[Tuoder]

Hello:

I have recently bought myself an iMac DV SE. I am using it right now. I am aware that it has an ATI Rage 128 in it. My powerbook G3 has the same (or a very similar) graphics chipset in it. My powerbook will take advantage of a second monitor for more space to work out of. My iMac will not. I understand that, at least in stock configuration, this iMac only supports mirring. I wonder, however, if there were some sort of software hack existing to use my second monitor to extend my desktop.

On a side note, I have ATIcellerator II and SwitchResX. I am not a big fan of overclocking integrated video (since there is not way to replace it). Though I did it once to see how far it would go. I used Xbench's OpenGL test and looked for artifacts and got it up to 140%. That was fun.

I really want to do this because I am using this thing for Photoshop and I could really use the screen area my NEC has. I plan to send in this computer for a G4 upgrade and do a little bit of iMovie on it, nothing really serious, but I would like to play around with it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JKT]

There is a way to get the iBook G3s to support dual monitors (a firmware hack) which , if you search www.xlr8yourmac.com, you'll find a number of articles about. I don't know if it also works for the iMac or not, but it could be a place to start. Of course, this is not sanctioned by Apple in any shape or form but, given the type of Mac, I assume you don't have a warranty on it anymore?

[Tuoder]

I am having a look at that right now, I will get back on whether or not it works. Also, the warranty is long gone. I bought it used, anyway. I am not sure if Apple warranties are transferrable, but unless they got a really really long term Applecare deal, I'd bet it is gone.

[Tuoder]

I found a firmware hack that doesn't work with my machine It is called Screen Spanning Doctor.

http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/supportlist_e.html

It works on iBook G3s, iBook G4s, iMac G4s, eMacs, and iMac G5s. Not all of those, but a good deal of them. Un fortunately, My little CRT iMac is listed specifically as not supported by that particular hack. It seems to me that a hack could at least be written, that is to say if one does not already exist. So I continue to ask: Has anyone seen one?

[bradoesch]

I have an iMac DV and I've never seen the hack you're looking for. I would think if it's possible, somebody would have done it by now.

I'm not sure which monitor your NEC is, but the iMac can run an external monitor at 1280x1024. Obviously the iMac's CRT can't support this res so it shuts down.

[JKT]

Oops, I'm really sorry - I mis-read your original post. I don't know why but I thought you had a bondi iMac... doh! The service manual for the iMac DVs can be found here. Taking them apart to get to the hard drive is a bit more involved than the bondi's, but it still fairly easy. Other than the screen spanning doctor (which is what I was thinking of originally) I don't know of anything else.

[Tuoder]

Originally Posted by bradoesch

I have an iMac DV and I've never seen the hack you're looking for. I would think if it's possible, somebody would have done it by now.

I'm not sure which monitor your NEC is, but the iMac can run an external monitor at 1280x1024. Obviously the iMac's CRT can't support this res so it shuts down.

I know what you mean, but it <i>seems</i> possible. I suppose 8MB of VRAM and an old 75 Mhz GPU just won't cut it.

I had an old dual-head PCI video card that had only 4MB of VRAM, but it had two GPUs and two 4MB banks of VRAM. It was also on a PC running Windows XP. The requirements of OSX are too great, methinks.

[tooki]

The VGA port in an iMac DV is hard-wired together to the VGA going to the integrated display. There's no way to make it do dual-head. That's how it was in early iBook G3s, too.

Later on, when the GPUs all gained dual-head support, Apple just disabled it in firmware, but that's not the case here.

tooki

[Tuoder]

I see. Thank you so much.