see if there is anything showing a yellow error mark.

 

Thanks, @ricky101 , for that info. I'll try it tomorrow but I don't think it will make any difference as the computers don't detect the adaptor even though power goes into the monitor through the adaptor.

Here are few photos of the monitors & the adaptor:


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When I went to plug the adaptor in the first time I thought it must surely have to connect to the graphics card but I couldn't find the card! I plugged it in an available port & nothing happened.

Photo 2 taken today shows both my computers plugged in to the monitors & they work fine (in the HDMI ports on both PCs) BUT I can't get the two screens to work on just ONE of them! That's why I needed the adaptor that doesn't seem to work. Or I'm missing something!

I can use both computers as I've got 2 keyboards & 2 mice all plugged in! But that's not what I want to do, though it's cool!

I love the high definition monitors, they make my old analogue screen look positively dull!
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ooops - my error

 

I've done as you suggested, result - - I still can't connect the two monitors to the same computer!

I went into Windows Update & discovered 2 optional updates that were for the monitors, 1 digital, the other analogue. I downloaded the digital driver, waited a minute or two then downloaded the other. Seeing that there was no change I decided to reboot the computer. No difference! I still can't connect to the other screen!
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I know its probably different but my last phone was never recognised by my computer, I downloaded all kinds of stuff from samsung etc. but it just never worked, it did however pass power and charged the phone up.

 

I tried your suggestion on my old Win 7 computer but it doesn't work! I've now given up - for today!
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Don't both monitors need a mains supply and the adapter only supplies the signal.
At this point I would look to get another adapter (buy or borrow) and try that.

 

Just looking at those converters, seems you need a USB 3 or USB C socket to drive them.. ?
If you look at your laptops USB sockets, it might say usb3 on the case or perhaps have a Blue center, though best to check your laptops manual which should tell you for sure.

Those cheap converter units get very poor reviews saying they do not work or the Driver supplied does not work, Argos and Currys do well known branded ones, though costing £35+ but do check their specifications /requirements carefully.


If your converter has a brand name on it, try searching for its website and see if they have a downloadable Driver you can use.

 

Thanks Ricky. Yes, both monitors need a power supply and both are plugged in. How can you distinguish between a USB 3 & a USB2 port and or lead? My Win11 computer has 6 USB ports but I've no idea whether they are 2 or 3! Anything I plug into them works OK . It has no problem with the mouse or keyboard, (I've plugged in at least 3 different ones of each in the year or so that I've had it. It always recognises my mobile. I've never plugged in anything else since I've had it. Until now that is! I don't think the ports are the problem though.

You've seen the photos of both monitors working, each on a different computer, so the problem is not with them. Which leads me to think it's the adaptor.

It hasn't got a brand name on it. I posted a photo of the adaptor close up so the ends of the plugs were clearly visible but you can see there is no identify markers or brand name.
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