How to Use an External Monitor for a Laptop Sony Vaio
By C. Taylor
You can use the rear VGA or HDMI ports on your Sony Vaio to connect an external monitor to your laptop, so that you can show your laptop's display on a larger monitor, rather than the laptop's smaller LCD screen. You can also extend your Sony's desktop across both its LCD screen and an external monitor. This creates a continuous desktop that can either display numerous open programs or two maximized windows.
Step 1
Plug the monitor's power cable into a standard wall outlet and power it on.
Step 2
Connect a VGA cable from the 15-pin VGA port on your Sony Vaio to the external monitor. This port matches your VGA cable connection's shape and size, and is typically blue in color. For an HDMI connection, connect an HDMI cable between the monitor's and Vaio's HDMI ports. These ports look similar to USB ports, but are slightly wider and not perfectly rectangular. The Vaio's display should automatically shift to the external monitor after the connection. If you wish to extend the display across two monitors, continue with the rest of the instructions.
Step 3
Connect a 3.5mm audio cable from the Sony's headphone jack to the audio input of your monitor speakers. This is only required if the monitor has integrated speakers that you want to use.
Step 4
Press "Fn-F7" to toggle display modes between your Vaio's LCD screen and the external monitor.
Step 5
Right-click an empty area of your desktop and select "Screen Resolution."
Step 6
Click the "Multiple Displays" drop-down menu and select "Extend These Displays" to use both displays for your desktop. You can now drag and drop programs to and from either display, just as if they were the same screen.
References
Writer Bio
C. Taylor embarked on a professional writing career in 2009 and frequently writes about technology, science, business, finance, martial arts and the great outdoors. He writes for both online and offline publications, including the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Samsung, Radio Shack, Motley Fool, Chron, Synonym and more. He received a Master of Science degree in wildlife biology from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences at College of Charleston. He also holds minors in statistics, physics and visual arts.