DiskView & SplitView Blog

SplitView enables Multi-Monitor support for VDI

Ron — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:33:54 +0000

Many organizations have started to host desktops inside virtual machines running on centralized servers in a data center using VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

Users can access their virtual desktops remotely from a traditional PC, thin client or re-purposed computer using a remote display protocol such as Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

VDI enables you to:
•             Manage desktops centrally, simplifying desktop installations, backups and maintenance.
•             Control access to sensitive data and intellectual property by maintaining information in a secure data center.
•             Provide individual isolated virtual desktops to end users that look and feel like their normal desktop.
•             VDI gives you the benefits of server-based computing without the limitations of shared services technologies or the application integration hassles.

For a true desktop experience, multi monitor support is one of the most requested features. This is where SplitView comes in. SplitView enables multiple monitors to be used with remote desktop protocols such as Microsoft RDP and Citrix ICA as depicted in this slide from the VMWorld 2007 conference.

SplitView is a key component for a multi-monitor based VDI environment as many of our customers have discovered. Try it out in your VDI environment today!

Citrix 4.5 patch PSE450R01W2K3013.MSP

Ron — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:53:41 +0000

Some of our customers are using SplitView with Citrix 4.5. We are aware of one problem with Citrix 4.5 patch PSE450R01W2K3013.MSP that causes some conflict with SplitView. You should be fine if you do not install this patch, or are not using Citrix 4.5.

Citrix has since corrected this problem in Limited Citrix Hotfix PSE450R01W2K3020 that can be obtained on request from Citrix support.

Watch DiskView and SplitView in action

Ron — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 06:12:48 +0000

DiskView and SplitView are both highly interactive, and static screenshots are not quite as effective as watching them in action.

We have just uploaded a flash demo of DiskView in action. The demo can be seen at http://www.diskview.com/flashtour.htm and gives a quick and effective overview of DiskView. This five minute demo shows how seamlessly DiskView integrates with Windows Explorer, and how it can be an effective tool in managing disk space usage and visualizing its health. Hope you enjoy it!

We have fun writing innovative software, and we love it even more when you have fun using it! Steve Audette, a recent SplitView convert, really enjoyed using SplitView and sent us a quick video he made of SplitView in action. Steve uses SplitView to make more efficient use of his widescreen monitor by running multiple applications side-by-side. Watch Steve’s demo at his website - http://www.saudette.net/screencasts/SplitView.html. Thank you, Steve!

SplitView 2007 - reloaded!

Ron — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:13:15 +0000

We have just released a new update to SplitView, with several improvements and bug fixes. This release (SplitView 2007 - Update 12) is focused on usability, enterprise deployment and performance, and contains the following enhancements:

Support for Office 2007 - SplitView window buttons are now usable with Office 2007 applications

Support for Lotus Notes - Lotus Notes is now compatible with SplitView buttons

Improved deployment for multiple users, with limited user accounts

Administrator privileges are not required for running SplitView
SplitView is auto-started for all users, instead of just the user installing it

Resolved bug in restoring the position of a window previously maximized on the right monitor

Improved placement when moving windows – windows are no longer moved to the absolute left or right. Instead, they are moved proportionally from one screen part to another. For this behavior, the ‘Do not resize window, just move them’ setting should be enabled

Improved usability – the window button to restore windows to their previous position caused usability issues when the windows were only moved and not resized. This option is now available only when the ‘Do not resize window, just move them’ setting is disabled

Improved repositioning of windows maximized to a screen-part. When moving a maximized window from one screen to another, it remains maximized

Improved performance – SplitView settings are cached in-memory for better performance

Better repositioning of splash screens. This version is better at detecting splash screens that open up in the middle of two monitors, and repositioning them to either the left or the right monitor

Multiple monitors with Remote Desktop and SplitView

Ron — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:27:32 +0000

SplitView is becoming very popular lately for using dual-monitors with remote desktop programs like Citrix, Remote Desktop or Radmin.

It turns out that two monitors isn’t enough for a lot of people - many users have asked us for support for three, four or even more monitors with remote desktop! We are happy to oblige.

We have just released an update to SplitView that lets you use three, four or even more(!) monitors with remote desktop (Microsoft’s RDP, Citrix, Radmin) in addition to the dual-monitor support that has already existed.

Using Remote Desktop with multiple-monitors

One of the new features of the Terminal Server/Remote Desktop client in Windows Vista is the support for multiple monitors. This feature is also available in the Remote Desktop Connection (Terminal Services Client 6.0) for Windows XP.

If the client computer has multiple monitors, then the remote session can span over all monitors, creating a large virtual desktop that covers all monitors. For users who are already using multiple monitors, this is a big enhancement as now they can effectively use all their monitors in a remote session.

Now that looks great on paper, but in practice there are some problems. The remote session sees your virtual desktop as one giant display, not as the two (or more) separate displays over which it spans.

1. If you maximize windows, they maximize across all monitors
2. When windows and dialog boxes pop up, they get positioned incorrectly – they are half in one monitor, and half on another.

Those who are used to the efficiency that true multi monitors provide immediately see the problem with this. They want a true multi monitor solution with remote desktop, not a large display stretched over two or more monitors.

Here is where SplitView 2007 comes in! SplitView splits the desktop back into multiple parts – one for each monitor.

When you maximize windows, they maximize to one monitor. SplitView automatically re-positions dialogs and windows so they appear correctly on a monitor – not split between two adjacent monitors. In the latest update to SplitView, the remote desktop session can be split evenly across multiple monitors - not just two. For example, if you are using three monitors with Remote Desktop, configure SplitView as shown below:

1)      ‘Split the desktop horizontally in ‘N’ equal parts’. Here, N is the number of monitors being used with the remote session, in this example, 3 for triple-monitor support. You can set this to 4 for quad-monitor support, or even higher if you use more monitors, or want to sub-divide each monitor further.
2)      Enable the multi-monitor settings by checking the option to ‘Prevent windows from popping up in the middle of monitors’ and ‘Interpret maximize as maximize to a screen part’.
3)      Optionally, enable a minimum resolution below which the screen should not be split. This is new feature that temporarily disables the multi-monitor settings when the screen resolution is below a specified value. This is useful when you want log into the computer both at the console, and through Remote Desktop. When working directly on the computer, you don’t want SplitView to split your physical monitors, but when logged in through remote desktop, you want the large virtual monitor to be split among two physical monitors. Click OK and you’re all set.

SplitView also provides Go Left and Go Right buttons for easily moving windows to the left or right. If you want to preserve the native Windows look, the SplitView buttons can be disabled either globally or for certain applications. Keyboard shortcuts are provided for easy movement of windows. Pressing the Window key in combination with the arrow keys (or keys on the number pad) moves the window to the corresponding half or corner. The Windows key in combination with ‘5’ on the number pad can be used to maximize windows to that screen part(or monitor) or restore windows. (Quick tip: If you press Ctrl while maximizing windows, they still get maximized across the full desktop).

To do it’s magic, SplitView needs to be installed on the Citrix/Terminal Server serving the applications. When using Citrix Published applications, Splitview should be published by itself by publishing the ‘Start SplitView’ link from the Start menu.

I should also mention that in addition to the usage of multiple monitors with remote desktop, SplitView is a great solution for partitioning one large monitor (like the 30” Dell or Apple monitors) into many small parts or, as some put it, ‘multiple virtual monitors on one monitor’. We’ll keep that discussion for another blog post.

DiskView 2007 is here!

Ron — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:51:25 +0000

DiskView users on the cutting edge of technology have been clamoring for DiskView support on Windows Vista.

With today’s release, one full week before the public availability of Windows Vista, Vyooh is proud to announce that the wait is over… DiskView 2007 is here!

The latest version of DiskView has complete support for Windows Vista, and also brings advanced features to the Windows desktop. Integration with Windows Vista is full-featured, and DiskView complements the new Windows Vista shell elegantly. DiskView 2007 integrates well with the new navigation pane and details view of Windows Vista and has support for newer NTFS features like symbolic links and junction points.

The new version comes with numerous performance enhancements in the disk analysis engine and improvements to the user interface coupled with other bug fixes. DiskView is better than ever before and continues to shine on Windows XP, Windows 2000/2003 and NT 4.0, and now on Windows Vista.

DiskView 2007 will go a long way in helping you keep track of your disk usage and health, and help you organize your data like never before. Try it today!

SplitView 2007 released!

Ron — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 00:39:37 +0000

Today, we are happy to announce the release of SplitView 2007. Get it here.

We have received a LOT of great feedback on SplitView - and this sparkling new release is a direct result of this feedback!

SplitView is being used in many innovative ways. A lot of our customers are using SplitView with Citrix and Remote Desktop (RDP 6.0) on dual-monitors. When used with dual-monitors, Citrix as well as RDP spans across both monitors in one seamless desktop. Although both monitors are utilized, Citrix and RDP do not recognize them as two separate monitors but as ‘one big monitor’ that spans both displays. This is problematic because, when dialog boxes appear, they show up in the middle of the two monitors. When maximized, applications span across both screens.

This is where SplitView comes in – it effectively sub-divides the seamless desktop back into two sub-displays, one for each monitor. When windows are maximized, they get maximized to either the left or the right monitor, and not across both monitors. The Go Left and Go Right buttons make it simple to move windows from one screen or the other. SplitView 2007 adds the ability to restore windows back to their original size similar to the Windows Maximize/Restore button. Dialog boxes and windows are automatically repositioned (another SplitView 2007 feature) to appear on the correct display and not in the center of the two monitors, half here and half there. (Note: Some of these options are disabled by default and can be enabled in SplitView Options > Advanced tab > Dual-monitor Settings)

SplitView is also indispensable when using dual-monitors in ‘span mode’ or with display-splitting hardware like Matrox DualHeadToGo. It helps increase productivity by making the two monitors appear as two separate displays. This feature is customizable through the SplitView Options dialog > General tab > Dual-monitor settings.

In addition to the enhancements for dual-monitors, we have added support for Windows Vista. SplitView buttons are disabled by default on Windows Vista, but can be enabled through the SplitView Options dialog. SplitView buttons work well with the Aero Basic theme, and are compatible with Aero theme as well. Bug fixes for bugs that caused ‘excluded applications’ to show SplitView buttons, and SplitView buttons to not show in the Windows ‘Classic’ theme are also included.

We hope you like SplitView 2007, and it helps you make the best use of your monitor’s real-estate!

SplitView 2.1 is out!

Ron — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 19:00:23 +0000

After a lot of hard work, and a successful beta, we’re happy to announce the release of SplitView 2.1!

Noteworthy features include:

SplitView buttons to reposition windows with one click

SplitView Options dialog - SplitView is now highly customizable
Configurable Menu items - including menus to move windows to top or bottom of screen, in addition to right/left

Configurable Keyboard shortcuts to move and reposition windows
Keyboard shortcuts for maximizing, restoring and minimizing windows.The new shortcuts are:
Alt/Win + 5 maximizes or restores windows appropriately
Alt/Win + 0 minimizes window
A setting for turning off window animations has been added. This is useful for slower computers and applications that are slow to respond on resizing.
Smarter resizing/repositioning of windows. Non-resizable windows are now repositioned instead of resized when using SplitView. This avoids them from taking up a lot of screen real-estate, without providing a useful user-interface.
Revamped user-interface - slick new icons, and better dialogs.
Option to exclude certain applications from SplitView customization. This can be useful for applications like Yahoo Messenger that are ’skinned’ and do not use the Windows XP themes for their title bars.

SplitView is a great utility for people with high-resolution monitors - more and more people with bigger and bigger monitors are finding it very useful to work with multiple apps at a time. Try it out today!

SplitView 2.1 Beta

Ron — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 10:06:30 +0000

SplitView has been very popular lately, and more and more people with bigger and bigger monitors are finding it very useful to work with multiple apps at a time.

We have been very buzy in making the next update of SplitView, and this update is ‘pretty huge’ in terms of the features added.

We’ve added support for title bar buttons in SplitView - what that means is that you no longer need two mouse clicks to reposition your windows. Splitview will add it’s own buttons on the window title bar, next to the minimize, maximize and close buttons. It is best seen than talked about:

Clicking the Splitview buttons automatically re-positions the windows. And yes, XP themes are supported.

A great deal of options have been added for customizability, including customizable keyboard shortcuts, extra menu items, options to exclude certain apps if needed, etc. The user interface is also greatly improved, with slick new icons and dialogs.

While we’re working on the finishing touches, why don’t you give the Beta a try and let us know of any kinks that you notice, and any bright ideas. We’re eager to hear your feedback!

SplitView 2.1 Beta can be downloaded from: http://www.splitview.com/Beta/SplitView.msi

This is a time limited Beta that will expire in 30 days.

Vyooh attains Certified Partner Status again

Ron — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 21:38:05 +0000

Vyooh has once again achieved the coveted Microsoft Certified Partner status for 2006-2007.

In addition to this honor, Vyooh has receieved the Microsoft ISV/Software Solutions Competency.

As a certified partner, Vyooh will receieve an array of benefits, including our very own buddy at Microsoft, training, support, as well as sales/marketing tools designed to provide us with a competitive edge in the market. This will enable us to continue providing innovative tools, exceptional value, and highest level of support to our customers.

To achieve this coveted status, Vyooh has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies, and met the rigorous evaluation standards of the Certified Partner program. Microsoft Partner Program uses references from our customers to privately verify our real-world performance. We would like to thank our customers who completed this customer satisfaction survey that was a part of this effort. We would also like to say a big Thank You to all our customers for their support!