On 16/11/2023 19:10, micky wrote:
> Running two computers at once.
>
> It happened sort of by accident but now I'm runing my laptop and my
> desktop all the time. And I have a spare computer I really should set
> up.
>
> To use just one mouse and one keyboard and switch them from PC to PC, I
> need a KVM switch, but it seems that those that supply more than 2
> computers all have HDMI outputs. And maybe I should get HDMI just
> because it's newer than USB. But my laptop and desktop inputs are all
> USB. I gather someone like me is supposed to get an HDMI to USB cable,
> but that seems to connect only the mouse OR the keyboard, not both? So
> what am I to do?
>
> I don't want to use only one monitor. It's good to be able to look at
> both so easily .

Then forget about HDMI. HDMI is for the screen. It's irrelevant if
you're not switching a screen.

You just need something you can connect your USB keyboard and USB mouse
to which can switch them between three (or four) USB inputs from the PCs.

--
Brian Gregory (in England).

On 16/11/2023 19:10, micky wrote:
> Running two computers at once.
>
> It happened sort of by accident but now I'm runing my laptop and my
> desktop all the time. And I have a spare computer I really should set
> up.
>
> To use just one mouse and one keyboard and switch them from PC to PC, I
> need a KVM switch, but it seems that those that supply more than 2
> computers all have HDMI outputs. And maybe I should get HDMI just
> because it's newer than USB. But my laptop and desktop inputs are all
> USB. I gather someone like me is supposed to get an HDMI to USB cable,
> but that seems to connect only the mouse OR the keyboard, not both? So
> what am I to do?
>
> I don't want to use only one monitor. It's good to be able to look at
> both so easily .

Something like this ought to do it if I understand your requirements
correctly:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B74SPYFN/

--
Brian Gregory (in England).

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 18 Nov 2023 12:22 +0000 (GMT Standard
Time), john@jeasonNoSpam.cix.co.uk (John K.Eason) wrote:

>In article <224gli9o7d85t0bhnk4qu7bhqi9qpvsa03@4ax.com>, NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com
>(micky) wrote:
>
>> Well I installed it right after posting above. Right out of the
>> box the
>> cursor went from one monitor to the next, but after the first
>> minute, it
>> wouldn't do it!! Also while typing in one computer, all of a
>> sudden the
>> cursor and effects of alt-tab would switch to the other one for no
>> apparent reason. I could get it back with ctrl-alt F3, but it was
>> frequent and a nuisance, and then I think I couldn't get it back at
>> all
>> one time. I rebooted both computers and the switching problem was
>> still there.
>>
>> One is WIN10 Pro and one is Home, FWIW
>
>Very strange! I'm using Win 7 Home (32-bit) on one PC and Win 10 Professional
>(64-bit) on the other and it's always worked seamlessly here. :^(

I'm not saying that's the problem. Is there a problem if I still have
both mice and both keyboards connected? I unplugged one of each but
then I couldnt' use one computer so I plugged them back in.

It's also true that one PC hasn't been updated for about a year. There
is a whole thread here about my trying to update it. But since it works
witn win7, I'd be surprised if an older version of win10 doesn't work

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 18 Nov 2023 14:18:37 +0000, Brian
Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> wrote:

>On 16/11/2023 19:10, micky wrote:
>> Running two computers at once.
>>
>> It happened sort of by accident but now I'm runing my laptop and my
>> desktop all the time. And I have a spare computer I really should set
>> up.
>>
>> To use just one mouse and one keyboard and switch them from PC to PC, I
>> need a KVM switch, but it seems that those that supply more than 2
>> computers all have HDMI outputs. And maybe I should get HDMI just
>> because it's newer than USB. But my laptop and desktop inputs are all
>> USB. I gather someone like me is supposed to get an HDMI to USB cable,
>> but that seems to connect only the mouse OR the keyboard, not both? So
>> what am I to do?
>>
>> I don't want to use only one monitor. It's good to be able to look at
>> both so easily .
>
>Something like this ought to do it if I understand your requirements
>correctly:
>
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B74SPYFN/

Yes, that doesn't have monitor switching! And it's only about $30 but
still usb3. Tnx.

On 11/17/23 22:03, David W. Hodgins wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Nov 2023 22:22:22 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
>> And yet you read this ng. (Unless you're reading t he hardware ng?)
>> That's big of you.
>
> I'm subscribed to alt.comp.hardware. I'm not subscribed to any windows
> newsgroups.
> Windows XP was the last version of windows that I used. I prefer to control
> what's installed in my computer rather then some company that does
> what's best
> for them. I used to help people diagnose and fix malware infections. Got
> tired
> of seeing every version of windows be worse than the version before it.

That is why I started using Linux, although I haven't completely given
up on Windows.

> I dual booted windows and linux for a few months. Once I was comfortable
> with
> how linux works, I switched to it completely and deleted windows to free up
> the disk space.

I have a PC running Windows. My main machine runs Linux.

> Regards, Dave Hodgins

--
37 days until the winter celebration (Monday, December 25, 2023 12:00 AM
for 1 day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in
its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral
progress in the world." [Bertrand Russell]

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:37:16 -0500, micky
<NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

>In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:03:57 -0500, "David W.
>Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 17 Nov 2023 22:22:22 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>> And yet you read this ng. (Unless you're reading t he hardware ng?)
>>> That's big of you.
>>
>>I'm subscribed to alt.comp.hardware. I'm not subscribed to any windows newsgroups.
>>Windows XP was the last version of windows that I used. I prefer to control
>>what's installed in my computer rather then some company that does what's best
>>for them. I used to help people diagnose and fix malware infections. Got tired
>>of seeing every version of windows be worse than the version before it.
>>
>>I dual booted windows and linux for a few months. Once I was comfortable with
>>how linux works, I switched to it completely and deleted windows to free up
>>the disk space.
>>
>>Regards, Dave Hodgins
>
>I'm glad I included the hardware group. I looked at it and it seemed no
>one had posted anything worthwhile in a long time, but I included it
>anyhow.

Well, they are sneaky sons of a gun, it seems. AFTER I paid, they said
"We're working hard to develop Synergy 3 into stable software. Please
bear with us while we complete this phase of development. If you have
any problems, then please either contact us for technical support or use
Synergy 1 instead."

And sure enough it didn't install on the laptop and didn't give any
indication why. When I tried the desktop, it said that Firefox had
either to be closed or the PC rebooted later. It actually gave a list
100 items long, all of them Firefox. (I 10 windows of FF with well over
100 tabs.) I closed Firefox and it installed, so I went back to the
first computer and closed FF and it installed.

But then it wouldn't work. The cursors were each trapped in their own
monitor. I fiddled for almost an hour, restarted the computers, read
everything on their webpage,finally put in a request for help. And
then, though I had done nothing more, it started to work.

Right now it's working pretty well!!! I think I like it. Thanks again.
Of course there are many other ways to be unstable. ;-)

On Sat, 18 Nov 2023 09:25:55 +0100, "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> wrote:

>Char,
>
>>> I'm not all that sure what you think switching using the mouse
>>> is less work than doing the same using the keyboard.
>>
>> Start with the simplest case of one PC and two simultaneously
>> running applications.
>
>[snip]
>
>Yeah, I know how it works, you don't have to describe it to me.
>
>You still forgot to bring anything forward about how switching by mouseclick
>is simpler than doing the same by keyboard ...

I didn't forget, since that was the entire point of my post. You snipped it, but
it shouldn't be a problem because you know how it works. ;-)

>>> My old D-link did it with a scroll-lock double-tap and than
>>> 1...4 for the
>>
>> I had a D-Link KVM that operated that way! Annoying. :-)
>
>:-) You could always have gone for an even older version, the ones with the
>selection buttons on the KVMs front, or even yet older, with the rotary
>switch. :-p

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 18 Nov 2023 12:57:25 -0500, micky
<NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

>In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:37:16 -0500, micky
><NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
>
>>In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:03:57 -0500, "David W.
>>Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 17 Nov 2023 22:22:22 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>>> And yet you read this ng. (Unless you're reading t he hardware ng?)
>>>> That's big of you.
>>>
>>>I'm subscribed to alt.comp.hardware. I'm not subscribed to any windows newsgroups.
>>>Windows XP was the last version of windows that I used. I prefer to control
>>>what's installed in my computer rather then some company that does what's best
>>>for them. I used to help people diagnose and fix malware infections. Got tired
>>>of seeing every version of windows be worse than the version before it.
>>>
>>>I dual booted windows and linux for a few months. Once I was comfortable with
>>>how linux works, I switched to it completely and deleted windows to free up
>>>the disk space.
>>>
>>>Regards, Dave Hodgins
>>
>>I'm glad I included the hardware group. I looked at it and it seemed no
>>one had posted anything worthwhile in a long time, but I included it
>>anyhow.
>
>Well, they are sneaky sons of a gun, it seems. AFTER I paid, they said
>"We're working hard to develop Synergy 3 into stable software. Please
>bear with us while we complete this phase of development. If you have
>any problems, then please either contact us for technical support or use
>Synergy 1 instead."
>
>And sure enough it didn't install on the laptop and didn't give any
>indication why. When I tried the desktop, it said that Firefox had
>either to be closed or the PC rebooted later. It actually gave a list
>100 items long, all of them Firefox. (I 10 windows of FF with well over
>100 tabs.) I closed Firefox and it installed, so I went back to the
>first computer and closed FF and it installed.
>
>But then it wouldn't work. The cursors were each trapped in their own
>monitor. I fiddled for almost an hour, restarted the computers, read
>everything on their webpage,finally put in a request for help. And
>then, though I had done nothing more, it started to work.
>
>Right now it's working pretty well!!! I think I like it. Thanks again.
>Of course there are many other ways to be unstable. ;-)

Like any of the suggestions, it takes some getting used to.

On the left hand computer, I can't just move the cursor all the way to
the right without looking and know I'll be in the vertical scroll bar.
Instead I'm in the right-hand computer.

And I use AutoHotKey to reassign the Pause key to Sound Off/On, and the
/ and * keys to lower and raise volume. Before having this, I could
just press Pause on the righthand keyboard and the sound would turn on
or off. Now I have to move the cursor to that computer first.

Most importantly AHKey still works on the righthand computer, win10 Pro,
but on the lefthand, Home, it stopped working when I installed Synergy.
I wonder why.

I've rebooted and was going to reintall but I can't tell which of three
files I used to install. I went to their webpage and they're now
emphasizing ver 2 instead of ver 1 but they said that scripts for 1
could be incompatible with version 2, so I have to read about that, dl 1
again or if there are sufficient improvements accomodate my short simple
script to version 2. Maybe even if not mentioned, 2 won't be
succeptible to conflict with Synergy. Always enough to keep busy!

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 19 Nov 2023 11:00:19 -0500, micky
<NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

>
>>Right now it [synergy] 's working pretty well!!! I think I like it. Thanks again.
>>Of course there are many other ways to be unstable. ;-)
>
>Like any of the suggestions, it takes some getting used to.
>
>On the left hand computer, I can't just move the cursor all the way to
>the right without looking and know I'll be in the vertical scroll bar.
>Instead I'm in the right-hand computer.
>
>And I use AutoHotKey to reassign the Pause key to Sound Off/On, and the
>/ and * keys to lower and raise volume. Before having this, I could
>just press Pause on the righthand keyboard and the sound would turn on
>or off. Now I have to move the cursor to that computer first.
>
>Most importantly AHKey still works on the righthand computer, win10 Pro,
>but on the lefthand, Home, it stopped working when I installed Synergy.
>I wonder why.
>
>I've rebooted and was going to reintall but I can't tell which of three
>files I used to install. I went to their webpage and they're now
>emphasizing ver 2 instead of ver 1 but they said that scripts for 1
>could be incompatible with version 2, so I have to read about that, dl 1
>again or if there are sufficient improvements accomodate my short simple
>script to version 2. Maybe even if not mentioned, 2 won't be
>succeptible to conflict with Synergy. Always enough to keep busy!

Problem 3: 3a, easily solved: When the computer without a mouse A falls
asleep, the other computer B won't wake it up afaict. So I need to keep
a mouse connected to A all the time. That's fine.
3b, earlier today, A fell asleep, the mouse woke it up, but
the cursor would not leave B to go to A!! I could do mouse things with
the mouse but I could not type! For 1 or 2 hours!! I made notes in
an email to send to the other computer, to go to various programs.
Finally it started working again!

When I had my first problem I wrote them and they were to call back in
24 hours. I think their time limit is soon to arrive. This latest
problem is pretty much what the first problem was.

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:59:04 -0500, "David W.
Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> wrote:

>On Thu, 16 Nov 2023 14:10:35 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
>
>> Running two computers at once.
>>
>> It happened sort of by accident but now I'm runing my laptop and my
>> desktop all the time. And I have a spare computer I really should set
>> up.
>>
>> To use just one mouse and one keyboard and switch them from PC to PC, I
>> need a KVM switch, but it seems that those that supply more than 2
>> computers all have HDMI outputs. And maybe I should get HDMI just
>> because it's newer than USB. But my laptop and desktop inputs are all
>> USB. I gather someone like me is supposed to get an HDMI to USB cable,
>> but that seems to connect only the mouse OR the keyboard, not both? So
>> what am I to do?
>>
>> I don't want to use only one monitor. It's good to be able to look at
>> both so easily .
>
>Instead of a hardware approach, I use a software/network approach.
>https://symless.com/synergy
>
>Part of it is open source, so for linux user's it can be installed without
>having to buy it. It has to be configured by manually editing the text
>configuration files, or you can buy the commercial software that includes a
>graphical interface to simplify the configuration.
>
>I still need a local keyboard to login to each computer, but once logged in
>I use one keyboard/mouse for both systems, each of which has it's own monitor.
>As I use a wireless keyboard/mouse combo, I can just move the usb dongle
>temporarily when booting/logging into the the other two systems.

Well I bought it about 2 weeks ago, and they offer a refund in 30 days.

I made the Pro desktop the primary computer. When it works, it works
very well, except that AutoHotKey on the laptop/secondary no longer
works. I used its reassigned keys all the time to mute or adjust
volume. I reinstalled it and it worked once 5 seconds later, but then
didnt' work anymore. I reload the script and that doesnt' help at all.

I complained to Symless and it's been at least 10 days and they havent'
gotten back to me.

Also, sometimes the cursor gets trapped in one monitor or another.

Both pcs have mice, becasue I need the mouse to wake up the secondary
when it's sleeping, so I can do whatever the mouse can do when the
cursor is trapped in the primary, but for some things I need a keyboard.
This problem started at the very beginning and I wrote them and the
reply wanted screen shots of each computer. Well I can't take a screen
shot when the keyboard doesn't work, but I gradually figured out that
while the pc was doing one or two specific things the cursor couldn't go
from one monitor to the other. So I wrote back, like I say, more than 10
days ago, about AutoHotKey and said a list of situations that trap the
cursor (which they must have) would be helpful, but they haven't replied
to yet.

Now the problem of cursor being stuck in one monitor has recurred.
Sometimes for hours, which is forever. When it locks the cursor, once
it helped to click on reconnect, but they probably know which PC I
should do that in and they don't say. Their help page has very little.
I wrote them again on Friday evening. I said a recommended procedure,
which pc to restart if need be, would help, and I asked if they were
going to extend the 30 day warranty. It's the weekend.. We'll see if
they write back.

I never had any trouble with the KVM switch but when this works, it
allows copy and paste to span pc's and that's really nice, and saves me
a lot of time. We'll see if its annoyances outweight its benefits.
>
>I only use linux, so likely can't help with configuration for windows.
>
>It works well on my three linux systems. No flashing or other unwanted
>artifacts.
>
>Regards, Dave Hodgins