External Display - Blue "sync" arrows/sign

On several occassions, when I add a secondary monitor to my MBP (Viewsonic, projector, etc.) I get a symbol that looks like the blue sync arrows right in the middle of my second display. I cannot get rid of it for the life of me. Of course it goes away when I turn on my mirroring. Any Help?

Well, you can move the file from the desktop back to its original location to at least get back to what you had before.
The file structure under Snow Leopard has changed and it's hard to keep up with this stuff. There is also now a com.apple.WindowServer.plist file in /System/Library/LaunchDaemons that you could try moving to the desktop and restarting. I dunno. Same rule applies.....if it doesn't help, move the file from the desktop back to its original location.

Similar Messages

New External Display Color Syncing

So I got a refurbished Samsung SyncMaster 932GW for my Late 2006 MacBook to use as a semi-permanent external display. Obviously I'd like it and the built-in screen to look the same, so I set both to use the sRGB IEC61966-2.1 (because neither profile works with the other). For comparison purposes I'm using the test pattern here: http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/barsb.html. Both displays are at full brightness (and contrast on the 932GW) and I've turned off the Dynamic Contrast, MagicColor, and other gewgaws on the 932GW.
On the SyncMaster the test pattern looks...right. The white looks as pure as I can tell, and the other colors are what I remember them to be.
But on the Color LCD, it looks crappy. The interface (windows, icons, etc) have a strong bluish cast, and the display overall (esp. the test image) has an overall anemic quality. This might just be due to comparison, but it's still distracting.
Am I going about this whole thing the right way? Is there some other standard (image or profile) I should be using? Or is it an entirely hopeless endeavour to get these two displays to agree?

What I gather from reading magazines and browsing various forums is that most monitors do not quite have the correct colors out of the box, shift over time, and need to be calibrated periodically. Calibration can be software based, using your eyes to calibrate (such as with the color calibration tools provided with OSX), or can use calibration devices, such as HUEY or Colorvision's Spyder 3. Calibration devices actually read your screen colors and tonal settings and adjust them to the standards you select. I've found Huey to be useless on LCDs. Using Spyder 3 has resulted in better colors on my MacBook Pro screen, but I have been unable to get Spyder 3 Elite to match the laptop screen and external monitor colors (Wacom 21ux), even though it is specifically intended to match colors across a numbe of monitors. Would like to hear what progress you make.

External display no longer working - stuck at blue screen

Hi everyone. I just don't know what in the bloody **** happened here.
Everything was working fine, I even had my macbook 13 upgraded to 10.5.6 and it always worked fine with my external DELL 2007WFP screen thru DVI cable and miniDVI adapter.
Suddenly when I got home today and plugged the miniDVI adapter, I saw the screen blinking forever at the blue screen that usually fades out to both screens with extended desktop turned on.
If I unplug the miniDVI adapter, everything gets back to normal on the macbook screen. I plug it again, I get the blinking blue screen.
Tried rebooting, unplugging everything else from the external screen, no luck.
If I boot the macbook with the external screen on and the macbook closed, then it is recognized fine and I can use it, but when I want to use both screens, it will blink again.
I need to use both screens as that's how I arranged my workspace.
Again, everything was working fine yesterday.
Thanks

Did you ever figure out what was doing this, and more importantly, did you get it fixed? I have the same thing happening to my macbook 13. It has worked fine in the past with external displays, both mini-DVI to DVI and mini-DVI to VGA, and many types of monitors/projectors. All of a sudden last week, i try to connect to my external monitor and I get the flashing blue - dark blue - light blue - repeat...
I tried the command-f1 trick to switch displays, and it sits there for a second, my desktop will flash onto the external monitor for a second, and then it'll give up and go back to the repeating blues.
I ran the hardware test, both the short and the long, to no avail.
I tried with the lid closed and an external mouse and keyboard. I tried this both from the startup and from when the laptop was already on.
Any ideas? Time to go to the genius bar?

I have a 17" Macbook pro with flickering red and cyan(blue) lines across the screen. The issue disappears temporarily when I tap on the computer, and the problem does not occur when I use external display or try to screen capture the problem.

I purchased my Macbook (17") through a certified apple tecnition in August 2012, it was refurbished and the motherboard was completely replaced. I do a lot of photo editing, but I have been unable to do so because of the red vibrating lines that interrupt my screen. The issue disappears temporarily when I tap on the computer, and the problem does not occur when I use external display or try to screen capture the problem. I brought the computer back to the technition I purchased it from and he said that it was a problem with my fan, so I have two new fans but the issue is still occuring. He says he doesnt know whats wrong. Does anyone have any information on this issue?
Here is an image of the issue
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67839707@N08/8884847081/

I recommend having your Mac serviced by someone competent. A force sufficient to "blow apart" the fans was clearly excessive and may have damaged the display cable, as well as any number of other problems.
Dust is properly cleaned with a vacuum, preferably one designed for computer service, and they are not cheap.
Compressed air should never be used. It just blows dust everywhere, often into places where it can no longer be removed.

Laptop Built In Display and External Display not Working

Hi all, I have a HP Envy M6-1158ca, and recently my Built-in display stopped working. I plugged it into an external display via HDMI and it showed no input. It seems as though the laptop is not booting into Windows either, as usually whenever my laptop boots into windows, the fingerprint scanner blinks letting me know I can now sign in using it. I am extremly frustrated with this, and have an unbelieveable amount of stress because this was my only PC. Please respond as soon as possible, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Yes.. i think thats what might have damaged it...Notebook should always be completely powered off with the battery out and ac adapter disconnected while replacing any internal hardware..
Shouldnt be a BIOS problem....but still you can check this link..
Restoring the BIOS
Note:
If you have HP Support Assistant installed on the computer(The Blue Question Mark) then open it ==> Complete all pending Updates & Tuneups==> Restart and Check. It may solve your problem
Although I am an HP employee, I am speaking for myself and not for HP.
**Click on “Kudos” Star if you think this reply helped** Or Mark it as "Solved" if issue got fixed.

G555 help: enable external display from BIOS?

Fellow G555ians, HELP!
My G555 (model 0873) does not have a backlight problem, but an entire LCD problem. i.e. the LCD does not turn on at all! My laptop is fine. Once every blue moon, when I turn it on the screen works.
I was wondering if someone could tell me the keystrokes needed to enabe EXTERNAL DISPLAY from the BIOS!
Since I can't see when I turn on the comp, I can't get into Windows, and therefore can't use the unction keys. However, I know there is a BIOS option to enable output to an external monitor hooked to the VGA port.
Can you please turn on your G555 and tell me exactly what keys you hit and when to get into the configuration part of the bios, change the display option to something other than LCD ONLY or whatever the default is, save and exit?
This would mean the world to me!
Moderator note: moved post to its own thread. Edited subject to reflect content. Veiled profanity removed.

hi KazeShin,
Welcome to the Lenovo Forums.
Here's a screenshot of the Lenovo G555 BIOS.
Spoiler (Highlight to read)
What you can try is to:
1. Press the power button and repeatedly tap F2 to get inside the BIOS.
2. From there, press the right arrow key once and press the down arrow key 9 times.
3. Power ON Display should now be highlighted. Press Enter key once and press the down arrow key once to select Auto-Selected display then press Enter.
4. Connect an external monitor via the VGA cable Press F10 to save and exit BIOS. Upon reboot, the display should automatically transfer to an external monitor.
5. If that doesn't work, press Fn+F3 to shift to an external display.
Hope this helps.
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How do I get my Macbook Pro to detect an external display?

Hi there.
I just bought a new MacBook Pro today.
Everything about it is wonderful, except: When I plug an external display into the Thunderbolt port using a Minidisplay port to VGA adapter, it doesn't send a signal to the external monitor. The screen on my Macbook will go blue for a second, and then the windows freeze. The mouse will be movable for a bit (up to a minute), but nothing is clickable. Strangely, it seems as though it's functioning as if there were a second monitor (I can move the mouse off-screen as though it's going over to another display). But then the spinning rainbow wheel starts and never stops. If I unplug the Minidisplay port to VGA adapter, the Macbook will snap back into professional mode and everything works again.
If I try to boot the computer up with the Minidisplay port to VGA adapter already pluged in, it simply won't boot up (I get a gray screen with an apple and nothing more).
I tried using gfxCardStatus set to "discreet only" and I still have this problem. I tried to run a firmware update, but my comp seems to be entirely up-to-date already (just set it up today).
The monitor and adapter seem to be working fine, and function as an external display when pluged into the Mini-DVI port on my 2009 Macbook running Snow Leopard.
I guess my question is, what's causing this? Is this an adapter problem? Like, do I need a special adapter to use with a Thunderbolt port as opposed to the one I'm using which works when pluged into a Mini-DVI port?
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro9,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.9 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Boot ROM Version: MBP91.00D3.B08

The only thing that I can suggest is trying a different adapter - such as this one from Monoprice.
I don't know if that's the root of your problem, though. Does the external monitor have DVI? You could get a Thunderbolt to DVI adapter from Monoprice - here - and give that a shot.
Clinton

My Macbook Pro (Mid-2012) won't connect to an external display using my MiniDP to VGA Cable.

I'm on a Macbook Pro (Mid-2012) on Mac OS X 10.8.3 (currently downloading the update to 8.4). When I plug in my Mini Displayport to VGA adapter to my Mac, the screen flickers blue for a second and the Display Settings window detects the other monitor and allows me to rearrange the screen, but it does not project anything onto the other monitor. However, I tried connecting an Apple Thunderbolt Monitor to this computer today, and it worked. This wasn't a problem before, as I was able to connect this Mac to other LCD projects before. Furthermore, I don't think it's an issue with the adapter either because it's relatively new. I also tried plugging in the adapter of another Mac (which was working fine) into my Mac, but it didn't work either.
Here's what I've tried:
1. Restarting the computer with everything plugged in
2. Pressing Command + F1 when it's plugged
Any advice would be helpful!

Hi lancekatigbak,
If you're having issues with the display out on your MacBook Pro, you may want to take a look at the troubleshooting steps in the following article:
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573
Cheers,
- Brenden

Cannot get external display to show image

Hi, I've just bought a 13" MBP and I'm new to the Apple forums so I apologise if there is already a thread for this (I haven't seen one so far).
I bought the MBP from my local Apple Store along with a case and a mini-DVI to VGA adapter to connect the MBP to my 20" Samsung 2032MW TV/monitor. That night I connected the two and they worked fine (plug and play), however two days later I tried again and my Samsung screen stays black and goes to standby. I have performed a self check on the monitor and there are no issues there so I presume there is an issue with settings on the MBP. I did find a thread that mentioned the graphics performance settings in the Energy Saver menu but I don't seem to have those options available (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SduYqB9Smn0DvzqjqIg-JAXluH7Dnp9rqlqjc2UNeXg ?feat=directlink and http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NO6JMa9JcuIHRhCDED1QzgXluH7Dnp9rqlqjc2UNeXg ?feat=directlink).
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Aaron

Sorry! Yes I've been into the Display settings and tried Detect Displays and Gather Windows.
This is how my Display settings appear once I have connected the external display (MBP screen flashes blue):
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-qvpsvxre1dSRea6D3IdwgXluH7Dnp9rqlqjc2UNeXg ?feat=directlink
Thanks for the reply.

MBPro won't detect external display on DVI

Hi Folks,
I have a strange problem that gives me quite some headache:
Is use a MacBook Pro 3,1 2.2 Ghz, 4GB RAM, 128MB NVidia something together with a Samsung SyncMaster 215TW.
For the past year I was using my external screen without any trouble, connecting it via DVI to the mac. Every night I turn down the lid putting the notebook in sleep mode and switch off the monitor. Exactly as I did yesterday. But this morning however the external display didn't wake up as usual it did just nothing - was not even detected via the detect display function. And this is still the case right now.
So when I plug (or unplug) the DVI to the external something is still going on. I get the blue screen (don't get that wrong that used to appear just before it would expand the desktop to the external screen, but then it switches back as if there would be nothing connected.
No relevant entries in any logfile. System Profiler shows "Status: No display connected". The display itself says some no connection message if unplugged and - get this - falls to sleep mode right after I plugin the dvi connector to the mac.
I tried all this:
-reboot (with display connected & without display connected and all other imaginable combinations) - no positive result
-the display via DVI-VGA adapter works (but the image is not as nice unfortunately)
-reset PRAM (boot with optioncommand+PR)
-reset the entire thing (no power, no battery and hold the powerkey for 10 secs.) nothing
-connect some other external display to the mac via DVI - works perfectly
-connect the display via DVI to an other macbook pro computer - works perfectly too
-hard reset the display via the (red) support menu - no result
-an other DVI cable - no result
-booted from the leopard install cd - same thing
-booted from an other harddisk with 10.4.10 (removing the internal disk)- same strange behaviour with the old system
-booted ubuntu linux 8.04 - even here the same problem X doesn't recognize the external display if it is attached to the DVI port also no entries to the logs here.
-SwitchResX and tried to reset the display setting from there (vendor id 4c2d & product id 213 & 214) but still no success.
- called the apple support and my distributer of trust - no ideas but could be a hardware fault (mmh ok... but why do all other display I tried work perfectly with that beast of macbook pro but not any SyncMaster 215TW?!? that worked great for the whole last year)
I guess the macbook had a very bad dream that very last night about mac eating foo-bars that crawl through DVI cables from any 215TW display.
As for now I have a date with the local apple service partner -- in three weeks (it's holiday time in g.o. germany). Don't know what to tell him: Probably I'll need to go there with the screen to show them the entire scenario. Hopefully they (still) think it's a problem with faulty apple hardware (or system software) and replace the logic board.
But I'm still in hope! Is there anybody out there having an idea with what I could try next to bring back the love between my macbook and the lovely 215TW display?
greetings,
brutus banane

I have recently bough a new Macbook Pro 15.4", it worked first time with a Samsung Syncmaster 2493HM but after a few days the 'detect display' utility ceased to connect, then a short while after on start up I was getting a blank screen with a flashing folder with '?' on it, preventing me from booting up successfully.
I tried the reset p-ram, didn't work then I tried an archive install of OSX and that ironed out all the creases - for a day, there has been no flashing folders on start up but the Samsung has failed to be detected and this morning wouldn't work no matter how many restarts or cable disconnecting attempts.
So I called Apple helpline, told the guy what had happened, he mentioned to try the install discs again with the display connected to see of the MBP sent a signal to it, after choosing the language in the OSX installer, the display was once again recognized! I didn't have to proceed any further with the install discs so quit, reset and ejected the install discs and all seems well again.
For how long i wonder?
I have no idea of this will work for anyone else but it works for me at the moment.
Interested to see when and how this finally gets solved!
T.
Message was edited by: Tyke Tyler
Message was edited by: Tyke Tyler

External Display not working (descriptive details in post)

Hello
Background:
I have been using a black Macbook (last year's model - before the aluminum ones came out) and connecting it to a VIZIO VW22L HDTV10T (television/monitor) via a mini-DVI to VGA adapter.
This setup always worked, although it was a bit finicky (I'd have to plug it in before closing the display to get in to work in clamshell mode, for example). I get the feeling from reading other forum posts that this is the normal case, though (which so far has been my only real gripe with OS X).
Anyway, back a couple months ago I wondered if this finicky-ness was partially caused by a messed-up preference file, so I decided to try and fix this. In the ensuing tweaking, I somehow caused my Display preferences to disappear.
After much effort trying to fix the problem, I eventually called Apple support, which ultimately recommended that I reinstall OS X. I didn't do that, and continued to work at the problem. I eventually was able to bring it back by going into my Time Machine backups and restoring all the Display preference files (I used old preferences from back when I got the external HD, so I knew they'd be "uncorrupted). However, now I'm having problems with my external display, namely that it is not working.
This problem started early this year, so it might have been caused by the 10.5.5 update, but since I had all these other problems going on, I'm not sure if that was the case.
Problem:
The Macbook doesn't seem to recognize the display, or is having problems routing video to the display, or something.
If I plug the display into the Macbook while it is running normally, the Macbook LCD will flash blue (like it picked up a new display), but them come back to normal. The monitor will go out of sleep mode for a second, but then display a "No signal" message. If I attempt to "Detect Displays" the Macbook screen will either flash blue (as before) or just do nothing.
If I have the display plugged in when I start up the Macbook, everything will proceed as normal until the time the desktop would be displayed. Instead of this, I just see a blue screen (like some generic desktop before any background is applied). The menu bar, the dock, and icons do not show up. However, I can hear various audio cues telling me the computer is running fine except for htis problem (email notifier going off, etc.).
I know the problem is not faulty hardware, because when I boot my Macbook into Windows, everything works perfectly. It therefore follows that it is an OS X problem. I downloaded both Cocktail and Applejack and run various repairs on them (most notable repairing preferences), but nothing has changed.
Any suggestions about how to try fixing this? If there's any technical detail I've missed, let me know.
Thank you in advance to everyone who tries to help.
-Richard

I have same problem. MacBook Pro (new, 2014) upgraded to Yosemite. Had been running with ViewPoint high-resolution, 27" monitor, HDMI. I tried Thunderbolt connection -- it connected, but it would not allow the external monitor to run at its native resolution (2560x1440). It would only display properly using HDMI. Just 3 days ago after I installed the latest OSx software update, and my external monitor problems started. On startup, my MacBook screen flickers non-stop. I can fix problem eventually (after several tries) by disconnecting the HDMI cable, turning OFF the external monitor power, turning external monitor back ON and then plugging in the HDMI to my MacBook Pro. This is very inconvenient.
I will try using the Thunderbolt cable. When I tried it in the past, it connected, but it wouldn't display the native resolution of my external monitor (which is 2560x1440). Can only get this resolution now with HDMI.

External display problems with snow leopard

I just upgraded from Leopard to Snow Leopard on my Macbook and it's created lots of problems with my LCD external display:
- The display won't work at its native resolution (1680x1050) - it will flash up an image for 1/10 of second and then go black. I can only get it to work at a lower resolution, which looks AWFUL.
- If I try to start up my Macbook with the lid closed and the display connected, the display won't work at all (it jams on the start up screen). It only works if I keep both of them running
I never had these problems when using Leopard. I've searched lots of forums and found that many people are having similar problems with external displays. Apple still haven't fixed the bug after repeated efforts from people to get if fixed.
Here are some threads (now closed) on this if you're looking for solutions:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2132912&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2136455&tstart=1
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2132837&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10084332
Common suggested fixes are:
- Force OS X to use LCD font smoothing (does not work for me)
- Clear the PRAM on start-up (does not work for me)
- Delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist (does not work)
- Change energy management setting to high performance (only works on graphics cards in Macbook 15" and 17").
From reading these forums it appears that this is a well-know bug. Has anyone else got any suggestions to fix this? And why hasn't Apple fixed this yet after so many people bringing it to their attention? It's clearly a bug that wasn't in Leopard.

I'M FED UP WITH APPLE! They've always been a little shady, but the last half of 2010 took the cake!
First it was the iPhone 3g "upgrade" to IOS4 which was garbage and killed my ability to use the 3g until I figured out how to crack the software, wipe the thing clear then reinstall the original software. Next up was purchasing the iphone 4 as a Christmas gift for someone running tiger on their mac, only to find out that the iphone 4 doesn't work on tiger when they tried to sync their contacts - and then having to rush out and purchase snow leopard so that they could enjoy my gift. Then I install Snow Leopard (note - I purchased the family pack) onto my own leopard-running(10.5.+) powerbook only to have the external LCD display I've been using for years suddenly stop working.
Oh, okay, to be fair, it works IF I RESIGN MYSELF TO SET it to "mirror image" (which defeats the purpose of having multiple displays) and drop the resolution down to a pathetic, unsharp, nearly distored setting that is almost painful to look at knowing that this monitor was just A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO showing me crystal clear images.
Then I exhaust myself trying to find a fix only to discover that APPLE in their infinite brilliance (AKA - their torture of loyal customers) knows of the issue - worked it out - then created an update that created the issue all over again. I'm so done! No more macs. I'm going back to the evil land of PCs. At least there, you know you're getting crap, it doesn't sneak up on you after getting you to trust it time and time again.

Incorrect resolutions for 16:10 external displays, unable to detect 16:9

Hey there all, this is my first post here. It looks like some people have had similar issues—particularly with an incomplete/incorrect list of resolutions being provided for external displays.
I am shopping around for an external display for my MacBook (my specs are included) and I tested a few different ones today, but encountered problems.
- On a 22" ASUS monitor (sorry I don't have the model) using Mini-DVI to VGA, the native resolution (I assume 1680x1050) is not available, and most resolutions offered are 4:3 ratio (1600x1200 worked). The highest widescreen resolution listed was 1280x768.
- Next I tried a 19" ASUS, this time 16:9, but the monitor would not display at all. The MacBook display would go blue as normal but then flicker, as if it could not detect the display. This also happened with a 24" BENQ monitor (also 16:9).
Wondering whether or not this was a problem with using VGA, I then bought a Mini-DVI to DVI adapter and tried again on the 19" and 24" (the 22" ASUS did not have a DVI-in) but the same flickering blue screen appeared, with nothing displayed on the monitor.
These were my thoughts:
1. My firmware is not up-to-date. I check in System Profiler and am running Boot ROM Version MB41.00C1.B00 and SMC Version (system): 1.31f0. These are definitely up-to-date for my model MacBook.
2. Drivers are out of date. This does not seem likely as I am running OS X 10.5.7.
Other than that, I am at a loss! I haven't yet forked out the $49 to do phone support with Apple, that will be my next bet.
Has anyone had this problem, or have any ideas what I can try? Short of buying a new Unibody MacBook of course .
Thanks guys, hope you can help. Just let me know if you need more info about my computer.

It's unusual to strike out like that with three different monitors using two different adapters. On the other hand, with all the video issues that have been reported by others on these forums since the 10.5.7 update, it's not too surprising.
Is a 10.5.6 downgrade a possibility for you? For example, do you use Time Machine and can you in that case revert to a previous time when the MB was running 10.5.6? Perhaps that's not a great suggestion, but it would be something to try.
There is some remote chance, though somewhat unlikely given that three different monitors are involved, that the embedded display driver data (EDID) in each monitor is bad or incomplete. If you care to investigate that possibility, there is a program called SwitchRes X that allows you to snoop a monitor's EDID and turns it into a human readable text file.
One final suggestion would be to try yet one more monitor to see if any monitor can return a good result. One obvious choice would be an Apple monitor. If there is trouble when trying to connect to an Apple monitor, then that would certainly point to some problem in the MB's configuration or hardware. And not to cast aspersions on the brands you have already tried, but try another brand (if not Apple) that is perhaps more mainstream and known to be more Mac compatible and less firmly in the PC camp where plug-and-display drivers have never mattered very much and are very often botched by the monitor makers. Dell, Samsung and LG are three big brands that come to mind. Good luck.

Ongoing fatal crash and security bug related to connecting external display

The infrastructures in OS X to resume from sleep, to authenticate, and to change displays is fundamentally not working.
The security bug I have encountered has to do with connecting a cinema display exclusively to a MacBook Pro. This is a specific situation, but please note that I have experienced the same problem on no fewer than three independent laptop. Plus, the Genius in the Apple Retail Store was convinced of the general instability of this infrastructure. The security problem is that hot corners no longer function if I transition between two states in the same reboot. The first state is where I have the laptop powered on and using its own internal display exclusively (when I'm on the road). The second state is when I have the laptop displaying its output exclusively on an external display (when I'm at home). What happens is that an attempt to use hot corners fails. There is no response. I even added configuration on all four corners (whereas I originally had settings only for the rightmost corners), and even then, the hot corner action (of sleeping the display or entering locked screen saver mode) does not commence. This prevents the user from being able to secure the display on demand using standard methods that are supposed to work.
The instability level related to connecting the external display exclusively is high. Again, I've experienced this on no fewer than three independent laptops, and the Apple Genius at the Retail Store confirmed that this aspect of OS X did not work consistently. When I want to connect the cinema display to the laptop in such a way that the laptop's own display is not part of the active screen, the process I use succeeds about half the time. Supposing I have been on the road, where I am using the laptop display exclusively. I then put the laptop to sleep. When I return home with the lid open, I connect first the USB (power) from the cinema display to the laptop, and then I connect the Mini DisplayPort. When that step works, what happens is that the login screen shows on the cinema display despite the fact that my laptop lid is closed. This is good, and is what I want. At that point, I open the laptop lid and quickly log in.
With Apple being a mobile device company, I rely on the laptop for tasks that one traditionally may use a desktop for. This simply points to the versatility of the laptop. But I'd like the bugs resolved, so that I do not have to hesitate to make use of the inherent flexibility possible with the MacBook Pro.
Here's what happens when the process (of connecting the external display in a way that establishes itself as the only screen in use by OS X) fails. Firstly, when I connect the external display via Mini DisplayPort, the laptop doesn't even respond. Instead, it remains asleep. So to work around it I have to repeatedly disconnect and reconnect the Mini DisplayPort so that the asleep MacBook Pro will see that there is a display connected to it. Also, sometimes that isn't even enough and I have to open the laptop lid, and put it to sleep again so as to trigger whatever actions are necessary to recognise the external display (presumably by having the laptop recently awake). Around half the time, I have to play this game of disconnecting and reconnecting until it actually works. This high level of reproducibility (confirmed by the Apple Genius representative's confidence that this part of the system doesn't actually work) should make it easy for an engineer to look into the problem.
Fatally, and recently, OS X has completely crashed when I have attempted to connect the external display. The external display has gone completely blue, and after a half a minute, it blanked out and my entire laptop became unresponsive. I called Apple Support and was given a case number. I also took the laptop into the retail store to see if I could recover my current session without rebooting. There was no process suggested to make that happen and I was told to reboot the machine. I've had this happen before on other laptops, and it is frustrating that the kernel reaches such a state that it cannot be used. As I see it, this problem is not too unrelated to the way that I need to play a game in order to get the external display connected exclusively. Here are some workarounds that could be added:
Firstly, whenever I connect an external display, I'd like the laptop to see that this has happened, and to take action accordingly (such as resuming from sleep). Secondly, If I connect an external keyboard, and press a key on it, I'd like this to wake the laptop too (in the event that the first method fails for some unforeseen reason). I'd also like the connection of the cinema display's USB power not to cause the laptop to enter into a confused state between asleep and awake. Sometimes I need to disconnect and reconnect USB power in order to trigger the laptop into waking, but that's only because it's not doing it on its own properly. On the other hand, I also ensure that the laptop doesn't have the Mini DisplayPort connected without also having the cinema display USB power connected, because that also is an unsupported configuration.
I've also gotten the laptop to become confused about whether it is asleep or awake. When I open the lid, it seems to enter into sleep mode, but closing it seems to bring it into an active state.
Also, I've successfully logged on and authenticated with the screen showing exclusively on the external display. But just ten seconds after I start using the system, the laptop falls asleep--with the lid open! Whatever triggers that action doesn't seem to be on track. The laptop is open, there are incoming events such as mouse movements and key presses, and the external display is on and is in use. And then the laptop falls asleep! This has happened numerous times. Not only should this not happen; the instances where it does happen can cause further instability and put my system at risk of fatally crashing.
Also, the authentication system itself is highly buggy--far more than it should be. At times I have opened the laptop lid and caught a glimpse of a window before I have begun the login process. Also, an external authentication application that asks for Kerberos/AFS login credentials has been able to overlay itself on top of the primary authentication (whereas I should only see a single login dialog when I need to authenticate to the system). Also, I've had several of these authentication screens overlay on top of one another, although it's been months since I've experienced that one (so it may have been fixed). Also, around a third of the time, the window that authenticates me (on the black background) somehow transfers itself into the background (even though there's only one window!). What that means is what I begin to type my password, and now the laptop starts beeping at me and I need to manually click on the password field and begin entering my password again. This really shouldn't happen, and indicates too much complexity in this authentication process (such as, more OS X code is involved than is strictly necessary, which is likely to make the authentication system more difficult to test). Also, at times, I have been using too much CPU, such that the authentication screen takes too long to emerge. That also means that I'm not able to logon until I uncleanly shutdown the laptop. If the laptop has been asleep, and is revived in preparation for login, then that login screen should be given highest priority, even if there are other heavy CPU or I/O intensive tasks running in the background. And maybe the login dialog shouldn't disappear when the user is legitimately attempting to log in. So even if there is a possibility that the system is under heavy resource use (or there is a stall or minor deadlock), it shouldn't prevent the user from logging in altogether.
At the moment, the very fact that the system shut down uncleanly means that the full disk encryption suite that I used has entered into an undetermined state, suggesting I may lose access to all my data. It's my hope that I can rely on Apple's products to interoperate in a way that won't cause me to be fearful and restrictive in my use, so that I can freely connect an external display at times, and at other times carry the laptop on the road.

Ive got the same problem with Samsung UE225010 monitor too, its full hd but it looks terrible, could it be Displayport adapter issue, because couple month ago Ive tryed with some IPS display, and it looked same bad.

Native resolution does not fill entire external display

I've got one of the original MacBook Pros with the Mobility Radeon X1600 hooked up to a Samsung P2350G display (it's a 23" LCD panel.) The native resolution on the display is 1920x1080.
The display has inputs for both VGA and DVI. The DVI port however is used by a desktop PC already, so I use a DVI to VGA adapter on the MacBook Pro, and use the laptop panel as a secondary display.
The problem is that when I set the external display to its native resolution, I get vertical letterboxing and some flickering along the edges of the image. It does not horizontally fill the whole display as it should. I have tried the same adapter on the PC and it worked fine (though with rather spotty image quality.)
Resolutions that are lower than 1920x1080 work fine and fill the whole display properly. I'm not exactly sure what the issue is. The laptop is only semipermanently attached to the large display so I can live with a reduced image quality there, but the flickering, slightly distorted image is just not acceptable right now.

Sounds like it might be a sync issue. Have you tried powering the monitor off and then back on with the MBP connected to it? How about just temporarily disconnecting the DVI cable from the desktop PC and using that to plug into the MBP.

External Display - Blue "sync" arrows/sign

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