Mulitmonitor Freeze.

[ImaPirate]

I have Algodoo installed on a machine running Windows XP SP3, my video card as an Nvidia 6800GT 256mb.

Onto the problem: When I have more than one monitor hooked up and functioning ( two ) and start Algodoo, my system freezes. It freezes to the point that I can not move my mouse. After about ten seconds of being frozen it will unfreeze for a matter of seconds and freeze again.

Side notes:
Algodoo is only sized for the one monitor, so it is not trying to split the display.
This ONLY happens with the second monitor attached.
I've had it working fine with a different secondary monitor, but using the secondary monitor I'm using now as a primary ( by it's self ) Algodoo functions just fine.
I've tried multiple display drivers- Ive tried swapping inputs- I've tried editing display options for Algodoo and for my video card. I may have missed something all the same.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[electronicboy]

that is because your computer has to work harder when you use more than monitor.
it was wrote on this forum somewhere that you should disable your second monitor before using algodoo on your pc.

[ImaPirate]

"that is because your computer has to work harder when you use more than monitor."

I apologize, but I find that to be an incredibly weak answer. I can run a variety of 3D games displaying high resolution textures ( 1024^2 and up ) and a variety of shaders ( subsurface scattering, normal maps, reflectivity, bloom ) along with three dimensional physics whilst utilizing both monitors, and all of which being MUCH more resource intensive then Algodoo.
Also, as I mentioned, with a previous set up using a different monitor ( and installation of Windows for that matter ) it had worked flawlessly.

My computer may not be the greatest, but it is not junk enough for me to accept that answer.


I might point out: If I manage to start Algodoo with both monitors and scale the window down to about 1/10th of my screen before it freezes or between freezes, it will occasionally subside with the freezing and carry on normally. From there I can maximize the window and have Algodoo behave as it should.
I've also noticed that when Algodoo does freeze that it consumes extreme amounts of RAM. It has consumed as much as 900MBs of RAM, and averages around 500 when this happens. When the application runs normally, it will rarely consume more than 150MB of RAM.

This all leads me to believe it to be an application error, not a system error, but who knows.. I could be wrong.

[Sonic]

Just because it can run 3D, doesn't mean it can run algodoo with no problems. Your computer has to calculate the collisions of all the objects. It's not a matter of graphics. It has to calculate literally hundreds of collisions every "step" (basically every frame) in some cases

[ImaPirate]

Then tell me why it will do it one an empty scene, for one, and a scene that is paused, for two.

Then tell me why it sometimes will work, and other times won't, regardless of the scene, and regardless if it's simulating or not.

[Sonic]

Phun is really buggy. Basically it opens another instance of Phun for every monitor. Thats why it lags.