External display show even if disconected

Hello!
my MBP (late 2007) doesn't understand that i disconect the external display. Even when i unplug the DVI cable or SVideo adapter (with the computer switch on or off) the second screen is there, it's a very confuse that windows disapear and go to the other "ghost" screen. Even if i switch to mirror mode, the screen resolution it's not the native of the MBP!!
I try to reset de PRAM, the PMU... Nothing works
Anyone has the same problem?

I checked the forum and see this:
VGA output noise
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-and-newer-T-series/VGA-output-noise/m-p/1596622#M98647
I think what I saw is the exact same problem mentioned in this thread. But how should I fix it?
Thanks.

Similar Messages

MacBook Pro cannot connect to external display (projector) under Windows

Our office has got one of those lovely new 13" MacBook Pros and we cannot figure out why it cannot connect to either of our 2 projectors with Windows 7.
We have an older MBP with NVidia graphics that connects just fine under both OS X and Windows. And this machine connects fine under Snow Leopard.
There was a recent Thunderbolt chipset update and we applied that; on the Windows side the Intel driver has been updated but nothing happens. Have also zapped the PRAM to no effect.
To add another wrinkle: I just connected the MBP to my Cinema Display and the external display shows fine in both OS X and Windows--Windows didn't even require me to go to the control panel.
This leads me to two thoughts: either it is something with the Thunderbolt to VGA adaptor (hard to believe, though, since it works for OS X) or it is something to do with the native resolution of the projector (equally hard to believe, as changing through various settings in Windows NOTHING happens on the external projector--it doesn't blink, go back or anything.)
Any ideas?

I wish I could find the discussion, but I cannot.
There was a discussion about the Windows 7 driver for the Thunderbolt port. The conclusion I believe was that it only outputs digital signals, not analog.
The other conclusions were:
A USB-VGA adapter adapter bypasses this limitation because the driver is in the adapter itself and works regardless of the OSX/Windows operating system in charge.
Run Windows under VM, where OSX is in charge and can create analog output through Thunderbolt
If only I could find that thread ...

External display has no menu bar/dock when waking from sleep in clamshell mode

After Mountian Lion upgrade, external display shows no dock or menu bar when MBP wakes from sleep in clamshell mode. I have to open and close the lid of the laptop to sort it out. Any ideas?

MacBook is connected to AC adapter. My MacBook is almost new, I have it for only few months, connector looks clean.
I never had problems with AC adapter but I will try different wall outlet.
It's a shame that I have no other device with display port output so I can not test if the problem is with my display. With dual DVI connected to my desktop computer display works fine... for more than one year now...

Yet another W540 external display issue...

I don't think I've seen this one here yet.
I occasionally use my W540 with an external monitor on the VGA port. When I reboot (or just boot) the computer while the display is plugged in, it starts up fine until it gets to the login screen. From there, my laptop's display (primary) is a solid gray (that is my "background" color for the Windows 8 Metro interface), and my external display is black, as it should be. I can do whatever I want, except that I cannot see anything on the laptop screen.
After logging in, the laptop is still grayed out, but the external display shows the extended desktop that it usually does. When I right click on that desktop and select screen resolution, my "ThinkPad Dislplay 1920 x 1080" is replaced with a "Mobile PC Display". The resolution on both displays is locked at 1440 x 900 (the native resolution of my external display). All of these symptoms occur in the Intel HD Graphics configuration, as well.
Only when I restart my computer and unplug the external monitor before the Lenovo splash loads does the computer return to its normal state. This did NOT happen on my old T510 with the same display, so something is going wrong here.
I have the latest drivers installed, as this is a three-day-old clean install of Windows 8.1.
Images:
Normal operation of the configuration - http://i.imgur.com/3ziJSoy.jpg
Login screen with problem - http://i.imgur.com/1ihqReS.jpg (Sorry about the bad lighting)
After login with the problem - http://i.imgur.com/pVDymUS.jpg
Display properties with the problem - ThinkPad, External
EDIT: Wow I'm dumb. The last two images should have been screenshots
W540: i7-4700mq, K2100m, 8 GB DDR3L, 512 GB SSD
T510: i7-620m, NVS 3100m, 8 GB DDR3, 512 GB SSD

Bump
W540: i7-4700mq, K2100m, 8 GB DDR3L, 512 GB SSD
T510: i7-620m, NVS 3100m, 8 GB DDR3, 512 GB SSD

10.5.6 Update USELESS!!! External Display Issues Still remain!

The external display issues remain, even after installing the update.
I'm sick of this!
Is it a hardware issue or software related?
Are the 9600 graphics chips defective?
Come on Apple and be honest to your customers, we all paid a lot of money for these systems!
Does anyone out there know where can I complain to?
I need an email address or something that is not directed at iphones or ipods!
Cheers.
<Edited by Moderator>

I'm not sure what to make of this at this point. I ordered a CTO 2.8GHz with 4GB RAM and 320GB HD the day they were announced. First week or so, few if any problems. Then the "UHF" like bands of static began to appear randomly. I use my computer 90% of the time driving an external monitor. I use a separate set up at home and work with duplicates of all cables. The problem occurs on both. I spoke with Apple Care - they patched me over to support and moved me up to Tier one pretty quick, even had me send in my System Profiler information for every combination of screen and graphics card. Then they emailed me a program to capture my monitor info again with every combination of screen and graphics card. No solution. They finally asked to "capture" my computer for their labs and sent me a new one.
Once again, about 2 1/2 weeks of smooth sailing and bam, same issues now occurring. If it's a driver issue, why is everything fine for so long? Also, 10.5.6 and the new firmware have failed to address. Given my above exchanges with Apple, they certainly can't claim they don't know about it.
I've been using Apple Products for a long time. I've seen some real buggy stuff - like when File Vault first came out but this is the worst I've experienced. Seems like poor quality control. If it's a select few machines, I appear to have won the lottery as I've had two of them.
I'm sure this issue is much more wide spread as it is a non-issue if you only use the internal display. Only people consistently driving an external display will even know there is a problem.

Internal display normal during start up but goes black with external monitor showing desktop

My MacBook Pro (2.4 Ghz, Santa Rosa with infamous nVidia card) acts strange. It shows the normal gray screen with Apple logo and animation flawlessly during start up but the internal display goes black without any rendering at all when all is loaded. (shining a light on display show nothing) If an external monitor is connected through the DVI port it will remain black during start up and then show the desktop as the internal display goes black. This happens both while booting to Mountain Lion and Windows XP. I have checked "About my Mac" and only the external display is listed. The same is the case if I use the nVidia Control panel in Windows XP.
My questions: Is this a hardware problem or is it related to software maybe even firmware? What controls the display during start up, graphics card or something else?

I found an article about the same issue. Screen looks exactly the same with bloated apple logo.

External display flashes and shows 'snow'. (Video of behaviour included)

Since yesterday, my Macbook Pro is acting strange. When I connect it to an external monitor, it usually works. Everything goes well for 10 to 30 minutes, and at some point the display starts tearing, showing snow, and flashing. These flashes get worse and worse, up till the point where I have to reboot. Rebooting seems to help a little. Whenever the laptop hasn't been used for a few minutes it works correctly again, for a short while. (This makes me conclude it's some sort of heat-related issue)
The issue is present on multiple monitors using different DVI cables. I only have one mini-displayport to dvi adapter, so the problem could be there too.
This problem does not affect the internal display of the macbook in any way.
Here is a short video showing the behaviour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BotUqHb3dM
What should I do? Try to figure out wether it's the mbp or the connector or just bring it in for a repair. (It's less than a year old)

I have had similar issues with my 15" MBP. Occasionally my external monitor will go 1980s and display what looks like crappy tv reception.
Also, connecting or disconnecting an external display (via the single link mini display port to dvi adapter) has a tendency to lock up the entire machine (both displays black, won't respond to keyboard or mouse) until the power is cycled.
Also, my built in monitor has a habit of flickering/glitching lines.
These problems seem to happen regardless of which graphics card is active.

MBP Retina shows wrong resolution on external display since 10.8.4

I have a MBP retina and I'm using it with an external display, Dell U2711, connected via a Mini-DP to DP cable. It all worked amazingly well until 10.8.4 came out. Now, when I connect the display, it no longer shows the correct 2560 X 1440 resolution, but shows 1080p. The displays preferences pane does not allow going over 1080p. It does recognize the display model, though.
It started with one port. The machine has two TB ports, so one of them worked fine and the other didn't (the one closer to the user was acting up). Then it degraded further to the second port. Now, if I plug and unplug several times and fiddle with the displays control panels, I might just get it right eventually. It takes some time, but eventually the machine gets it right. At least that's what I've been experiencing in the last few days.
I don't think it's a hardware issue. It's possible that my cable is at fault, but I seriously doubt that. I'm wondering if anyone else got the same problem, just checking before I go and splurge on a new cable (these cables are not easy to find).
Thanks,
Z

This worked for me:
Step 1: Delete system windowserver preferences
In the Finder, from the menu bar, select "Go -> Go to Folder..."
Enter: /Library/Preferences/
Delete the file called com.apple.windowserver.plist
Step 2: Delete user windowserver preferences
In the Finder, from the menu bar, select "Go -> Go to Folder..."
Enter: ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/
Delete all files that start with com.apple.windowserver (On my rMBP, there was one file called com.apple.windowserver.12AFB147-95D6-5C70-8F62-C1E4F2BE81BE)
Step 3: Reset the PRAM (These instructions are fromhttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379)
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

External display won't show the mouse pointer (optical)

hi all,
13" display dimming my old eyes . decided to connect to 20" sony monitor. got the adapter > connected> display shows identical to laptop BUT no mouse pointer AND when the external monitor is displaying, the menubar is not longer existent on the powerbook (the trackpad does work on the laptop screen with external connected ) so I cannot get to the display preferences to set anything up to get the mouse pointer to show on the external monitor.
HELP and thanks
sue

ok folks, fiddled since I wrote this and managed to actually get it going ! so all set.
I'm up and running with the display. and all is dandy !
Message was edited by: Sue brown1

How do I turn off the external display screen on my MBP even after I disconnect the second screen?

I connected my MBP to my television via the HDMI port to watch a movie. Whenever I have a second display connected I have different wallpapers for each screen. After the movie was over I disconnected the cable and started surfing the web, and I always have safari full screen so I have to three finger swipe to go back to my desktop. After disconnecting the hdmi cable, the external display screen became part of the three finger swipe in full screen mode. I can swipe to go from safari to second display screen (not connected to anything) and then to my desktop.
My question is how do I get rid of the dog-gone external display screen? I am getting tired of having to swipe more than once from full screen to my desktop.

Disregard this question, I figured it out. I just had to go in a delete the other desktops that showed up, how they got there in the first place, I'm not sure but I will visit the apple store to ask some questions.
Mods you can close and/or delete this whole convo.

HT203254 I bought my MacBook Pro since 2008. Now I live in Thailand, and my MacBook had the second symptom (No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on). How can I get guarantee in Bangkok?

I bought my MacBook Pro since 2008. Now I live in Thailand, and my MacBook had the second symptom (No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on). How can I get guarantee in Bangkok?
<Serial Number Edited by Host>

"That's why I'm wondering whether they still can fix it as lifetime guaranty or not?"
No, not lifetime.
According to the referencd article:
"If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within four years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty."

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.

Missing external display 1920x1080 resolution, only shows 1680x1050... Please HELP !

When connecting my Macbook Air (mid 2011) to an external LG 22" Display (M2241A) which supports a native resolution of 1920x1080, the closest setting available in the display preferences is 1680x1050, and aspect ratio is really distorted at this size. I use an Apple mini-display-port to HDMI, and HDMI cable to connect the Monitor.
What can I do to correct this problem ? How do I make the 1920x1080 available and get rid of the distortion ?

Thanks for your quick answer, but... When I use the 1080p resolution, I need to use Underscan, and the colors change, the fonts get all blurry and overall definition goes really bad. Really seems like a TV setting.
Maybe okay to watch a movie, but not to work in Photoshop and get design work done properly.
The external display only has HDMI + VGA inputs.
So I guess the next step is to try finding a different connector (mini-display to VGA) But I am now in Chile, Patagonia, and believe me, this will be quite a challenge to find !!! Also, no way to buy at Apple online store and get it shipped here in Chile... :-(((

Satellite L500 - How to show external display after closing lid?

Hi,
i`m using the Satellite L500-120 Notebook, and before installing Windows 7 the laptop had a very comfortable function, when i applied an external display.
When i closed the lid of my notebook, the desktop was shown on my external display (with the native resolution of the external display), so i didn`t have to
switch anything at the Control Panel. In Windows 7, i`m missing this function. I already tried to use the Control Panel, but there are no settings, which fits
with the earlier ones. I can duplicate the display, in order to see my desktop screen at my external display, but with the notebook resolution of 1366 x 768.
If i extend the displays, then there is only the background image at the external display, but this time with the native resolution.
So my question is, how to conifgure Windows to recognize that i closed the lid, and that the desktop screen has to be shown on my external display?
Or do i have to install one of the Toshiba applications, which i had before, that realized this function?
Thanks for any help!

Hi
Im not a Windows 7 user because I will wait until it will be released offical but I hope I can help you a little bit:
First of all in Power Management you can choose the action what happens if you close the Lid (e. g. sleep, turn off, etc.). This action should be disabled because otherwise the notebook will shut down or something else.
Then I think you have to install the display driver for your notebook. You can try the Vista driver because the most of them are work on Windows 7.
Then you should be able to set the correct screen resolution for external monitor.
A working display driver is important for clone or extends monitors so check this!!

My external display is showing up as a second desktop after I unplug.

Hi,
I was using an external display on my macbook pro. I unplugged the display and noticed I can swipe with four fingers to the display on my macbook pro after the external display is disconnected. It seems like the computer is going to be working extra hard for no reason.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Austin

It seems to be growing every time I plug in my external monitor. Now I have 4 desktops.
I am also using FCPX with this set up. Maybe this is causing the problem?
Help!

External display show even if disconected

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for