External display won't sleep

I just purchased an NEC PA271 27" LCD display for my Mac Pro. It's beautiful, clear and sharp, but there's one problem: it won't sleep.
When I put the computer to sleep or shut it down, the monitor doesn't go into sleep mode. The blue LED on the front is supposed to turn amber, indicating sleep, but it doesn't.
I've tried resetting the SMC and PRAM, as well as repairing permissions, to no avail.
Any ideas?

I should also mention that I didn't have any problems with my ACD 23" previously, so it would seem to be an issue with this particular display and how it communicates with my Mac Pro.

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External display won't work on Window

Hi can anyone please help me in this? when I using window XP, my external display won't display out but when I'm using MAC OS X it work well, why? please help... Thanks

I can only help if you are using an NVidia graphics card, as with that you can use the NVidia Control Panel to setup the external display.
Connect the display
Start NVidia Control panel
Select the Display icon
Then select Change Display Configuration
There you can set the resolution, extend the screen or create a copy et.c.
Hope that helps...

Display won't sleep after being in suspend once.

When rebooting the computer, the display sleeps after set interval and can manually be put to sleep using shift+ctrl+eject.
However if the computer goes to sleep or I myself close the lid to make it sleep, the display won't sleep again.
The display won't sleep after set interval in power settings and when I press shift+ctrl+eject the keyboard backlit turns off but the screen stays on.
The only way to make it sleep is to close the lid.
I have tried resetting SMC and NVRAM but to no avail.
I have the first generation aluminium macbook.
Does anyone else have this problem?
I have had this problem both in 10.6 and 10.8
Regards Robin Hansson

When rebooting the computer, the display sleeps after set interval and can manually be put to sleep using shift+ctrl+eject.
However if the computer goes to sleep or I myself close the lid to make it sleep, the display won't sleep again.
The display won't sleep after set interval in power settings and when I press shift+ctrl+eject the keyboard backlit turns off but the screen stays on.
The only way to make it sleep is to close the lid.
I have tried resetting SMC and NVRAM but to no avail.
I have the first generation aluminium macbook.
Does anyone else have this problem?
I have had this problem both in 10.6 and 10.8
Regards Robin Hansson

Display won't sleep and screen saver won't sart

I upgraded to the new OS and the display won't sleep and screen saver won't come on. Help please.

Long shot.
Do a backup.
Quit the application.
In Finder hold down the option/alt key while selecting the Go menu item. Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.
Restart the computer, open the application and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.
If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer ones.
If you want to make your user library permanently visible, run the below command in Applications/Utilities/Terminal.
chflags nohidden ~/Library/
You will need to do that after any updates.

External Display Won't Recognize in Native Resolution

I have a 40" Sony Bravia 1080p TV. I'm currently hooking it up using mini display adapter to vga, then vga into the PC port in the TV.
Display preferences recognizes the TV as a VGA display. which is fine, however it won't display in the 1920 x 1080 60HZ setting.
Sometimes display preferences recognizes the external display (TV) as a SONY TV. When this happens, it allows me to select a 1080p setting, which works great.
Does anyone know why my mac recognizes the external display as VGA display one time, then a SONY TV the next?
is there any way to manually set what type of external display is hooked up?
It's not a huge issue, but it's frustrating, and i don't understand it.
Any help is appreciated!

Probably the TV needs to be turned on before the Mac. And when the Sony is switched away from the TV to another input and then switched back to VGA, that's probably when the Mac loses connection to the TV's identity.
You could try the Detect Displays command when that happens, or else try unplugging and replugging the the VGA connector. That's a pain but it might work.
If you want a real permanent solution, something like the Gefen DVI Detective will work. It was designed to fix problems like this.

External display won't go away unless I restart my MacBook

If I connect an external display to my MacBook it still think it's connected after the cable is disconnected. When I use "Detect Displays" it still thinks the external is connected. The only way I can get the computer back to using only 1 monitor is by restarting. I connect and disconnect the external monitor quite frequently so it's annoying to have to restart every time I want one monitor back.
Anyone else encountered this or know how to fix it?

I think it's supposed to work that way. Simply unplugging will not "reset" the Mac to go from two displays to one display. Try putting the Mac to sleep, disconnecting the display, and waking it up.

When I'm on a Skype, Mac Air display won't sleep?

I often have a Skype call connected as my boyfriend and I are having a long distance. The display would sleep when I was having a call and out of the room when I was using OS X 10.6.8
but since I've changed to use mountain Lion 10.8.2, It won't sleep.......
I think its hurting my display for keeping a long time on.
What's the problem?

I've already unchecked "Wake for Wi-Fi Network Access" but its not working...
but the problem has just happened after I upgraded my OS...
I wont end it... because we r in different time zone so he would like to keep it connected when he's sleeping....
help ><!

New iMac display won't sleep?

Hi, new iMac 24", 10.5.7, set screen saver at 5 minutes, and display to sleep at 10 minutes. Screen saver works, but it will not sleep. I've changed the setting, and rebooted, still no luck.
I tried everything from suggestions, with no help. I found that if I turn off "screen sharing" in system preferences, it will sleep the display for whatever minutes I set. I have to leave "screen sharing" on because I have flat screen tv hooked up to watch video files on, and I use iPhone app to control screen, to hit play and pause, etc. It is set up with a password, and only my iPhone is used when I am watching something. Why should screen sharing stop display from sleeping? I've left screen sharing on since I got this, so I can remotely log in with "back to my mac" from the road, and it never stopped the display from sleeping before? I shouldn't have to turn off screen sharing just to sleep the display? Am I missing something?

This is for a Mac that won't sleep.
Here is KB article HT1776 with their tips.
Mine follow;
USB devices and hubs often cause Macs to not sleep or wake quickly from sleep (notably HP printers and scanners, HP all in ones, and Cannon scanners). Disconnect all USB except for keyboard and mouse and try. If it sleeps, add one back at a time testing after each one to find the culprit.
If you've set your Mac to receive faxes, it may not be able to sleep. It might also have a damaged preferences file.
If you use your Mac for faxing, open System Preferences. click Print & Fax, click the Faxing tab, and uncheck the Receive Faxes On This Computer box.If that doesn't work or you've never faxed on your Mac, go to Finder/Hard Drive /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and delete the com.apple.PowerManagement.plist and com..apple.AutoWake.plist files (if your Mac asks, type your admin. password).
If the latter file isn't present in the folder, go to user name(probably your name)/Library/Preferences, delete the com.apple.systemuiserver.plist file, and reboot your Mac.
Hope this helps!
P.S. One member here reported this (Michael Gleason);
"I have had this problem with my IMac G5. It is surprisingly irritating. LaCie's Silverkeeper backup software was the cause. By default it gave itself permission to wake up the computer to check if a backup was needed. Do you have this or a similar program installed which has scheduled activities including wake-up permissions as an option?"
Dave Hamilton provided this link, xlr8yourmac.com, to a member, which addresses failure of deep sleep with some users that updated and added new FireWire and USB card.
Also, here is Apple KB article TA2469 about PCI cards and sleep.
tomhorvat adds this; After few days of messing around I found out that I had desktop background (wallpaper) set to change every 1 minute.
After unchecking "Change picture..." in system preferences (under Desktop/Screen saver), my powerbook went to sleep all by itself.
Tristan Currier noticed this; "I have a Canon printer(shared) and my imac would not sleep. I opened up printer/fax in system prefs and noticed it said the printer was in use when it was off. Opened up the printer queue and noticed about 7 pending documents. Deleted them all and now it sleeps.
Check the printer queue!"
Allan Jones says "sometimes there is Network activity: launch System Preferences > Energy Saver > "Options" tab and uncheck "Wake for Ethernet network administrator access."
Good Luck!  DALE

Why does my external display go to sleep when opening an X11 window?

I'm on a 27in late 2012 iMac with Yosemite. I recently added an external monitor connected through one of the Thunderbolt ports (with a VGA adapter). I use X11 frequently - when I open an X11 program in the external monitor or drag an X11 window into that space, much of the time the display goes to sleep immediately, until I either drag the window back out or exit X11. Does anybody know why this is happening? Sometimes I can open X11 applications right through terminal in the new display, but even then they frequently look unstable, flashing and blinking.
Thank you!

Try resetting PRAM and SMC.
Reset PRAM: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14222
Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the appropriate method.
"Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own".

External Display won't work in clamshell mode

Hi - I can't get my external display to work with the MacBook in clamshell mode - It works fine with the lid open.
I'm using it with the apple bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
I've obviously changed a setting without realising - can anyone help.
Thank You.
Ash
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010)
Mac OS X 10.6.8

Sorry - I've now got it to work.
I don't know how - I just went through all the settings one by one, switched them off and back on again and it now works - I have to assume it is 'user error' but I can't work out which bit

External display won't work over DVI

I've got an ViewSonic vx2025wm hooked up to my MacBook Pro. It used to work fine over DVI, but some time ago the monitor stopped being able to detect the signal and I had to switch over to VGA (via my Apple DVI-to-VGA adapter). That works fine at the full resolution of the external display, but the image quality leaves something to be desired.
Strangely, the external display works just fine in Windows XP via Boot Camp. Oh, the irony!
Any ideas on how to get this working again? I dread the OS X re-install.

Same problem here. Had a Dell 30" monitor plugged in for a long time. Suddenly stopped working yesterday. The symptoms: the Mac detects the external display and "thinks" it's got it there (I can tell because the active content of the window is gone on the laptop's screen), but the display does not successfully see the output from the Mac (it shines its orange "no signal" light).
Restarting does not seem to help.
I should test it with a new display cable, but am a little reluctant to do this, as the dual link DVI cables required for this monitor are so expensive, and because previous posters on this topic have tried swapping cables with no result.

Brand new Macbook 13" - external display won't detect through mini dvi-dvi

As per title, it's a brand new Macbook 13" white plastic, (so version is whatever the recent model is.)
As the adaptors are an absolute rip-off, my brother posted me his old one, which he swears was working, and I have no reason to disbelieve him. I've not got another mac to test it on. If it IS the adaptor, then I'll just have to mortgage the house and buy a new one, but I'd like to rule out anything first...(why DO Apple insist on making what must be several thousand % markup on Chinese stuff when it's an essential thing that should have been provided with the Mac like they used to? Anyway....)
What happens is that it either flickers once, or just does nothing. Either way, it doesn't detect another display. Anything else I could or should try before I splash the cash?

How are you getting from miniDVI to HDMI? (adapter(s) type?)
Have you been able to test your macbook on another tv (or DVI monitor?)
It could be a software thing (e.g. related to a system update) as in this thread:
Macbook (Late 2007) External Display Not Working
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2055760&tstart=45
Or it could be something else entirely more mysterious:
Macbook stopped working with a certain specific display (external DVI)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2081807&tstart=0

External Display won't go Fullscreen

I have an Intel-based iMac running Snow Leopard with an external display connected. I want to display fullscreen video on the external display but I'm having problems. Specifically, here is what happens:
Firstly, the displays are not mirrored - which is how I want it.
Secondly, if I pop up an application - e.g. Safari running some flash video - then go to fullscreen, the video displays on the iMac screen - which is what I would expect. However, if I drag the window to the external monitor and then go fullscreen, the iMac monitor (not the external) goes fullscreen - not want I want.
I've found that I move the menu bar to the external monitor (via system prefs) then the external does indeed go fullscreen - but that's not what I want.
So my question is: how do I keep the menu bar on the iMac but the fullscreen video on the external?
Can anyone advise what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks.

I had this problem with an early version of Safari 4. One of the updates fixed it. Are you using the current 4.0.4?
Also, does this happen if you do the same thing with FireFox, Camino, or other browser? How about iTunes, QuickTime Player, or DVD Player?
If it's only in Safari, you can also try trashing the Safari user preference file. It is located at
<user home folder>/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist
With Safari not running, move the file to your Desktop, then run Safari so that a new preference file is created.
Note: Some apps have a setting in their preferences that controls which screen gets the +full screen+. So no matter where the window is located, that screen gets the full screen. Safari is NOT one of them.

Laptop display won't sleep

I just upgraded from 10.3.9 to 10.4.8, and I’m almost completely satisfied except for one last thing: I play a MMORPG that runs in full-screen mode, and when I was running 10.3.9, the display eventually became dim and shut down after several minutes in accordance with my preferences in Energy Saver. This is not happening in 10.4.8. What do I do? I jiggered my screensaver and display-sleep times, but this hasn’t worked. Thanks very much. Peace.
PS, how do I get file sizes to display when I do a search in the upper right-hand corner of a finder window like I used to?

I meant to say, there are times that one leaves the game running while one leaves the computer for hours at a time, and the display eventually dimmed and went to sleep while the game was running in full-screen mode. Anyway, the laptop display isn't sleeping since I upgraded to 10.4.8 from 10.3.9, so how should I set my preferences? Peace.

Display won't sleep after upgrade to 10.4.4

I ran the update to 10.4.4 today and now my display will not sleep. Since then, I have:
1. Ran the fix permissions utility
2. Restarted, zapped p-ram
3. Deleted the preference file in /Library/Preferences that houses the energy saver configuration, then reconfigured.
Any other ideas? I did not change any of my settings after running the updater and this had been working fine since purchasing the computer.

A number of sleep-related issues can appear after incremental Mac OSX updates, including the inability to properly go to sleep, problems waking from sleep, and having your display go to sleep without your Mac going to sleep. The most common culprit is Bluetooth. Try these tips to fix your sleep problems.
WAKE UP
In System Preferences>Bluetooth, uncheck Allow Bluetooth Devices To Wake This Computer. If you are using a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard, you'll have to wake your Mac by pressing the power button.
FILE CORRUPTION
Your Bluetooth preference file may be corrupt-you'll need to delete it. Turn Bluetooth off, then go to the /Users/user name/Library/Preferences folder. Look for a file called com.apple.Bluetooth.plist and trash it.The OS will create a new preference file when you enable Bluetooth again.
ENERGY SAVER
If you have issues with a Mac or display that goes to sleep at inappropriate times, you may have a problem with Energy Saver. Delete the following .plist files and restart:
-/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.PowerManagement.plist
-/Users/username/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systemuiserver.plist--(username is your name or System Administrators name).
-/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.AutoWake.plist
A restart is very important after deleting these plists. After a reboot your Mac will then generate new ones.
In some cases, running MacOS X's cron tasks-maintenance that the OS performs automatically if you leave your Mac on 24 hours a day-can resolve many sleep problems. If you don't want to leave your Mac on, you can use MacJanitor, Yasu, or OnyX free at Versiontracker.com.
Some, in these forums, have had luck fixing sleep issues downloading the Combo update from this site (yours may be corrupt), not Software Update, disconnect all firewire + USB devices except keyboard + mouse, Repair Permissions, re-install update, Repair Permissions again + try.
Yours would be the 10.4.4 Combo update. Others reading, download the combo update that applies to you!
Cheers!
DALE

External display won't sleep

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