Correct startup sequence with external display/keyboard/mouse etc

Most laptop vendors have docking stations or other devices that enable you to use the laptop with the lid closed in conjunction with an external display/keyboard/mouse etc.
Since no such beast exists for the MBP, what is the correct startup sequence for the MBP to do the same thing? Do you plug some parts in first before/after initial power on then others later or what?
Also, the resolution on my external display is much greater than what the MBP provides with its monitor. Will I be limited to comparable resolution on the external monitor or can/will the video card sense and use (to its limits of course) the potential resolution of the external display??
Thanks

Never mind. Found the answer:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86286

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Using iMac as external display, keyboard, mouse

I would like to use my iMac as an external display, keyboard, and mouse for my windows laptop. Is there a gizmo that will allow me to do this?
When I am using my work computer (windows laptop) at home, I prefer to have a full size display, keyboard and mouse and would like to see if I can use my iMac for this purpose.
21.5” iMac mid-2011

dwh wrote:
I would like to use my iMac as an external display, keyboard, and mouse for my windows laptop. Is there a gizmo that will allow me to do this?
When I am using my work computer (windows laptop) at home, I prefer to have a full size display, keyboard and mouse and would like to see if I can use my iMac for this purpose.
21.5” iMac mid-2011
No, not unless your Windows box has a Thunderbolt output port which it almost certainly does not. Please carefully read Apple's Target Display Mode 2011 Macs that extplains.

Any way to power on macbook pro with external wired keyboard without opening the lid?

i mainly use macbook pro with external display and i want to keep lid closed. is there any way i can power on/off the macbook without opening the lid, i know i can power off but powering on?
Thanks in advance

These Apple tech notes may help:
How to use your PowerBook G4, MacBook Pro or MacBook with the display closed
How to use your PowerBook G4, MacBook or MacBook Pro with the display closed and a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse
Just a final question about Sleep mode - does this have any negative effects on the life or performance of the laptop? I'm so used to Shutting down the laptop each day that I worry about Sleep mode having some sort of drain on the components or something.
There are only two practical differences between Sleep and Shut Down:
1. Sleep will wake instantly, so you don't have to wait for startup.
2. Sleep will drain a new, fully charged battery after several days without being woken or plugged in. If you shut down, the battery charge lasts much longer. Obviously, if you only sleep it overnight, you'll still have plenty of battery left in the morning.
Don't sleep it more frequently than necessary, though. Frequently turning the backlight and hard drive off and on can shorten their life. Just do what's reasonable. I usually leave mine awake until I have to transport it in a bag, along with sleeping it overnight. On battery, I'll sleep it more often to preserve battery.

Not waking up with external display in closed clamshell mode.

Hello all!
I have the newest Macbook (late 2009), and have had it docked in a BookArc using an external display, keyboard and mouse. Everything has been working perfectly since I got it a couple months ago. I've traveled with the Macbook and redocked it at home a few times. This morning, I woke the computer and the display lit up as usual. A moment later, the display went black, said no signal and the power light went yellow (it's blue when operating). I hit the keyboard and clicked the mouse to wake it again to no avail. Took the Macbook out of the stand, opened the display and it works perfectly. Checked my energy saver settings, fine. Closed the clamshell, redocked, wont wake/start the external display. Took it out of the dock again, everything is fine, rebooted. Docked again, no wakey. I'm using it now as a normal laptop typing this. Any ideas as to suddenly why it wont wake/work with the external display? Thanks!

Last week I bought an Acer X223W 22 inch display for my MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009) – Model A1342 Polycarbonate Unibody and an Apple Keyboard MB110LL/A - Also using a Apple wireless Magic Mouse but not a BookArc. ( Just leaving on the desk next to the Acer display )
I've found that you have to have the MacBook connected to the AC Power Supply to keep the MacBook awake when trying to use an external display. It's kinda a pain sometimes, I usually boot up my MacBook before connecting the Display and Keyboard then once I'm logged in......
and Once everything is loaded I plug in the Keyboard first then The Display adapter cable, Close the MacBook up then Click/Move the Magic Mouse ( System Preferences settings - Bluetooth ( Advanced: Allow Bluetooth Devices To Wake This Computer - checked ) Energy Saver AC and Battery set to 3 hours ( All other settings Unchecked )
Sometimes takes a few clicks before the Desktop appears on the external display, Now once its on I can open the MacBook ( just enough to help keep it running cooler ) and unplug the AC Adapter unless it needs charging.

No Wireless Internet with External Display, Other Issues

Hello,
When I connect an external monitor to my MBA, I lose my connection to the Internet. The wi-fi signal remains strong, but pages will not load (I tried many) and I cannot retrieve email. The connection times out when I try to ping as well. This occurs whether I have the MBA open or closed. The loss of Internet happens immediately when I connect an external display using the supplied dongle, and returns the moment I disconnect it. It is clearly an issue with external displays.
On the advice of an Apple Genius, I also tried disabling bluetooth. I did so, and turned off all my bluetooth devices (Apple keyboard and mouse, iPhone), but the problems persist.
The other trouble I am having is difficulty connecting to a network for the first time in a session. In other words, I was connected all day yesterday, take the MBA home, and return to the office the next day. MBA takes a long time to see the network, then fails to accept the password. If I carry the MBA closer to the wireless router, it finds and connects automatically as I'd saved my password. When I return to my desk, I remain connected with full signal strength. This has happened in two locations, one with an Airport Extreme, the other with a Netopia 802.11g router. When my Macbook Pro is sitting right next to the MBA, it recognizes and connects to the same networks almost instantaneously.
Anyone have any suggestions? Much appreciated.

Just a quick update... I was on the phone with Apple Support on Saturday morning and I thought we were making progress. The basic idea behind the proposed solution was that there was some "Preferences" that were causing the problem. We started over with a clean Preferences folder and tried connecting up the external monitor. At first, this approach was showing progress. The suggestion was to copy over my original Preferences (I had made a backup copy) just a few at a time until we figured out which ones caused the problem. The problem with this approach is that immediately after I got off the phone, the internet started not to work again. So, even with a clean Preferences folder, the internet would quit working after connecting up the external monitor.
So, I'm back to the drawing board. I have since restored my Preferences folder and I don't have my external monitor and internet working at the same time. BTW, I also upgraded to 10.5.3 and it didn't help.
Still bummed,
Kevin

Help with external displays

Just installed Lion and afterward I noticed that things work differently with external displays. In the past I could have my laptop open to mirror but now it must be shut and the mirrior button or selection isn't available within the display preferences. So my question is, 1. does any one know how to better manage displays? and 2. does anyone know how to mirror while having the laptop screen open?
I know trhis sounds petty but where I work it is very hot and it seems like with the screen shut the computer syncs heat away a lot less efficiently.
Thanks

Thanks,
I now know how to turn on and off mirrioring with command/F1 (didn't know that yet), but would you know how I can use my external display in mirror mode with the laptop display completely turned off, not dimmed till black, but off?
Before lion I was able to do this by shutting the laptop screen which would put the machine into sleep mode and then by clicking the mouse or hitting a key on the keyboard it would wake it. Once the external display came on then I would open the laptop and the laptop display would remain off while using the external display. Hope that makes sense. Any suggestions?

MacBook Pro won't stay awake with external display AND power connected

I've been using my MacBook Pro with an external 23" Apple display for several months, always with the lid closed and with no problems. Suddenly, I can no longer keep the MacBook awake when its lid is closed. *The AC power IS connected.* I plug in the display, close the lid, wake the system with my external keyboard, but then it will quickly go to sleep again after a few seconds. No matter what I've tried I get the same behavior.
Perhaps coincidence, perhaps not, I installed the Leopard graphics update a few weeks ago. Could this be a cause?

Apple did actually acknowledge this as a known issue with people running 10.5.2 with the graphics update, and are investigating it. There's some further discussion at this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1394449&tstart=0
Anyway, what worked for me was powering down, connecting my external display, keyboard, etc., powering up, and immediately closing the lid. It seems to behave better now, though I haven't rebooted since, although I have switched back and forth between running with the external display, and running without it, without any problems.

Changed startup sequence with OS 3

after upgrading both my iphones (2G and 3G) show a different startup sequence.
with 2.2.1:
- apple logo
- 1st page of summerboard with message "SIM Locked: OK or Unlock".
- to unlock the SIM i type the password......
with 3.0:
- apple logo
- the screen turns black for an instance
- comes directly in locked position showing the wallpaper getting a message "SIM Locked".
- after unsliding i get a message "SIM Locked: OK or Unlock". to unlock the SIM i type the password......
is this a new security feature, is there a option to disable this ?
tia mike

Gulliver,
great, it worked.
What I did:
- remove
com.apple.BezelServices.plist
com.apple.ATS.plist
from the preferences folder als described in your article.
- repair again permissions
Restart.
Result:
- Safari starts up and is faster
- Mail and adressbook start up again
- photoshop CS 2 starts Up
- Illusterator CS 2 Starts Up
So all is solved.
Thanks a lot.
Absolutely recommendable tipp page!
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607542
Maria

MBP Retina low performance with external displays

Hi everyone!
I have a very bad performance with my MBP 15´´ retina display when it comes to ad an external display. I have a FUL HD LG monitor that looks very bad when i connect the HDMI or the thunderbot port with the proper adapter (as bad as you can´t even read). I want to know if this may ba a hardware problem just with my computer or if it is a software problem, any ideas? does anyone have the same issue?
How can i update my NVIDIA card???
Thanks a lot!

Topic seems to come up here often. Apple has a tendency to dismiss the issue.
Its a pretty well known problem that Mac font smoothing doesn't seem to work well on high resolution third party external displays, making text hard to read. In addition, I think the Mac HDMI resolution support is limited to 1080p, so you must use DP or DVI video interfaces to see full monitor resolution.
The OS default is no font smoothing on external displays (except perhaps the apple display). There is a terminal command that will enable font smoothing for any external monitor, but it often doesn't work well enough. I found that using the OS zoom feature magnifies text to the point to be easily readable. You can set zoom parameters in the accessibility systems preference panel.
For some reason, sometimes the Mac OS thinks some monitors are TVs and use YCbCr instead of RGB. You can open the color sync utility and brouse the settings to see what is being used. There are scripts available that can fix that but are more complicated to install than an app.
It seems that PCs are way ahead of Macs with external display implementation. Most folks having monitor problems with a Mac do not see the same issue with PCs or Unix/Linux OSs.
Oh as far as updating the video card, can't. The monitor "drivers" are built into the OS. When a new display is connected, the OS finds the profile for it.

Keep sleeping with external display

I just got a brand new samsung syncMaster (730mw to be exact) and went right on to pug it into my 12 inch powerbook, with the help of my minidvi to DVI of course.
I followed apple's "correct" procedure. Connecting the power cord, hook up external monitor, turn it on, connect external usb keyboard and mouse, pres any key to continue...
Now the monitor works, eveything works fine, for 5 seconds. Then the computer goes back to sleep.
The only way I've got it working is beeing able to restart the computer with in those few seconds. Then everything works fine. Until I have the need to put my computer to sleep that is.
If I if wake it up now, then the monitor changes from primary display to an extension of my powerbook's display, and I end up having my powerbook with its screen on, the lid close, and my external monitor display nothing but an extension (wallpaper that is).
This also happens if I turn the external monitor on and off.
I've tried all those SleepLess programs, but they don't seem to work.
Any sugestions I'll appreciate.

Hey, I wonder what you mean by "You need to have the PowerBook plugged into the mains for an external display to work". I am currently jooking it up with a DVI cable and the minidvi-DVI.
I also tried using both displays, but since mi external is widescreen, I cannot mirror it or else the external monitor comes "short" (not in widescreen format). I've also noticed by the resart method, if I then put it to sleep and wake the computer up, then the screen format is reset to mirroring, and again coming short.
I cannot afford to be using both screens as I lack desk space, and I really need the bigger screen.
If I can't get this to work properly I guess a mac mini is the way to go?
Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.
-rodrigo

How to stop sleep/hibernation with external display & lid down

What is the proper way to get my MBA to not sleep, hibernate, etc. when I have an external display attached and lid closed while watching a movie or webcast. In such a case I am not touching the mouse, trackpad, or keyboard.
I have bluetooth keyboard and usb wireless mouse attached.
I also disabled the sleep/poweroff options in the energy settings while watching.
The MBA still would go to sleep or something after 10 or 15 minutes of no agitation.
Also, the Monitor goes blank since their is not signal coming through to it.
Was this just not a use case that was thought through: Watch video stream with external monitor and lid closed? Make sure the MBA knows this scenario invalidates the powersave options????? And yes, the power was plugged.
Thanks

Caffeine puts a little coffee cup icon at the top bar. Click to turn it off and on - it is on when the cup is dark, ie has coffee in it. However, this won't solve your problem - the MBA will still sleep with the lid closed. There are settings to allow use of an external monitor but what I did was download InsomniaX. This little free app keeps your computer from going to sleep when you close the lid. That way you can close the lid, walk down a hall or do something, then open the lid and keep working. Just don't forget it is on and leave the Mac too long or it will run out of battery.
Insomnia isn't in the App store, had to download it at http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/22211/insomniax

Mirroring with external display trick? Safe for MB?

Hey all! I was just wondering whether it is safe to keep using the mirroring mode trick with your macbook and an external display? The trick consists of closing the lid of the macbook and then tapping on your mouse to make it wake without having the screen up. Then you can open the top and use the macbook keyboard while the screen is all black. Does doing this often harm the macbook in any way?

Hey all! I was just wondering whether it is safe to keep using the mirroring mode trick with your macbook and an external display?
Yes, it is.
(48772)

MacBook Air 11-inch, Mid 2013 won't boot with external USB keyboard

Hello,
Just bought a MacBook Air 11-inch, Mid 2013 (8GB, i7, 512GB SSD) today.
All available software updates are installed (OS X 10.8.4 (12E3067)).
Also have a Macbook Pro Retina.
If I connect a external USB keyboard (Kinesis Advantage Pro USB) to the Air then it don't boots.
If the keyboard is connected directly to the Air USB port then it don't shows the Apple logo on grey background after power on, just give a endless loop of the turning on sound.
If the keyboard is connected to the Thunderbolt display then same empthy grey screen after power on and no sound at all.
The same keyboard and Thunderbolt display work well with my Macbook Pro Retina and a Macbook Air 2011.
Any ideas ?
Thanks,
Karsten

I like it very much. I use it on my iPad (and occasionally my iPhone). I'm kind of a keyboard snob actually. I tried the Apple wireless keyboard first. Apple keyboards have a short throw that hurts the tips of my fingers. They're very pretty but the on button turns on when I don't want it to and my iPad wakes up in my bag. Strike 1.
I went to a little keyboard called the Joy and it had a positive switch so I didn't have the wakeup problem. It worked well though after several months I wore it out and had to replace it with another one. I also didn't like how flat it sat and used rubber bumpers on the back. It too had a short throw that hurt my finger tips after a while but it was better than the Apple.
Then I discovered the Logitech bluetooth keyboard, the K811. This is a great keyboard. It switches between multiple targets with one press, it has a positive on/off switch, the keys light up, it's rechargeable and lasts a long time, and the slight cushioning on the keys keeps my fingers from hurting. I put the rubber bumpers on it though like the Joy because I like the keyboard to sit up a little. It's a tiny bit bigger than the other keyboards but I like it a lot, better than my MBA keyboard and better than my iMac wired keyboard. I'm trying out an after market keyboard on the iMac now but I'm thinking about switching to one of these for the iMac.

HT3131 Operating MBP in closed clamshell mode with external display

I have a new MBP retina display. Trying to operate in a closed clamshell mode. I connect a USB keyboard and a wireless mouse. My external display is a Dell 2007FP display screen connected via a VGA adapter. Whenever I close the computer lid to operate in clamshell mode the screen goes to sleep/power save mode. Have tried various combinations of attaching keyboard and mouse first then screen, switching computer off on etc. The external display states there is "no signal coming from computer"...any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciate

Congratulations on taking one more step in becoming more self sufficient in tech stuff.
But I have to wonder why you spent so much on a Retina display only to have it cooking uselessly there.

Unable to install OS X 10.4 with external display

My display died quite awhile ago (broken hinges, broken cables, etc etc) but since then I've used an external LCD display without problems. Once I set the display to mirror, everything has been working great.
However, I tried to install OS X 10.4 and discovered that, after booting up from the disc, the install program wants to display everything only on the nonexistent original monitor. If I keep moving the mouse to the right, it eventually appears on my external monitor. But pressing F7 won't toggle back to mirror mode -- the toggle capability seems to be disabled or something.
Any suggestions? Is there some way (hardware-based or maybe command line?) to tell the machine that the original display no longer exists and to only use the external display?
Thanks for any help!

Hi, llkohler. The limited-purpose OS on the installer disc that underlies the installer application and boots the computer probably doesn't expect to have its life complicated by a second monitor, and doesn't contain the code that would allow you to toggle the display mode. If I were you, I'd look to connnect the Powerbook to another Mac in Firewire Target Disk Mode (with the PB as the Target) and perform the installation on it from the host Mac. Once you get Tiger installed, you should be able to toggle the display mode on it in the usual way.

Correct startup sequence with external display/keyboard/mouse etc

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