using the LCD tv as a monitor

OK, so i've gotten pretty far in adjusting settings for my SONY Bravia 40' LCD TV i bought recently. It has 2 HDMI ports, 1 S-Video, No VGA, and No DVI ports. I'm currently using the S-Video method because well my notebook only supports S-Video slot and a VGA slot. It's not my favorite method right now but it'll work...Oh and for those who need to know, on my TV anyway the picture was brought out much clearer by simply switching the format to PAL.

My problem is however, i have noticed that when i keep the normal settings under my laptop it uses a 1200x800 display or something of that nature...i'm not home so i don't know exactly, it seems as if i am scrolling across a screen, like the screen has to move for me to see my programs running tab at the bottom right, or my aim box to the right. So i noticed i had to 1. set my TV as the primary monitor so this one can be adjusted, and 2. set my laptop as the clone since i won't be using that as a screen anymore. I usually keep the preserve widescreen option too just so that's out there. I recently tried setting my TV at 1024x768 and it seems i have gotten my best results with this setting. My only gripe now is i'm still missing part of the screen and since this is not a widescreen format it won't scroll over anymore. So i guess in short with all this useless information i've let you know, how do i go abouts setting a custom screen setting size or how do i go about adjusting the screen size like i would on a normal CRT monitor, because i feel like i've missed a step here somewhere along the lines...

any help at all would be appreciated!

is the bravia 720p (1366 x 768)resolution or 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution?
I think you are stuck with what your output of the laptop is... I would just recommend trying different resolutions on the laptop and also different viewing options on the tv (like WS, Zoom, 4/3 letterbox, anything else that it has) and see what you come up with