New in PowerPoint® 2000 is support for the dual-monitor capabilities that are built into Windows® 98 and Windows 2000 (also called "multimonitor support"). If you have a computer with two monitors (or a monitor and a projector), you can run a slide show and edit your presentation at the same time. You can see your whole presentation, including speaker notes, while your audience sees only the slides - and you can make changes to your presentation on the fly, without ever exiting the slide show.

Note  You'll need either a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) or AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) video card for each monitor in order to be able to use the dual-monitor features of Windows 98, Windows 2000, and PowerPoint 2000.

Run a Slideshow and Edit a Presentation at the Same Time

By using the dual-monitor feature, you can set up one monitor to display the main PowerPoint window and the second monitor (or projector) to display a full-screen slide show. Once you've configured this, you can run the slide show on one monitor, and view or edit the presentation on the other. Each screen behaves as it normally would. You move from one monitor to the other by moving the mouse.

The dual-monitor feature lets you do the following:

View your outline, slides, and speaker notes in normal view while the audience sees only slides Normal view is the new default view for editing presentations in PowerPoint 2000. The three panes in this view let you see your slides, outline, and notes at the same time. When you display your presentation in normal view on one monitor, you can see the slide that your audience sees, as well as your notes for the points you want to make, and your outline, to remind you what is coming next.

As you advance slides in the slide show on the second monitor, the slide and speaker notes displayed in the slide and notes panes on the first monitor are automatically advanced to match. Note that builds, transitions, and animations appear in the slide show display only. For more information about normal view, see Work on Your Presentation as a Whole in Normal View.

View upcoming slides and speaker notes without advancing the slide show In normal view, you can move around in the presentation to see upcoming slides and speaker notes without advancing the slide show on the second monitor. When you do advance the slide show by moving the mouse to the second monitor and clicking, the presentation in normal view on the first monitor is automatically re-synchronized to match.

Modify your presentation on the fly You can edit your presentation on one monitor while the slide show is displayed on the other. If you change a slide that isn't currently displayed on the slide show monitor, the audience won't know you're making changes. If you want to change the slide that's currently displayed - for example, to record audience comments right on the slide - just start typing.

You can even draw on slides using the tools on the Drawing toolbar. If you draw on the slide that is currently displayed in the slide show, your drawings are visible on the slide show monitor as you draw them.

Keep the Meeting Minder window available without distracting your audience The Meeting Minder window lets you record action items and meeting minutes during a slide show. To access the Meeting Minder window during a slide show, right-click the slide show, and then click Meeting Minder on the shortcut menu.

On a single-monitor display, the Meeting Minder window is superimposed on the slide show. With the dual-monitor feature, you can drag the Meeting Minder window to the monitor that is not displaying the slide show. The window is available at all times, so you don't have to use the command to access it each time you want to record something, and the window does not obscure the audience's view of the slide show. You can drag the Meeting Minder window back to the slide show monitor any time.

Keep other programs available without task-switching As with the Meeting Minder window, you can drag other open programs back and forth between the two monitors. The open program is displayed on top of the slide show. For example, you can have a spreadsheet open in Microsoft Excel on one monitor. Drag Excel by its title bar to the slide show monitor when you want to refer to the spreadsheet, and then drag it back to the first monitor when you are done.

Step-by-Step Procedures

You must be running the Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system and have either a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) or AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) video card for each monitor in order to use these procedures.

If your system is already configured for two monitors, PowerPoint will automatically display the slide show on the second monitor when you start a slide show. (You can use the procedure "Set up PowerPoint to run on two monitors" to change which monitor the slide show is displayed on.) If you are setting up system support for two monitors for the first time, then complete the following procedures in the order shown: First, configure the system to recognize more than one monitor. Then, set up PowerPoint to run on two monitors.

Note  The dual-monitor feature does not currently work with PC Card (PCMCIA) video adapters, so it will not work with most laptops. Check with your computer manufacturer to find out when integrated dual-monitor support will be available.

Configure the system to recognize two monitors

If you are using Windows 98, do this:

1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Display icon.
3. On the Settings tab, click the image of the second monitor, and then select the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box.

If you are using Windows 2000, do this:

1. On the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Display icon.
3. On the Settings tab, click the image of the monitor you want to use as the primary monitor.
4. Select the Use this device as the primary monitor check box.
   This automatically selects the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box for this monitor.
5. Click the image of the second monitor and then select the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor check box.

Set up PowerPoint to run on two monitors

1. On the Slide Show menu, click Set Up Show.
2. In the Show on list, click the monitor you want the slide show to appear on.
   The slide show will run in full screen on the monitor you choose in step 2. The presentation will appear in normal view on the other monitor.