SoftXpand Duo Pro

There are many situations in which a single computer is not enough. A well known case is when children fight over a computer to play games. If you need one or more extra work stations, SoftXpand Duo Pro can help you. It enables up to four users to work on the same computer, at the same time, without getting in each other's way. If you can plug in multiple monitors, keyboards and other peripherals and if you can spare the resources, everyone will be able to use the same computer as if they were working on different machines. This means that you can test network applications, play LAN games with your friends and more on a single computer.

The software is available in home and business versions, which provide different features and support for different numbers of users. It can be used on Windows 7 and the 2008 R2 Server edition. Installing the software is not difficult and it takes about a minute to complete the installation process.

SoftXpand Duo Pro's functionality may sound complex and difficult to understand, but the truth is that it takes only one or two minutes to master its controls. When you run the program, you have to hit an Enable button and restart your computer. This will apply the necessary settings to allow multiple users on the same computer. Also, the software will disable the Aero desktop effects and make other tweaks automatically, to preserve resources.

While enabled, SoftXpand Duo Pro will display two or more work stations, including your own, as well as the host computer, on its user interface. The listed work stations can be turned on and off at any time with a single click. Selecting the host computer will display a few options for assigning IPs to each workstation. Alternatively, you can tick an option to enable a virtual IP feature.

If you have a second monitor and an extra set of peripherals connected to your computer, you can work on one monitor, while a friend or co-worker will be able to work on the second monitor as if he was running a different Windows session. The best part is that SoftXpand Duo Pro allows you to assign monitors, keyboards and other devices to active workstations however you want. Connected devices are displayed as icons in a grid, on a configurations menu. To assign a device to a work station, you only need to click and drag its corresponding icon to a workstation. It is also possible to share certain devices, like optical drives, printers and others, with all active workstations.