I'm searching for a solution to split one physical monitor into two( or more?) virtual monitors.
Let's say I've a monitor (monitor_a) with the resolution of 1920*1080.
Now I want this monitor_a to be divided into (monitor_a(1)[960*1080]) and (monitor_a(2)[960*1080]).
Both virtual monitors (monitor_a(1) & monitor_a(2)) must be shown at any time. They must be handled just like physical monitors.
If I run an application in full screen on monitor_a(1), monitor_a(2) must not be affected, just as it would be another physical monitor.
Extended Difficulty:
I'm using several physical monitors of which not all are controlled by the same video controller (3 physical monitors @ Nvidia GTX 780, 1 physical monitor @ Intel HD 4600).
The monitors use different ports (DP, DVI, HDMI)
EDIT / Additional info:
The machine is running Windows 7 64Bit Professional.
If no solution on Win7 is present, moving to Win10 is an option.
NOTE:
I do NOT want to expand the desktop behind the physical limits of the monitor (Virtual Desktop).
Instead I want to divide the physical monitor into two ( or more) virtual monitors.
If the difference is unclear, please state in the comments, so I can describe further.
I need this for productivity. Using virtual machines would be too bulky and disturbing against the workflow.
EDIT #2:
Best I could find so far is https://www.displayfusion.com/
Seems pretty powerful, can create virtual monitors with some fancy features.
However, it cannot limit a full screen application to run on a virtual monitor ("yet" according to their forum)
Best Answer
I use DisplayFusion and while the screen splitting functionality works well, it can't overcome applications (games, browser videos that you make "full screen", etc) that tell Windows they want to go full screen. So it works well enough for workaday needs, anything that wants raw access to a display for full-screen stuff will just ignore the splits you've setup with DisplayFusion.
There is a whole thread about this on their support forum -- https://www.displayfusion.com/Discussions/View/fullscreen-video-in-split-window/?ID=58d293bf-a1fe-4b2a-be82-c770407005d5.
I'm actually surprised in an era of 4k, 5k and maybe soon 8k monitors that video card vendors haven't come up with a way to implement splitting at the display card level. The card would know what your actual monitor is, but would present the OS with info that suggested the "monitors" connected were however you sliced up that display space.
The OS could then use/manage these as if they were physical monitors and things like full-screen modes would be constrained to the defined region of the larger monitor.