External Monitor plugs in, then goes dark?

Hello-
I have an early-2008 15" MacBook Pro. I purchased it in June of 2008.
The issue I am having is when I am using an external-monitor as a second display. I use a DVI->VGA converter for my external monitor. When I plug it in, my notebook will recognize the external display, it will format the resolution and all, and it will even show the extension-desktop on the external. However, after about two seconds, the external will return back to black (although it does NOT display "no input" like it would if it was turned on with nothing plugged into it).
Any suggestions?
I really appreciate it.
-E.

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When i click on my external hard drive the screen goes dark and a msg pops up saying i have to shut down my computer by holding the power button and then restart it. when i do that i get the same result every time. it worked perfectly last night..

when i click on my external hard drive the screen goes dark and a msg pops up saying i have to shut down my computer by holding the power button and then restart it. when i do that i get the same result every time. it worked perfectly last night..

These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Ifou don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.
In the Console window, select
DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION ▹ System Diagnostic Reports
(not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of reports. A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". Select the most recent one. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot.
If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.
In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)
Please don’t post other kinds of diagnostic report.
I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway.

My mac won't recognize an external monitor. The screen Goes Blue Once, then goes blue again and the second monitor just turns off. I am using an HDMI adapter to a visio TV. I also have my xbox on the tv. Can anyone Help??

My mac won't recognize an external monitor. The screen Goes Blue Once, then goes blue again and the second monitor just turns off. I am using an HDMI adapter to a visio TV. I also have my xbox on the tv. Can anyone Help??

Lol, figured out the first part. Just for those who may be searching, when you click on the Display Preferences, and click on the arraingment tab... it not only shows where your two screens will be displayed, but the WHITE BAR at the top of one screen is the dock/toolbar. Click and hold to grab this and just slide it over to the screen you'd like it to be on.
You have to release it IN the screen box, not on top of it... and it should pop right over to the new (or old) screen. At any rate, you can put the dock on either (or any) screen that you prefer.
I am thinking of ordering more of these. Lol. 3 monitor setup seems like it would be crazy good.
Still looking for the answer to keeping the new 16" screen on the right without switching between screen #s with that... not expose... Lion feature.
Thanks. Hope my other question has an answer out here.
Paul H

When i open my computer the login page comes up and then goes dark right away. i have to shut down and turn on to get to work. just a month old mbp 15. just started it today. any suggestions. software says it is up to date.

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You could try wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the OS and all your programs.
Did you install any programs yesterday?
If not it may be best to take it to an Apple care center and have it checked out. Take it in while it is asleep so you ccan show then what is happening.

Screen flickering then goes dark.. :(

When I open my laptop, the screen flickers for less than a second and then goes dark. If I open and close it quite a few times, occasionally the screen will work, for hours at a time. If you shine a flashlight on it, you can see the dim desktop, so I know the computer is running. It is a mid 2010 macbook pro.
I have tried rebooting and resetting the laptop.., but the problem is persistent and its been weeks since i am facing it..
Have already had my logicboard replaced few months back... and now this....
Please help me.... as it is no longer under APP , i am worried how much its gonna be charged..
For a fault that i have read is very common with many people who bought their laptop during this year....
Any suggestion or ay kind of help will be great..

See suggestions on this discussion: Screen flickers and goes dark when opening macbook
Make a Genius appointment. Troubleshooting and analysis are a free service at the Genius Bar. If don't have Apple Care and you need repair, then you would have to pay.
http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/
Before you do costly repairs on an old Mac compare it to the cost of a new MacBook Air. Apple recently dropped the prices on the MacBook Airs by $100. Best Buy has been offering additional discounts on the Air. Prices start around $850.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-air
If you do purchase a new computer, get 8GB RAM. RAM is soldered in and you can't upgrade later.
Check out Apple's Special Financing link.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/finance/instant_credit

Macbook screen/display comes on and then goes dark; external monitor shows the screen in the mirroring mode; What's wrong, please. Thanks.

My Macbook (Black,August 2008...love it!) screen lights up/comes on and then immediately goes dark; the screen shows on an external monitor in mirroring mode. Any thoughts/suggestions. Many thanks.
Model Name:          MacBook
Model Identifier:          MacBook4,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Bus Speed:          800 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          MB41.00C1.B00
SMC Version (system):          1.31f1
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State:          Enabled
Chipset Model:          GMA X3100
Type:          GPU
Bus:          Built-In
VRAM (Total):          144 MB
Vendor:          Intel (0x8086)
Device ID:          0x2a02
Revision ID:          0x0003
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution:          1280 x 800
Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror:          On
Mirror Status:          Hardware Mirror
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Built-In:          Yes
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Resolution:          1366 x 768 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Display Serial Number:          AU11103006796
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Hi, firetiger.... i have the EXACT same problem!!! i have the same Macbook aluminum unibody screen also. I have no idea how to fix it. I'm also out of warranty and i've tried everything... resetting the pram, trying to restart in safe mode, trying to boot from a cd... .NOTHING WORKS!!! i can still control brightness itself but ive never tried attaching to an external monitor. I know everything is loaded correctly... i just don't know whats wrong. If you have any ideas.. please let me know. Also, I think apple will fix the macbook pros with a similar issue for free http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377 but i know this doesnt apply for me. hopefully they work something out because I really love that computer!!!

X REALLY slow when external monitor plugged in at boot

Hello all, I am running Kernel 2.6.29.4 with xf86-video-intel 2.7.1-1, Xorg 1.6.1.901 and EXA acceleration (no KMS) on my thinkpad T61 with an Intel X3100. (I keep up-to-date stable.)
Whenever I have the VGA monitor plugged in to my laptop at boot time, when I log in using GDM it takes FOREVER to start XFCE. Super slow motion.
If I wait to plug in the monitor until after X starts, and then type 'xrandr --auto' there is no problem whatsoever.
In both cases, X correctly sets the video mode with no problem. Any idea what is causing the slowdown? Thanks!

No, but I haven't tried in a while since I don't use an external monitor currently. Is it slow all the time, or only if you connect the monitor before X boots? Do you have intel graphics?

G41 LCD flickers then goes dark

My G41 LCD began acting up yesterday. For what it's worth, the LCD would turn back on for a few minutes after closing and opening the lid, then flicker and go dark. As I had trouble shot a bad NVIDEA card a couple of months ago, I decided to check for loose connections in the LCD cable and get the FRU number from the inverter card. After reseating the cable, before putting all the access covers back on I powered it on. It came up fine for about 15 minutes and while I was looking at it a snap and puff of smoke came from the inverter card and the machine powered down. I pulled the cable from the NVIDEA card and it works fine with an external monitor. I know I need an inverter card. Does that sound like all I need?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

If you're lucky, yes....
Should the machine blow another inverter, you may have to replace the backlight as well...
Good luck and keep us posted.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

MBP Freezes upon display detection when external monitor plugged in

My new MBP (2.16GHz Core2Duo) will freeze up temporarily when I plug in an external monitor (I use a Compaq MV700). This monitor has served my two previous Powerbooks well, so this seems somewhat anomalous.

Is it just this display or all displays? You might want to try resetting PRAM and NVRAM…
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My new cinema display fro mac pro just went dark. When I 1st bought it, the display wouldn't turn on.I called support and they gave me a keyboard shortcut - something like Option+R+L - that you held down for 2 restart cycles. Then it magically turned on. I can't remember the sequence and I'm afraid to guess! I'd appreciate if anyone knows the trick. I'm also wondering if I should bring this display back...

Cassandra from Apple Support ROCKS!!!! She's a supervisor somewhere and should have a raise. Pleasant, smart and professional with a customer who wouldn't take "I don't know" for an answer.
If your cinema display goes dark:
1. shut down computer
2. restart
3. immediately hold down Command-Option-P-R keys simultaneously for a few minutes (seems forever)
4. keep holding keys for 2 startup cycles
5. release and go back to work if you're lucky to have a restored screen

I open my MacBook Pro lid, the screen comes on momentarily, then goes dark, and I can't do anything

OS X 10.6..08
MacBookPro6.2
I never reboot. I have a lot of windoes open. Every week or two I'll open the lid to get to work and the display comes on then goes off and I can't do anything. The keyboard backlight is on. If I close the lid the white pilot light on the front right edge is on. I have not been able to guess a key combination to get it back. The only thing I found is to press and hold the power key to force a reboot. When it comes back up it usually sends a trouble report.

MikeGMIT wrote:
The report is incomprehensible. Is it saved somewhere? If so I can grab it and post it here.
Inside your Utilites you will see the Console.app. Click on it. Reports will be there.
Yes I have tried a short press of the power button. I've opened and closed and done short presses and waited several minutes for something to happen afer each action.
Since I can't see the screen I can't close/quit applications.
It opens closes, sleeps wakes just fine several times a day, and for days in a row. Then one day it exhibits this bad behavior.
Thanks for asking some questions and offering suggestions!!

HT4623 my phone will only show the apple icon for about 15 secconds and then goes dark. what do i do?

what do i do?

Sounds like you'll need to restore it via iTunes.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414

HT1414 My 8gb Ipod touch is being wierd... it will only be bright for 5 seconds and then goes dark even when im plying a game.... WHY!!

why?

Try:
- Reset the iOS device. Nothing will be lost
Reset iOS device: Hold down the On/Off button and the Home button at the same time for at
least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
- Reset all settings
Go to Settings > General > Reset and tap Reset All Settings.
All your preferences and settings are reset. Information (such as contacts and calendars) and media (such as songs and videos) aren’t affected.
- Restore from backup. See:
iOS: How to back up
- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.
If still problem, make an appointment at the Genius Bar of an Apple store since it appears you have a hardware problem.
Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar

W520 external monitor not connecting properly

W520, Windows 7 (64 bit), NVIDIA Quadro 1000M 2GB DDR3, purchased November 2011. External monitor: HP 2511x.
Haven't been able to find this issue in a previous thread.
In Optimus (preferred) mode, when I plug an external monitor VGA, HDMI or DVI (via displayport) cable into the laptop or mini dock, the laptop LCD goes completely dark (black). This happens whether the external monitor is turned on or off, for the VGA and HDMI plugs. If the external monitor is turned off when the displayport plug is inserted, nothing happens: the laptop screen stays on, but when the external monitor is turned on, with the displayport plug in use, the laptop LCD goes dark.When the plugs are removed, the laptop LCD comes back on, except when the displayport plug is removed (then, the laptop screen stays dark).
In all cases, the external monitor is not recognized by the laptop, and if turned on at the time (the external monitor), shows a message which reads that it is going to sleep.
Device Manager shows the Intel and NVIVIA display adapters and does not show the external monitor (because I cannot hook it up without darkening the laptop screen).
A few months ago I had the Optimus arrangement working, using the NVIDIA control panel to set up a clone mode. The external monitor worked beautifully. Then I disconnected from the external monitor for several weeks, and now it will not work.
The external monitor was used until very recently on a separate PC, which I no longer have, and the external monitor driver was reloaded this morning.
I welcome sugestions on how to plug into the laptop without causing the laptop screen to go dark, which I think would then allow me to set up the external monitor as desired.
Thanks,
RR

But did you RUN the nVidia driver file that you downloaded??? It is an EXE, and you must RUN it after downloading.
The fact that your Device Manager -> Display Adapters still shows "Video Controller(VGA compatible)" specifically tells us that you have NOT YET INSTALLED THE CORRECT DRIVER FOR YOUR VIDEO CARD!!! You are still running with the vanilla generic Microsoft VGA drivers which will work generically and support only minimal capability for EVERY SINGLE VIDEO CARD MANUFACTURED. It doesn't support all of the capabilities of the K1000M.
YOU MUST ACTUALLY RUN THE DOWNLOADED DRIVER INSTALLATION FILE EXE, in order to perform the process of actually installing the driver for your "Video Controller(VGA compatible)" device, which of course is really the K1000M.
Once that driver is correctly installed, it will now appear as "NVIDIA QUADRO K1000M", instead of "Video Controller(VGA compatible)" as you currently show.
The reason your desktop icons are currently very big, and that everything else is currently very big/enormous, is because your desktop resolution is not set correctly... although it may be set as high as it can go for the moment. Only when you finally install the true nVidia driver will your default resolution be presented at what the hardware monitor "recommended" resolution should be, which is likely at least 1920x1080 if not 1920x1200. Then everything will appear "normal size", and at the very least will not appear to be ENORMOUS as you currently see.
Also, I'm expecting that once you get the correct nVidia driver installed for the K1000M that your external monitor will now work perfectly, and will not black out.
So... even while you're still using the current vanilla generic MS VGA driver (although again, your mission is to install the nvidia driver for your K1000M), just right-click on the desktop and select "screen resolution" from the popup menu, to get the "screen resolution" dialog window.
Then click in the "screen resolution" dropdown list to get a dropdown (with a slider) offering you to change resolutions. Pull the slider up to whatever you want and click, and then push the OK button. You'll then be offered a confirmation dialog window allowing you to click OK or CANCEL within 15 seconds to accept the resoluton change. Click OK to keep what you just set.
Your desktop icons and everything else will now appear smaller (or at least "normal"). Temporarily, you've got things satisfactory at least.
But you'll do the same thing again AFTER INSTALLING THE NVIDIA DRIVERS. This time the dropdown "screen resolution" list will have a slider whose top value will show "recommended", and will probably be 1920x1080 or 1920x1200. Pull the slider all the way up to that value and click. Then again, push OK, and OK to the confirmation.
Again, your absolute test goal is to see "NVIDIA QUADRO K1000M" in Device Manager. You should NOT BE SEEING "VIDEO CONTROLLER (VGA COMPATIBLE)".
The installation of the nVidia driver will also get you "nVidia Control Panel", where you can then perform additional customizations, such as whether or not you want to use BOTH the laptop screen as well as external monitor configured in either "laptop screen only", or "clone mode" (i.e. duplicate of single desktop on both screens), or "extended mode" (i.e. double-wide desktop extending across both screens), or "external monitor only," (with laptop screen dark).
Again... YOU MUST RUN THAT DOWNLOADED NVIDIA DRIVER INSTALLATION FILE EXE. It doesn't run itself, unless that's what you have set in your browser when offered the choice of RUN or SAVE. But if you SAVE it, then you must yourself manually run it after the download completes.
IT MUST BE RUN TO INSTALL THE DRIVER. Then you'll see "NVIDIA QUADRO K1000M" in device manager. Until and unless you see that value, if you still see "VIDEO CONTROLLER (VGA COMPATIBLE)" then you have NOT YET DONE WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
Understood?

External monitor stopped working after 10.6.7 update

I have a MacBook Pro, model identifier MacBookPro6,2 with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M.
When I updated last night from 10.6.6 to 10.6.7 I stopped being able to use my Dell S2409W external monitor.
I have tried resetting the pram, resetting the SMC, booting with extensions off.
When I plug in the cable to the external monitor the Mac screen goes blue for about 0.5 second and re-appears but nothing displays on the external monitor; a second monitor is not listed in the Display preferences and the monitor reports that it is not receiving a signal.
I don't see anything in the system.log when I plug or unplug the monitor cable (I'm not sure if I should).
At random intervals while the external monitor cable is plugged in the screen goes blue for a half second and then re-appears.
The screen does not go blue if I wiggle or flex the monitor cable.

I see this in the windowserver.log after reboot, login with shift-key, and the external monitor connected.
There might be a clue here but I don't have anything to compare it to since I haven't collected these data when the external monitor was working.
I'd be curious to see the same data from the windowserver.log for somebody else with a MacBook Pro with an external monitor connected that does work.
You can view this log with the console application located: /Applications/Utilities/console.
If you are willing to share these data please reboot, and hold the shift-key down when logging in to disable extensions (thanks). If you look at the time just when the desktop appears when you end up looking at the windowserver.log you'll be able to see the windowserver starting up about 10 seconds prior to this time.
Mar 22 21:31:26 [110] Server is starting up
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Display0 : boot screen
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Display0 : display alias 0x0 valid
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Display1 : no display alias property
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] CGXMappedDisplayStart: Display2 : display alias 0x0 valid
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] MPFinalizeInitialization: Display 0x3f003e unit 2 alias mask 0x5
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] MPFinalizeInitialization: Display 0x4272dc0 unit 0 alias mask 0x5
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01022612, GL mask 0x00000003, accelerator 0x00003137, unit 0, caps 0x00000003, vram 512 MB
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01022612, GL mask 0x00000003, texture units 8, texture max 8192, viewport max {8192, 8192} extensions 0x0000000f
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01024300, GL mask 0x00000004, accelerator 0x00003c0b, unit 2, caps 0x00000003, vram 288 MB
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] GLCompositor: GL renderer id 0x01024300, GL mask 0x00000004, texture units 8, texture max 8192, viewport max {8192, 8192} extensions 0x0000000f
Mar 22 21:31:27 [110] agc_attach: gMux mode is dynamic
Mar 22 21:31:28 [110] CGXPerformInitialDisplayConfiguration
Mar 22 21:31:28 [110] Display 0x4272dc0: MappedDisplay Unit 0; Vendor 0x610 Model 0x9cb7 S/N 0; online enabled built-in (0,0)[1680 x 1050], Rotation 0, base addr 0x102a00000
Mar 22 21:31:28 [110] Display 0x4272dc2: MappedDisplay Unit 2; Vendor 0x610 Model 0x9cb7 S/N 0; offline enabled built-in (2704,0)[1 x 1], Rotation 0, base addr 0x113800000
Mar 22 21:31:28 [110] Display 0x3f003d: MappedDisplay Unit 1; Vendor 0xffffffff Model 0xffffffff S/N -1; offline enabled (2705,0)[1 x 1], Rotation 0, base addr 0x102a00000
Mar 22 21:31:28 [110] Display 0x4272dc0: MappedDisplay Unit 0; ColorProfile "Color LCD" (MD5 a23cb9c96f2fd096b7a058db0d319259)
Mar 22 21:31:28 [110] kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGXSetWindowListTags: Operation on a window 0x2 not owned by caller (PID 202)
Mar 22 21:31:35 [110] kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGXSetWindowListTags: Operation on a window 0x2 not owned by caller (PID 206)

External Monitor plugs in, then goes dark?

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