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Step 1
Buy a switch box. Use a search engine like Google or Yahoo to find to switch-box manufacturers. Think about buying a box with extra ports in case you might want to hook up any extra machines later on down the line.
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Step 2
Buy a pair of SVGA cables if they aren't included with the switch box you buy (kits including a box and cables are a more practical value for most setups).
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Step 3
Buy any necessary adapters if you plan to connect a PC and a Mac to one monitor.
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Step 4
Shut down both computers.
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Step 5
Connect the monitor to the switch box (probably to the center socket on most boxes).
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Step 6
Connect both computers to the switch box (probably to the center socket on most boxes).
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Step 7
Connect both computers to the switch box.
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Step 8
Tighten all hand-screws on monitor plugs.
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Step 9
Turn on monitor.
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Step 10
Reboot both computers.
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Step 11
Turn the switch box from A to B (or whatever designation the box uses) to make your different computers appear on the monitor.
The main criteria for selecting a monitor are physical size and resolution (the ability to render more det… More
Comments
zwixxx said
on 1/16/2009 of course when I said "mouse & keyboard were recognised" I should have typed "weren't recognised". sorry 'bout that.
zwixxx said
on 1/16/2009 One thing to remember is to let the 'current' computer boot up completely before pressing the button. I didn't and the mouse & keyboard were recognised and I got very concerned. I then reread the instructions, all 3 lines of them, and rebooted completely before pressing the button. :)
1Gary said
on 10/17/2008 Advisory for the comment I left below: when using the adapter arrangement with the Macs, the display is a little darkened, i.e. not as bright as it could be. But with the PCs, it works well.
1Gary said
on 10/10/2008 Another way to do this is to just use a VGA Signal Splitter and reverse it using gender changers. That way you don't have to switch from computer to computer. If you happen to forget and turn on both computers at once, no damage will be done; you will just get a distorted display, in which case you will be able to see well enough to turn off the last computer that was turned on and then the first computer's display will be clear. This works with both Win PCs and Macs, or with pairing both kinds together. Out of ten eMacs and iMacs, and eleven Win PCs, this worked for all except one: a Dell Optiplex 260, the slimmest and smallest type (there are three types). But the other PCs were Dell Optiplex 240s and 260s, both the tower and the slim types. - Gary Hal Graff, Technician
allanct said
on 12/19/2007 Would the KVM switch box work with a wireless keyboard & mouse as I notice they state USB in the advert???