How To Connect Windows 7 Laptops To TVs Using HDMI

chief_geek — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:32:30 +0000

There are a number of ways to view web content on television sets. In the past we’ve covered media streaming options and extensively covered the Roku box as a replacement for cable. Today we look at taking your existing TV, laptop and a single HDMI cable to view web content on your TV.

Connecting Your Laptop To Your TV

What You Need

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Television with at least one available HDMI port. All modern, flat panel TVs should have these ports. They will be labeled HDMI at the input spot on the TV.
Laptop with an HDMI port. Typically the port will be found on a side or the back of the laptop.
An HDMI cable. This connection method provides the highest quality video display. HDMI cables are relatively inexpensive, but you’ll want to purchase one online to find the best deals. We’ve provided an Amazon item below, which we’ve tested and is offered at an awesome price.

Connect Your Devices

Take one end of the cable and plug it into the laptop.
Take the other end of the cable and connect it to the TV.
Power on your devices. It doesn’t matter which device is powered on first.
Tune your TV to the HDMI input channel. On many television remotes, the button labeled “Source” will provide a listing of your input channels when pressed. To determine which input channel to select, look at the input port where the HDMI cable is connected to the TV. If there is only one HDMI port on your TV, then select HDMI. If there are multiple HDMI ports on your TV, then each will be numbered so that you can select the correct one.

Tell The Laptop To Display Content On The TV

In most cases, Windows 7 will recognize the change and automatically display the laptop screen on the TV. For the times when it won’t you’ll need to tell Windows what to do.

Right-click on the desktop and select Screen Resolution.
Look for the ‘Multiple displays’ option and use the drop down list to choose your second display (TV). If there isn’t a second display option listed, then click the Detect button.

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The post How To Connect Windows 7 Laptops To TVs Using HDMI first appeared on GeekITDown Computer Services & Technology Solutions.

End Frozen Windows Programs With A Shortcut

chief_geek — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:10:20 +0000

Windows is notorious for sudden, unexpected program freezes. There’s seemingly no rhyme or reason and the whole situation is aggravating. To be fair there are actual reasons for the freezes and in many cases waiting it out will work, but sometimes waiting isn’t an option and the program needs to be terminated by force.

The typical solution for that kind of problem is to open task manager and end the offending process. It’s a multi-step procedure that extends the already time wasting problem. However, if you don’t mind having an extra desktop shortcut, there is a way to streamline the task killing process.

Kill Not Responding Programs With A Shortcut

Using your mouse, right-click on an open area of the desktop, click “New”, then select “Shortcut”.
In the location field enter the following: taskkill.exe /f /fi “status eq not responding”
Click Next.
Name the shortcut. For example: Task Killer.
Click Finish.

Next time you see the dreaded Program Not Responding message, click the shortcut and the system will automatically determine which program(s) are not responding and terminate them. This fix applies to Windows Vista and 7 systems. XP Pro users will find it works as well, but does not for XP Home systems.