Dual Thunderbolt Display Order

I have a MBP i7 with two external thunderbolt displays. The displays are, of course, daisy-chained. Every time I plug them in to the MBP, the order is different. It forgets what the previous order was, and puts the menu bar on the wrong one, and moving their relative location, causing me to re-shuffle the displays in the prefpane. Is there any way to make the preference stick?

I called apple regarding this problem in mid january, they told me that this is a know problem.
Also USB-Devices attached to the display get a new ID every time you re-attach the display (parallels asks me if I want to assign SnapScan #827 to Mac or Windows...).
I just don't get why it is that complicated to re-detect the displays correctly and fix this.

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Dual Thunderbolt Displays in Windows 7? Retina Macbook?

I understand you cannot daisy chain thunderbolt displays in Windows 7 to have dual monitors? Is there another way to run Dual monitors? I have a mid 2012 Macbook pro with on Thunderbolt display. I see the Retina Macbook has two thunderbolt ports. If I got one of those, could use dual Thunderbolt displays then in Windows 7, and then just hook each monitor up to it's own Thunderbolt port instead of daisy chaining?

No, you still cannot drive 2 Thunderbolt Displays in Windows with the MBP Retina.
However, you can use 1 Thunderbolt display (for USB hub and LAN connection), and then use 1 Cinema display as the 2nd screen. You can chain the USB ports, but not the displays, so you do have 1 extra connection to the MBP, but that's fine.
Windows 7 will drive this setup without problems.

Dual Thunderbolt displays on Macbook Pro

I have a 15" MacBook Pro (mid-2011) with two 27" Thunderbolt displays. I very frequently boot my Macbook (laptop closed) and my two displays are out of order. I always know it's a problem because one of my wallpapers get's changed. It sometimes takes several reboots to get the monitors to order properly. I sometimes have to kill power to the monitors by turning off my power strip and then they boot up properly. I've tried swapping the cables around to move the monitors, but it still always seems to get jacked up. If I tried to reorder the monitors in the display settings my dock or primary monitor is always out of whack. The problem seems to have gotten a lot more frequenty with Mountain Lion. Any ideas?

You can use any of the USB solutions such as the Diamond BVU195, which is available for $75 and is fine for anything other than gaming or video playback.
It works very well for spreadsheets, word processing and productivity, you can control exactly what is on each monitor and you can hook up two and go to 4 screens!
I'm hoping thuderbolt versions will appear that will be faster and allow us to have multiple monitors at full speed!

Stereo Audio settings for dual thunderbolt displays?

I'm Daisychaining 2 x 27 thunderbolt displays off my macbookPro,
How do I get the one display to play the left audio channel, and the other the right channel for stereo audio on my desk?
thanks
walter

Check these
http://www.barefeats.com/quad14.html
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304122
Read the about the Expansion Slot manager in Apple Help.
I have the ATI 1900 XT in slot 4 and 16x, but if barefeats is true slot 3 ans 8x is nearly as fast. It depends a lot on waht other PCI express cards you have installed and how fat you need to run these.
G5 1.8 DP ATI Radeon X800 XT Mac Edition, PB G4 400 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Dual HD5770 Display Order

Hi All. I have a new MacPro with dual HD5770's. I can't quite figure out how it determines the screen order. I have a combination of 4 TV monitors, one VGA and one DVI monitor hooked up to this machine. I always want the DVI monitor to be the primary, but it seems to be selecting the bottom card right hand Mini display port first. Even if I change it to the DVI monitor, shutdown and restart, it still comes back with the Mini Display port. Is there a way to force it to always use the same monitor setup? I don't care about the actual physical arrangement, but I need monitor 1, to always be 1, 2 as 2 and so forth.
I've made sure that all screens are on before booting up to ensure that all are active, but it doesn't seem to help all that much.
Also as a side note, has the Identify button gone missing from the Dispalys System Preferences? I couldn't find it. The only way I could identify the screens was by clicking on the monitor and having the red box come up around it. Am I just having a Mac vs Window moment, or is that feature actually gone?
Thanks for any help.

All I came up with was "Supported display configurations"
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4279
Maybe when they finish up on the "other" OS they'll get around to some of the quarks with the new ATI's. I think what's needed are some drivers.
+PS: no harm but you put this in "Previous" (2008 and earlier), whereas I think one category would be better, but with more topics (memory, hard drives, PCIe storage, graphics each having their own).+

ThunderBolt Display forum section is available

Apple has just created a Support Communities forum section specifically for the 27" ThunderBolt Displays. Any future questions regarding the ThunderBolt Displays should be posted over there instead of in this (Cinema Displays) forum section.

Right now, I'm working on the previous version of the display; the LED Display. I had a Thunderbolt Display -- ordered it the first day I could -- which worked flawlessly up until a mother nature issue (ironically, it was damaged by a nearby lightning strike). I bypassed replacing it with the same model -- this was August 2013, and I thought that surely a new Thunderbolt Display was about to be announced. The TB Display was originally released in 2011 and, with the pending release of the Mac Pro, surely Apple would release a new model/version.
Nope.
We're now over 1000 days since the release of the Thunderbolt Display with no update in sight. It's still got USB2. Still got FW800 (good for many, I'm sure; I've had to hook up a legacy device once or twice).
To answer your question; it's reliable. Like I said, I'm working on the version released prior to the Thunderbolt Display, the LED Cinema Display. It's a little dimmer than I like but it still works w/o issue. My previous model (going two Apple Display purchases back), another Cinema Display, is still in use by a friend without problems. And my display before that -- the 30" Apple sold some time back -- is still being used by the friend who bought it.
Their product builds are top-notch, and they insist on the cream of the crop from their suppliers. Apple makes excellent displays. When they feel like making them.

Dual 27" Thunderbolt Displays on 13" MacBook Pro Retina

I'm thinking of buying two Thunderbolt Displays and make my 13" MacBook Pro Retina my main desktop computer. So the question is:Can the 13" MBP handle two chained Thunderbolt Displays without getting slower or will the Intel HD 4000 just melt down?
I might wait until Apple announces the next generation of Thunderbolt Displays tho as I think this will happen soon (probably when the new Mac Pro is released?)...

You could try changing the DPI. If you use startx, use this:
startx -- -dpi 100
Try experimenting with different DPI values.

Mac Mini Server Doesn't Support Duel Thunderbolt Displays!

I purchased a mac mini server with the intent of ultimately running two thunderbolt displays off of it. I pre-ordered in August, waited six weeks for it to arrive and realized that the mac mini server that I had been sent was a lemon. I applied for a replacement, which was built in China and it arrived two weeks later. Everything was going great - I had my mac mini server running a thunderbolt and I was thrilled! Yesterday however, I purchased my second thunderbolt display, connected it and nothing happened. Trouble shooting didn't help. Finally, I called apple and was told that the server version doesn't support duel thunderbolt displays! I had read all of the technical specifications and there was no mention (at that time) that the server couldn't support duel displays. I am now in the process of returning my mac mini server in exchange for a custom build mac mini with upgraded 2.7 GHz i7 processors and 8GB RAM. I'm really disappointed to have to be going through all of these extra steps just to realize the system that I imagined early on. I checked the Apple Thunderbolt display options page at apple and they have now posted that the server doesn't support duel displays (but that informaiton definitely was not there when I first read it!). Why would the server version not support duel displays? To me, it doesn't make any sense. What are your thoughts?

It doesn't support dual TB displays because it uses the integrated
Intel graphics HD 3000. Only discrete graphics cards can handle
dual TB displays. The integrated graphics chip just cant handle
the load.
As for the logic of it, as servers, they are usually single display
and even more often are run headless and managed remotely.
It is marketed as a server and thus the logic.

Brand new Thunderbolt display shuts off randomly

I've had a new ThunderBolt Display for less than a month paired with a brand-new Mac Mini (2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Intel HD Graphics 4000)
and the display just began shutting off randomly.
I also have an external HD drive daisy chained via the display's Thunderbolt port that stops working once the display dies. Tried connecting the Mac Mini alone with no hard drive figuring it might be the drive but no the display still randomly shuts off. Any ideas or suggestions before I call Applecare?

I have a similar setup and problem. My Thunderbolt display (refurb, purchased in February 2012) will randomly turn off, as if it went to sleep - but mouse/keyboard input does not wake it back up. The internal speakers will still output audio. Disconnecting/reconnecting the Thunderbolt cable from the attached Mac Mini (2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, OS X 10.7.5, AMD Radeon HD 6630M ) will not resolve the issue. Disconnecting/reconnecting the display's power cord and the Thunderbolt cable from the Mac Mini will resolve the issue temporarily. This began happening maybe a month or two ago, and has probably happened 10 times in the last 30 days. It is completely random, and I have yet to be able to duplicate it on demand.
Steps taken to attempt to fix the issue:
Confirmed Energy Saver Settings
Confirmed Software up to date (OS 10.7.5)
Attempted Firmware Updates (message states not needed)
Reset NVRAM
Reset SMC (unplugging computer)
There are other discussions reporting similar behaviour:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3340067?start=0&tstart=0 (13 pages)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3352192?start=0&tstart=0 (5 pages)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4243396?start=0&tstart=0 (2 pages)
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3347412?start=0&tstart=0 (1 page)
As well as other discussions concerning random flickering issues with the display.
Since I'm still under warranty, I took my display to a Genius Bar today. The rep didn't really seem to want to hear about what I found on these discussion boards. He says you can pretty much find anything you want to find here, and since it is unmoderated it is not a reliable source of information. I let him know that the issue (as far as I can tell) occurs with different models of Mac Mini's, MB Pros & MB Airs, suggesting it is in fact an issue with the display and not what's connected to it. I added that most folks who reported bringing the displays in for service ultimately ended up with a replacement display, as the service done on the defective display proved to not resolve the issue - but I would of course defer to his judgement.
He decided that they would order and replace the LCD panel. He assured me they would keep the display powered on for 12-24 hours after the service to ensure the issue has been resolved. Truthfully, I am not optimistic. And for the amount it costs to replace the panel ($833.32 from the provided estimate), I speculate this course of action will end up being much more costly for them in the long run. But we shall see!
I will be sure to provide updates as they come. Wish me luck!

Thunderbolt display: devices not discovered after using Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter

I have an interested problem related to using my MacBook Air in clamshell (closed) mode, connected to a Thunderbolt display. The problem appears to be related to moving my MacBook air between my office and my home.
At the office, I use the MacBook Air with an external VGA display, connected via the Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter. At home, I use the MacBook Air together with a Thunderbolt display. An Apple USB keyboard is also connected to the display.
Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter implicated
The following sequence of events causes the problem to occur:
Use the MacBook air (open) together with a VGA display, connected via a Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter (depicted at right);
Put the MacBook Air to sleep by closing the lid, and disconnect the Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter (I am not sure if the order of these two steps is significant—I usually perform them almost simultaneously when packing up my MacBook Air and getting ready to leave the office); and
With the MacBook Air still closed, connect it to a Thunderbolt display with a connected USB keyboard.
At this point, I would expect to be able to wake up the MacBook Air by tapping on the space bar of the keyboard. However, what I have observed is that this does not wake the MacBook Air.
I can wake the MacBook however by moving or clicking a Bluetooth mouse that is paired with the MacBook Air.
At this point, although the MacBook Air is awake, and the display is working, the USB keyboard connected to the display still does not work. This is the problem, in a nutshell.
Unplugging the USB keyboard from the display, and plugging it back in causes the MacBook Air properly to identify the keyboard.
I used Apple System Profiler to save a list of identified devices at two points in time:
Immediately after waking the MacBook Air by moving the Bluetooth mouse (at which point the USB keyboard was not working); and
After unplugging and plugging in again the USB keyboard (at which point the USB keyboard worked fine).
Many devices are enumerated in the second list that are missing from the first. For example:
Keyboard Hub@fe110000 <class IOUSBHubDevice, id 0x1000378ef, !registered, !matched, inactive, busy 3 (37993 ms), retain 6>
AppleUSBHub <class AppleUSBHub, id 0x1000378f2, !registered, !matched, inactive, busy 1 (37987 ms), retain 6>
IOUSBInterface@0 <class IOUSBInterface, id 0x1000378f4, !registered, !matched, inactive, busy 1 (37986 ms), retain 6>
Keyboard Hub@fe110000 <class IOUSBHubDevice, id 0x1000378f6, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (7 ms), retain 10>
AppleUSBHub <class AppleUSBHub, id 0x1000378f9, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (1 ms), retain 9>
IOUSBInterface@0 <class IOUSBInterface, id 0x1000378fb, !registered, !matched, active, busy 0, retain 7>
Apple Keyboard@fe112000 <class IOUSBDevice, id 0x1000378fd, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (112 ms), retain 11>
and many child devices…
Using the Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter appears to be a necessary step to causing this problem to occur. If I merely disconnect the MacBook Air from the display, let it go to sleep, and then reconnect it again, the USB keyboard will work immediately and can be used to wake the computer from sleep.
Some devices are discovered even when the computer is in sleep mode. This is how it should work.
The problem appears to be that when a Mini DisplayPort–to–VGA adapter has been used since the last time the computer was connected to a Thunderbolt display, the MacBook air does not discover devices completely when it is again connected to the Thunderbolt display while in sleep mode.
Can anyone else reproduce this problem?

Hi glraczon.support,
It sounds like the external display you are using (projector) operates at a smaller resolution than your MacBook Pro. You may want to configure the display preferences in System Preferences for the external projector.
Here is an article that may help you with that process:
OS X Mountain Lion: About the Display pane of System Preferences
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5369
Thanks,
Matt M.

How do I use a MacBook with a Thunderbolt Display?

I have a new Thunderbolt Display which I use with a new Mac Mini. If possible, I would like to attach my 2008 era MacBook to the Thunderbolt Display to take advantage of the bigger screen. I understand that MacBook doesn't have Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt Display requires it, but...isn't there maybe, just maybe, some sort of Thunderbolt to USB2 cable or something that might make this work?
Help me, Obi-won, you are my only hope.

There are Thunderbolt adapters you can use for the type of video port on your MB:
Display
1 - Mini-DVI (VGA, Composite and S-video with adapter)
But you may need to upgrade its OS X version at least to Snow Leopard.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mavericks if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.

Thunderbolt Display with mini-displayport Sapphire HD 7550 video card

I have a Mac Pro 5,1, Model A1289, made in June 2012. It came with a Nvidia Quadro 400 graphics card, but I want to purchase a Sapphire HD 7550 3GB Mac Edition graphics card in order to use a 27 inch Thunderbolt Display. I know the Sapphire 7550 card will work in the Mac Pro version I have.
The description of the Sapphire 7550 card says it has two mini-display ports. Will the 27 inch Thunderbolt Display work with this card?
I have read information on various forums that suggest it will work and others that say it will not.
Will a Thunderbolt Display work with a video card that has mini-display ports or does it have to specifically say it is a Thunderbolt port?
Does anyone have a clear answer?

see this post - you will not be able to run a tb monitor on the older silver tower mac pro's
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6210828?tstart=0
you need the other 27 display - led cinema

How do I connect a Thunderbolt display to a 21UX Cintiq Wacom tablet with a single link DVD-I connector?

I just bought a brand new thunderbolt display along with a 2013 mac pro and I'd like to hook my 2 year old 21UX Cintiq Wacom tablet directly to the display using the thunderbolt port on the display itself. Currently, I have the Cintiq daisychain connected directly to the mac pro using an Apple mini display port -> DVI-D (dual link) adapter, which is then connected to a DVI-D (single link) -> DVI-I (dual link) adapter, which is then finally connected to the Cintiq's DVI-I (single link) connector (this is permanently attached to the Cintiq and can't be traded out). As you can imagine, what has resulted is a lot of color variations between the Cintiq and Thunderbolt displays (that color calibration in system preferences has not been able to remedy) as well as some flickering of both displays at random intervals. I'd like the colors of the displays to match as close as possible and for the flickering to stop, of course, and from what I understand, connecting the displays directly with as few adapters as possible is the best way to do that. Unfortunately, most of my searches have not helped very much. Here is a photo of my daisychained set-up to better assist anyone who thinks they might be able to help:
Lastly, just in case: the mini display port to DVI adapter is not compatible with the Thunderbolt display's port, which is why it is connected to the mac pro, so I imagine a solution might require searching for an adapter from a different manufacturer, if such a thing even exists. If not, what other solutions would anyone suggest to get the colors of the displays to match more closely and the flickering to stop as well as lessen the amount of adapters I am using?
Thank you!

From you picture, you have a Mini DisplayPort to Single-Link DVI-D adapter. (The last in DVI-D is for "Digital", not "Dual-Link".)
You don't need dual link unless the resolution is greater than 1920 x 1200.
Mini DisplayPort devices or adapters won't work plugged directly into a Thunderbolt display. You need a Thunderbolt disk or dock (with two Thunderbolt ports) connected between the Thunderbolt display and the Mini DisplayPort adapter.

Macbook pro looses login settings with thunderbolt display

I've noticed that on occasion my MacBook Pro looses its desktop settings when connected to a Thunderbolt display. Why Thunderbolt display discards my MacBook Pro window environment settings upon boot-up is unknown to me. I can tell when this happens when my desktop loads different backgrounds from those on my MacBook Pro. Furthermore, the option in the System Preferences for changing my desktop background will cease to function. I even notice system wide speed degradation.
In order to correct this and reload my MacBook Pro settings I must identify a specific file named “com.apple.loginwindow.plist” and delete it. Doing so resolves whatever existing conflict so that Thunderbolt displays the correct background and enables System Preferrences to work properly.
I would appreciate very much if anyone has a resolution for this problem.
Respectfully,
TomBoltz

I think you need to do a search of the of these forums to see if there is an answer. I saw a lot of suggestions, but the #1 solution is buying a brand new cable. I have personal experience with that. My son recently switched from an HP to a MacBook Pro. The HDMI cable worked perfectly with the HP. It didn't with the Mac. He got a new cable for the Mac, everything resolved itself.
I have heard all kinds of speculation on it, but it happens frequently enough that there must be something going on. I'd spend $30 on a new MiniDisplayPort to DVI connector or whatever you use.

Is it possible to connect a mac book pro via thunderbolt and a dvi switchbox (multiple computers) to a thunderbolt display?

Hi,
I'm planning to buy a thunderbolt display.Since I have not only apple computers with a thunderbolt port I wonder if it's possible to connect my mac book pro via thunderbolt and a DVI switchbox via a "mini displayport to DVI connector" to the thunderbolt display at the same time. Thunderbolt is a bus architecture. Thus there must be an ingoing and an outgoing port on the display. The rearview of the display I've seen so far don't show this:
If this is not possible then I must question the market chances of this product. Seems as if the product marketing guys exaggerated the launch of the thunderbolt technology.
-ais-swiss

ais-swiss wrote:
How to connect windows laptop (vga) to thunderbolt display?
AHHH??!!!!!! Was that your original question?? I assumed you were trying to output FROM your computer (MacBook Pro w/ Thunderbolt) to the new display and then OUT to be the video source to a DVI switcher.
MB Pro w/TB ---> TB Display ---> mDP-to-DVI adapter ---> DVI switcher
So it seems as if it's not possible to use the thunderbolt display with the mini display port adapter to DVI you've mentioned.
I did not understand that you were trying to use other PC's into a switcher and then THAT Video source to connect INTO the TB display. If THAT is what you're trying to do, then NO.... You can NOT use the new TB Display to be used to display "FROM" a DVI switcher (and also can NOT be used to display from other Non-TB-Apple computers).
I've also called apple. The statement was that one needs a computer with osx 10.6.x in order to connect the thunderbolt display. That makes it impossible to hook a windows pc or older mac to the new and shiny thunderbolt display.
I wonder why apple doesn't state this in their technical descriptions...?
-ais-swiss
Actually, the state that information all over the Tech Specs on the Apple Store website.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC914LL/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY
Here are two different statements from that webpage:
So yes.... other NON-Apple PC's (or non-TB devices) do Not have the Thunderbolt technology (hardware/software) to be able to communicate with the TB display or other TB devices.

Dual Thunderbolt Display Order

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