External Monitor Clam Shell

Hi, I have a new june 2009 15 macbook pro and an external monitor hooked up to it. The awakening and everything works, but here's my question:
The computer gets hot, real hot... What are the effects of the labtop's monitor and internals with using it when it's closed? The top of the computer gets really hot, and the screen, even though not on, is basically touching is while closed. I do high performance video rendering and don't know if I should use my computer in clamshell mode while doing this. My old 17" has screen bending and I don't know if it is because of this.
Thanks,
Sam

I think I'll just crack it open a little bit after I put it in clamshell. Really the only part I'm worried about is the top, in inbetween the top row of keys and where the hinge is. Putting my fingers on that, I notice significant heat, with my CPUs runnning at 140F.
After running for about 15 minutes while fully closed, I opened the computer and felt the bottom of the actual screen: It was pretty hot. That's my biggest fear. Morphing on the bottom, where the lid bows out. It happened to my old 17".

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External monitor only works with clam shell open

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Are you using the method in this Apple article? If you do, it should work.
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External Screen Stopping Safari When Clam Shell Closed

I have connected my 2008 unibody Macbook to an external screen. Everything runs fine while the Macbook is open, but when I close the clam shell Safari becomes almost unresponsive and will not open any page.
But as soon as I open the clam shell again everything works fine.
Any thoughts?

I think I'll just crack it open a little bit after I put it in clamshell. Really the only part I'm worried about is the top, in inbetween the top row of keys and where the hinge is. Putting my fingers on that, I notice significant heat, with my CPUs runnning at 140F.
After running for about 15 minutes while fully closed, I opened the computer and felt the bottom of the actual screen: It was pretty hot. That's my biggest fear. Morphing on the bottom, where the lid bows out. It happened to my old 17".

Using Expose on external monitor only?

Hello All,
I have 2011 mbp that i sometimes use with an external monitor, with the monitor being my only display (closed clam-shell mode). I encountered a problem where the hot corners do not work? for some reason only the upper left corner works on the external display. if i use hot corners on my laptop screen, all the corners work? (I am not sure if this is relevant to solving this issue, but I use a wireless mouse when i use my external display.)
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We went through a similar discussion with the placement of the Dock with multiple displays, and found by experiment that the dock is placed on the specified edge of the main display (bottom, left, right), unless that edge was extended by an adjacent display along that edge, in which case the Dock was placed on the edge of the Extended Desktop.
I think Capt Fred is saying something similar for this as well.

Yosemite: Turning off Macbook Pro screen (lid open) with external monitor connected

Here we go again, this worked pre-Yosemite. Now it seems this trick no longer works. After following these steps again the screen on my Macbook Pro now turns on after logging in and opening the clam shell.
Anyone figure out/know a way to turn off the screen on the Macbook Pro with external monitors plugged in? (yes, closing the clam shell–but I'm referring to keeping the clam shell open with the display turned off)
http://gizmodo.com/5938452/a-trick-to-make-using-an-external-monitor-with-your-m acbook-way-better
To execute in Terminal:
sudo nvram boot-args="iog=0x0"
To undo in Terminal:
sudo nvram -d boot-args
Once you type it into terminal I believe you need to enter your password. I then restart my machine. Now the TRICK is to either restart your machine with the lid already closed (hit restart then slam the lid!) OR turn the machine on for the first time (then quickly slam the lid!) once you are past the login screen you can open the lid.

Has anyone experimented with tip 2 (active corners)? Perhaps it still works.
http://www.cultofmac.com/176329/turn-off-internal-lcd-display-of-your-macbook-ai r-os-x-tips/
Κοσμά τι λες; Τα έχεις μπερδέψει. Άλλο συζητάμε εδώ. Το ότι δεν μπορείς πια να δουλεύεις μόνο με την εξωτερική οθόνη (να έχεις σβηστή την ενσωματωμένη οθόνη όταν έχεις συνδεμένη εξωτερική).

Photoshop color problem on external monitor

I'm using MacBook w/ OS X Snow Leopard, NEC LCD2490 monitor attached, both displays calibrated. I found at some point that colors in Photoshop were WAY off on the NEC. Images looked "correct" in Lightroom on the NEC, but when opened in PS I had massive color shift and desaturation, e.g. purple flowers became dull gray-blue. I could drag the same image to the laptop and it appeared "correct" in both LR and PS. I checked color settings, etc. and couldn't find a problem, but presumably that would render the image incorrectly on both monitors. Most significantly, the image appears "correct" even on the NEC monitor when the laptop display is off (clam shell mode). Summary: Dual monitors: LR/PS correct on laptop display, LR correct on NEC but PS is WAY off. Using external monitor only: image displays correctly in both LR/PS. I suspect this is a hardware/firmware/OS problem vs. PS. Anybody else have this problem?

Snow Leopard has some known problems with color managing external monitors. We've been looking into it and notified Apple (as have a few other color management experts).

External Monitor - Max Recommended Resolution

I am planning on setting up a desktop situation for my laptop for when I am using it at home (for more screen real estate / comfort). The Nvidia information page says the 9400M can output up to 2560x1600.
I am wondering what is the recommended maximum resolution to try to drive with my Macbook? When I am using it with the external monitor I plan to have it in clam shell mode so all the graphic resources are used on the single display. I just won't want my external monitor to have to high of a resolution which may cause the graphical portions of OSX to slow down / lag.
Thanks for your input .

Ideal because when I go shopping for a LCD monitor I'll look for one specifically with a 1920x1200 native resolution. Can you believe the only current computer monitors are all CRT? Haha! I've been a bit slow in updating in computer display technology .
It is good to hear that a higher resolution won't make the operating system chug. I didn't think it would, but I wanted to be sure. This is my first time using a mobile graphics card.
Thanks for the help .

How do I use an external monitor on my MacBook. v.NoLCD

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F7 use to be the keyboard shortcut to switch between mirrored or extended desktop. You are stuck in extended desktop. Try pressing F7 or maybe fn-F7 to put it into mirrored mode, then you can go to preferences and set up the primary.
If the F7 key doesn't work, try using your Mac Pros' keyboard and mouse hooked to the Macbook then close the lid on the Macbook and wiggly the mouse or press some keys and maybe it will go into Clam shell mode.

How to blank laptop screen when using external monitor/

Hi there
I need some help with figuring out how to configure my xorg.conf for my Arch Linux 64 bit installation on a HP Pavilion dv 5000 laptop so that I can automatically blank my laptop screen when using an external monitor. I have Arch Linux installed along with Ubuntu Feisty. In Ubuntu my external monitor (Viewsonic 1912WB) was not detected at the time of installation but with the native 1280X800 resolution that is good for the laptop takes effect for the external monitor automatically when the external monitor is plugged in. The laptop monitor goes blank when the external monitor is plugged in.
In my Arch Linux installation I have not been able to configure a dual head configuration using the ATI Radeon drivers (fglrx). I have the native 1280X800 resolution set up for the laptop monitor and this resolution takes effect for the external monitor also. However the laptop monitor also continues to function when the external monitor is plugged in. I would like to blank the laptop monitor when using the external monitor.
I am attaching my Arch Linux xorg.conf and the Ubuntu xorg.conf below. Thanks for anyone who can help, I am having a lot of difficulty in figuring out how to set up xorg.conf among all the things that I have had to learn so far in Linux and I am a relative newcomer to the whole thing. I have tried to compare the two xorg.conf files and edit my Arch xorg.conf in accordance with the Ubuntu one but it did not work and I keep getting errors!
I am using XFCE as my Desktop environment.
Arch Linux xorg.conf
# File generated by xorgconfig.
# Copyright 2004 The X.Org Foundation
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
# copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
# to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
# the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
# and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
# Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
# The X.Org Foundation BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF
# OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
# SOFTWARE.
# Except as contained in this notice, the name of The X.Org Foundation shall
# not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other
# dealings in this Software without prior written authorization from
# The X.Org Foundation.
# Refer to the xorg.conf(5) man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# Module section -- this section is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# Files section. This allows default font and rgb paths to be set
# Server flags section.
# Input devices
# Core keyboard's InputDevice section
# Core Pointer's InputDevice section
# Other input device sections
# this is optional and is required only if you
# are using extended input devices. This is for example only. Refer
# to the xorg.conf man page for a description of the options.
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "Mouse2"
# Driver "mouse"
# Option "Protocol" "MouseMan"
# Option "Device" "/dev/mouse2"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "spaceball"
# Driver "magellan"
# Option "Device" "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "spaceball2"
# Driver "spaceorb"
# Option "Device" "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "touchscreen0"
# Driver "microtouch"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
# Option "MinX" "1412"
# Option "MaxX" "15184"
# Option "MinY" "15372"
# Option "MaxY" "1230"
# Option "ScreenNumber" "0"
# Option "ReportingMode" "Scaled"
# Option "ButtonNumber" "1"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "touchscreen1"
# Driver "elo2300"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
# Option "MinX" "231"
# Option "MaxX" "3868"
# Option "MinY" "3858"
# Option "MaxY" "272"
# Option "ScreenNumber" "0"
# Option "ReportingMode" "Scaled"
# Option "ButtonThreshold" "17"
# Option "ButtonNumber" "1"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection
# Monitor section
# Any number of monitor sections may be present
# Graphics device section
# Any number of graphics device sections may be present
# Standard VGA Device:
# Device configured by xorgconfig:
# Screen sections
# Any number of screen sections may be present. Each describes
# the configuration of a single screen. A single specific screen section
# may be specified from the X server command line with the "-screen"
# option.
# ServerLayout sections.
# Any number of ServerLayout sections may be present. Each describes
# the way multiple screens are organised. A specific ServerLayout
# section may be specified from the X server command line with the
# "-layout" option. In the absence of this, the first section is used.
# When now ServerLayout section is present, the first Screen section
# is used alone.
# Section "DRI"
# Mode 0666
# EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
# The Identifier line must be present
# Each Screen line specifies a Screen section name, and optionally
# the relative position of other screens. The four names after
# primary screen name are the screens to the top, bottom, left and right
# of the primary screen. In this example, screen 2 is located to the
# right of screen 1.
# Each InputDevice line specifies an InputDevice section name and
# optionally some options to specify the way the device is to be
# used. Those options include "CorePointer", "CoreKeyboard" and
# "SendCoreEvents".
Identifier "Simple Layout"
Screen 0 "aticonfig-Screen[0]" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection
Section "Files"
# The location of the RGB database. Note, this is the name of the
# file minus the extension (like ".txt" or ".db"). There is normally
# no need to change the default.
# RgbPath "/usr/share/X11/rgb"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)
# FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"
# FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/local/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/TrueType/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/freefont/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
# The module search path. The default path is shown here.
# ModulePath "/usr/lib/modules"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"
EndSection
Section "Module"
# This loads the DBE extension module.
# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
# This loads the font modules
# Load "type1"
# This loads the GLX module
# Load "glx"
# This loads the DRI module
# Load "dri"
Load "dbe" # Double buffer extension
SubSection "extmod"
Option    "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection
Load "freetype"
# Load "xtt"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
# For most OSs the protocol can be omitted (it defaults to "Standard").
# When using XQUEUE (only for SVR3 and SVR4, but not Solaris),
# uncomment the following line.
# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"
# Option "LeftAlt" "Meta"
# Option "RightAlt" "ModeShift"
# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"
# These are the default XKB settings for Xorg
# Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
# Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
# Option "XkbLayout" "us"
# Option "XkbVariant" ""
# Option "XkbOptions" ""
# Option "XkbDisable"
Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "kbd"
Option    "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
Option    "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option    "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option    "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier and driver
# the following line.
# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"
# Mouse-speed setting for PS/2 mouse.
# Option "Resolution" "256"
# Baudrate and SampleRate are only for some Logitech mice. In
# almost every case these lines should be omitted.
# Option "BaudRate" "9600"
# Option "SampleRate" "150"
# Mouse wheel mapping. Default is to map vertical wheel to buttons 4 & 5,
# horizontal wheel to buttons 6 & 7. Change if your mouse has more than
# 3 buttons and you need to map the wheel to different button ids to avoid
# conflicts.
# Emulate3Timeout is the timeout in milliseconds (default is 50ms)
# Option "Emulate3Buttons"
# Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
# ChordMiddle is an option for some 3-button Logitech mice
# Option "ChordMiddle"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option    "Protocol" "Auto" # Auto detect
Option    "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
# When using XQUEUE, comment out the above two lines, and uncomment
Option    "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
# Emulate3Buttons is an option for 2-button mice
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync is in kHz unless units are specified.
# HorizSync may be a comma separated list of discrete values, or a
# comma separated list of ranges of values.
# NOTE: THE VALUES HERE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. REFER TO YOUR MONITOR'S
# USER MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT NUMBERS.
# HorizSync 30-64 # multisync
# HorizSync 31.5, 35.2 # multiple fixed sync frequencies
# HorizSync 15-25, 30-50 # multiple ranges of sync frequencies
# VertRefresh is in Hz unless units are specified.
# VertRefresh may be a comma separated list of discrete values, or a
# comma separated list of ranges of values.
# NOTE: THE VALUES HERE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. REFER TO YOUR MONITOR'S
# USER MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT NUMBERS.
Identifier "My Monitor"
HorizSync 30.0 - 62.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 70.0
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "aticonfig-Monitor[0]"
Option    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option    "DPMS" "true"
EndSection
Section "Device"
# The chipset line is optional in most cases. It can be used to override
# the driver's chipset detection, and should not normally be specified.
# Chipset "generic"
# The Driver line must be present. When using run-time loadable driver
# modules, this line instructs the server to load the specified driver
# module. Even when not using loadable driver modules, this line
# indicates which driver should interpret the information in this section.
# The BusID line is used to specify which of possibly multiple devices
# this section is intended for. When this line isn't present, a device
# section can only match up with the primary video device. For PCI
# devices a line like the following could be used. This line should not
# normally be included unless there is more than one video device
# intalled.
# BusID "PCI:0:10:0"
# VideoRam 256
# Clocks 25.2 28.3
Identifier "Standard VGA"
Driver "vga"
VendorName "Unknown"
BoardName "Unknown"
EndSection
Section "Device"
#VideoRam 131072
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
Identifier "* Generic VESA compatible"
Driver "vesa"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "aticonfig-Device[0]"
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen 1"
Device "* Generic VESA compatible"
Monitor "My Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 8
Modes "1280x800" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
Modes "1280x800" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]"
Device "aticonfig-Device[0]"
Monitor "aticonfig-Monitor[0]"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Ubuntu xorg.conf
# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf(5) manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg
Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
# path to defoma fonts
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "i2c"
Load "bitmap"
Load "ddc"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
Load "int10"
Load "vbe"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizScrollDelta" "0"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Technologies Inc ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 5955 (PCIE)"
Driver "ati"
BusID "PCI:1:5:0"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "ATI Technologies Inc ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 5955 (PCIE)"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Configured Mouse"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection
Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection

Xrandr 1.2 provides means for this. But today the only supported configuration is xorg-server-1.3 + xf86-video-intel-2.0. So for Radeon you'll have to wait for drivers that support Randr 1.2.
On my laptop (Thinkpad x60s) that would be:
xrandr --output VGA --auto
xrandr --output LVDS --off

MacBook Pro 13 + LG W2240T - No external monitor display

Hi all. Have a brand new MacBook Pro 13 and LG W2240T connected with the MiniDisplay-->DVI-D adaptor. When I plug in the adaptor the screen on the Macbook flashes, the LG immediately says "DVI-D Power Save Mode" and then goes black. When I click "Detect Displays" it shows that no external monitor is attached. If I unplug the connector the MacBook display flashes. I think the Macbook is seeing something but it isnt sending a signal to the display. If I unplug the cable from the monitor I get a general "check signal" message floating around the screen. Dont think it is a problem with the screen. I dont want to have to shell out another $30 for a MiniDisplay -->VGA adaptor and use an analogue signal with the beautiful new digital display.
Any hints or suggestions appreciated.

I'm having the same trouble. Actually, my Macbook detects the monitor but no signal is reaching it. I am using a DVI-A cable from what I can tell. There appears to be a DVI-D or DVI-2 type cable available as well.
The connection is as follows:
Macbook Mini Display Video output to (Mini Display/DVI adaptor) then the DVI-A cable to a DVI/VGA adapptor (sub-D monitor connector) to the external video monitor input. I can see a "No Signal" message when I use a "picture in picture" function on the external monitor screen but get just a black screen with the monitor set to full screen VGA input.
So do we think the trouble is the type of DVI cable or is there some further Mac secret handshake that I need to prompt the output from the Macbook. The odd thing (to me anyway) is that the Macbook recognizes the monitor by its brand and model number after doing a "Discover Monitors" search. But the signal does not reach the monitor and I don't know if there is anything else I need to do or if it just doesn't work.
Further info is that I just tried disconnecting the DVI input, which I use as the main video connection to my monitor and I get the stock "arora" screen image from the Macbook but that's not what is currently being viewed on the Macbook screen. So perhaps I can just set the Macbook to "Mirror" the displays and use the DVI connector. The trouble with that is that the DVI connector is occupied on both of my external monitors. I haven't even tried the other monitor yet as it's a plasma TV in another location.
What do you guys and gals think is the best and most cost effective fix here? I just want to be able to output signal from my Macbook onto the larger displays so that I can work more comfortably.

External monitor slowing down my MacBook pro

I recently hooked up a brand new external Acer G205HV monitor to my 15" MacBook Pro (4gb RAM) using the mini display port to DVI adapter from Apple. I have an GeForce 9400M graphics card with 256mb ram. Whenever I have the monitor plugged in it slows down my computer tremendously. When I do not use the monitor, my laptop is back to being lightening fast.
Expose` and the dashboard lag a ton, and basically the internet craps out. I can barely load websites and streaming video has become virtually impossible. I have tried running with the laptop open and in clam mode. Same result. At first I thought I had a virus, which would be very very rare, but after using the laptop without the monitor I realized that the monitor was slowing me down.
The max resolution that I am running the monitor at is 1600x900 @60Hz. The DVI adapter is supposed to support a much higher resolution than this. Is my graphics card the issue? Any help is appreciated. thanks!

I have the same problem with a spring 2008 MacBook (4,1) with 4 GB RAM running 10.5.8. Using a DVI external monitor, the wireless speed drops by at least half and usually more. This is the case whether using a Samsung 2443 BW at home or a Dell at work. I've tried different DVI cables, changing channels from 11 to 1, no difference.
Took it to the local Apple store where they had only a VGA monitor to test with and, strangely, the wireless was unaffected. It was a small ACER monitor, a 15-inch or so, not wide-screen. Have had no other opportunities to try a VGA monitor, as I don't have a mini-DVI to VGA adapter.
But I wonder if there's something there?
Don

External monitor stopped working!!

My external monitor just stopped working today as soon as i upgraded to Mac OS 10.6.4 from 10.6.2.
When I unplug it and plug it back the screen goes blue very briefly but then nothing happens.
I tried the detect display button, I tried resetting the PRAM and nothing's working.
I really need to get that monitor to work. Help would be greatly appreciate.
Thank you

Yep, have the same problem using a 3rd party cablesson mdp-hdmi adapter. Everything worked fine until quite recently. I have tried pretty much everything to fix it but nothing seems to work. I'm almost convinced it's an OS problem, as everything works fine when I boot into my windows bootcamp partition.
Apple, please get this sorted! I'm reluctant to shell out $35 only to find that I have the exact same problem with the official adapter. Though I probably will anyway because I urgently need to get my display working again.

External monitor going blank!

Hello,
I have a exrernal Dell 24' monitor that has been working 100% ok for years on my macbook now am running 10.7.2.
I use the mac in clam mode and using the Dell as the main monitor.
Today I have a problem as after around 10mins of uses the monitor went to sleep! pluging the monitor in to other devices helped to provide its fine.
I rebooted the macbook and still the monitor would not come on!
I done the Shift + Control and power, Command + Option + R+P and the booted in to safe mode and this restored the display :-)
But it kepts on happing every few hours and even sometime the display will come it by its self!
Are odd!
Please can someone help?

Reset the PRAM
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
Reset the SMC
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
If you have another computer or device that could you attach to the monitor to check if it does it over multiple devices?
Also do you have another external monitor or projector to hook up and see if the same thing happens there?
Rule out if it's the MB or if it's the monitor. If you're still under AppleCare, or even if you're not, and are unable to do the above then I would suggest getting it taken in. Schedule a Genius bar appointment to get it looked at.

No "Clam shell" mode with MBP?

I have used powerbook with an external display and mouse with the lid closed (clam shell mode -as they call it). But when I try the same with MBP, I get the display for a few seconds and the mouse stops responding and the system seems to sleep. Waking up with the external keyboard/mouse makes the cycle reapeat - losing the display and MBP sleeping in few seconds.
No problem at all with the external display and mouse when the lid is open.
Any insights?

Do you have the power adapter plugged into the MacBook? If not, it will sleep after a few seconds.

T420s: External Monitor displays flashing Multiple Colors (a la Kanye West video) then shuts down

Has anyone seen this? I've had it happen to several T420s models. While connected to a docking station with the lid closed, the external monitors will just display flashing colors really quickly like in Kanye West's "All of The Lights" music video. Once the display is done, the laptop shuts off. When I first experienced it, it was on my personal laptop. I switched shells and popped my hdd into another one. It ended up happening again sometime down the line. It then happened to my boss' as well. Most recently I've had a colleague report the same issue. Does anyone have an idea as to what could be the issue?

I have the same problem too. I am not using any docking station. It occurs very rarely and I notice it happening when I connect to an external monitor or when in video calls. Happens both in Windows and Ubuntu. I tried switching to a different T420s laptop and I see the same behavior there too (but not as frequently as the other one).
M_Wilson's description of the issue is spot on. The screen flickers colorfully for about 15-20 seconds and then the laptop shuts off completely.
I also noticed sometimes that the laptop gets hot under the part where the display card is present (near the fan outlet vent on the left side). The laptop fan is running at full speed at that time.

External Monitor Clam Shell

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