How to Connect a Toshiba Satellite A45-S250 to a Television

Connecting your laptop to a television gives you a larger viewing area.

If you want to show family and friends a video or photos on your laptop, you don't need to have everyone crowd around you on the couch. The Toshiba Satellite A45-S250 model includes an S-video port, which lets you connect the laptop directly to an external monitor such as a television. After attaching the cable, you only need to make a single change in the laptop's operating system to use your television as a monitor.

Things You'll Need

• S-video cable

Instructions

1. Plug one end of an S-video cable in the circular S-video port on the left side of your Toshiba Satellite A45-S250 laptop. Run the other end of the cable to the S-video port on the back of your television.

2. Open the "Start" menu and access the "Control Panel" option. Select the "Adjust screen resolution" option, which is listed underneath the "Appearance and Personalization" heading.

3. Click the "Multiple Displays" drop-down box if you are using Windows 7 and select "Extend these displays" to display the image on both the laptop and the television. If you are using Windows Vista, instead click the image of the secondary monitor and choose "Extend the desktop onto this monitor."

4. Click "OK." Return to the "Adjust screen resolution" window when you want to return the image to the Toshiba laptop.

5. Click the "Multiple Displays" menu in Windows 7 and choose "Show desktop only on 1." In Windows Vista, instead remove the check mark from the "Extend the desktop onto this monitor" box. Click "OK" and disconnect the S-video cable from your Toshiba laptop.

Tips & Warnings

• The Satellite A45-S250 model also has a hot key combination that automatically switches between the television and the laptop's internal screen. Tap "FN" and "F5" at the same time to display the contents of the desktop only on the television. Hit the keys again to display on both screens, and hit the keys a third time to display only on the laptop's screen again.

• If your Toshiba is still using Windows XP you extend the image onto the television differently. Right-click the desktop and choose "Properties." Click "Settings" and navigate to "Display." Click "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor" and choose "OK."

• Your television may not have an S-video port. Check the television's manual or look at the ports on the back to see if the circular S-video port is present.

References

• Toshiba: Satellite A45-S250 User's Guide
• Svideo: How to Use the S-Video out of Your Computer
• Microsoft: Move Windows Between Multiple Monitors

Resources

• Toshiba: Support Home Page