Many Uses For Multiple Monitors Easy-To-Use Feature Windows software has built-in option for using more than one monitor.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)

Byline: NANCY GONDO

Anyone who's tried to work on a report or spreadsheet while referencing a Web page knows how annoying it can be.

You have to keep clicking back and forth between windows. It can be especially tricky if you're typing data from a Web site into a document.

But if you have plenty of desktop space, there's another option: so-called multiple-monitor support. This feature in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows lets you connect two monitors to the same computer.

This may sound complicated, but it's easy to do and offers big benefits. You can use one screen to display a stock-quote service or play a digital video disc while you have an entire second screen to write a paper.

Or the monitors can be placed side by side to give the illusion of having one very large monitor. That way you can stretch a large spreadsheet across two screens, so you can see the whole thing at one time.

And don't feel limited to two monitors. Windows 98 can power up to eight monitors at the same time. And Windows XP, Microsoft's latest operating system, can handle 10.