Add a second monitor to your PC

With both monitors up and running, you can now view two documents in their entirety at the same time, drag icons and toolbars from one window to the other, and edit images without having toolbars take up half your screen.

You may see a few quirks, however. As you make various configuration changes, be prepared for Windows XP to rearrange the icons on your desktop, probably lining all of them along the left side of the primary monitor screen. You'll just have to put up with this positioning and relocate them as desired once you're done.

If a browser running on the secondary monitor opens a new window, that window may show up on the primary monitor. Or if the new window is supposed to appear at a specified location, it may instead butt against the side that's closest to the primary monitor.

If the secondary monitor is smaller than the primary monitor, the title bar of a window may be off the top of the screen, making its menu bar and other items inaccessible. If so, just drag the side of the window nearest the primary monitor back over to that monitor, thus exposing part of the title bar, which you can now drag as needed. If this is a recurring problem, go back to the Display Properties dialog box, select the Settings tab, and drag the top of monitor 2 up to align it with the top of monitor 1.

Once you've worked out any kinks, you'll quickly appreciate the benefits of a dual-monitor setup and wonder how you ever survived with only one screen.