Macbook recognizes external, but monitor states No Signal

Question

Hello,
I have a Macbook Pro 17" (early 2009) with a GeForce 9600M GT video card.
My issue is, I attach a Lenovo Thinkvision 22" CRT (C220P or 6573-60N) external monitor that I've successfully used with a Macbook Pro 2007 for 2.5 years, using a Mini-Port adapter to DVI, and although my Macbook Pro (2009) recognizes the monitor in System Preferences, the monitor itself shows No Signal on screen and remains blank. I've tried 2 different DVI to DVI cables, 1 DVI to VGA cable, and nothing helps.
I've also tried connecting to another LCD panel display, and again the Macbook Pro (2009) recognized the external, but the external showed No Signal.
So, another day, I connected my Macbook Pro (2009) to a Dell LCD external at work using a different DVI to DVI cable, and it worked! So, I took home that DVI to DVI cable, hooked it up to my Thinkvision external, and again, the Macbook Pro recognizes that the external is there, but the external Thinkvision show No Signal, and remains blank. Trust me, I've switched the external between video inputs, with no success.
So, my question is: does the Macbook Pro only support CERTAIN external monitors? Why is it recognizing that the monitor is there, but there is no signal showing on the monitor? Could I simply have a faulty MiniPort to DVI adapter, and should return that?
Thanks for any advice you can give. Below, you'll see the System Profiler info, showing that it does recognize the monitor.
Thanks,
SB
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT:
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0647
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3436
gMux Version: 1.7.10
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
IBM C220P CRT:
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 85 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported

Answer 1

Hi, I had the same issue and resolved it by getting rid of extra converters or adapters. What I mean is I went VGA from my monitor to a mini-dispaly VGA piece and into the MBP. Before I did it like that I was going VGA from my monitor to VGA-DVI-D adpater then to a mini-display DVI-D piece. I did that because I had an extra mini-display to DVI-D piece that I wanted to use instead of going out and buying a new kind. I called Apple support and they suggested that I scratch the VGA-DVI-D conversion to keep the conversions to a minimum. I plugged up the new mini-display to VGA piece and it worked like a charm! I have a MBP 15" (Late 2009) and the external monitor is a hp vs15. It worked for me. I dont know if you use any extra adapters like the kind I was using. If you do I suggest trying the hook up without it. Good Luck!