Frustrated! Can't I use an external monitor?

I plugged in the adapter to my 17" LCD. My screen background appears on my LCD but that's it. No icons, no nothing, just the pic of my son. I changed my background settings on my Powerbook and nothing happened on the LCD. It just stays the same. The entire LCD is just a picture with no mouse, no icons - nothing. What am I doing wrong? Also, I thought on the Powerbooks, you can close the lid but the external monitor stays alive. On mine, it goes off when the lid is closed. Please help. Thanks

P.,
In yr System Preferences, there is a 'detect displays' function in Displays. You shd find what you need there by clicking on it & then 'arrangement.' In order to have windows or items on the 2nd display (external) you need to drag them there.
Here's the closed-lid tip: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86286
Hope this is helpful.
—Z.

Similar Messages

  • Can iMac be used as external monitor for old Mac Mini?

    I just bought a used Mac Mini PPC 1.4GHZ, 1GB Ram, 80GB HD. It will be shipped to my parents out of state but until then I need to configure it at home. Can I connect it to my iMac 20"?
    In other words, is there any way to turn off the direct connect of the iMac's internal workings to the screen and have the screen used temporarily by a different computer?

    Although you can "remote control" any Mac from your iMac20" through a network connection (using Screen Sharing in Leopard, or free VNC software in earlier OSX releases), you will need a real monitor to do the initial set up of the Mini - including the steps necessary to activate screen sharing.
    The only iMac that had any video input ability was the original CRT Bondi blue iMac from many years ago. Your iMac has video output, but no video input.

  • Can I use an external monitor as an extension to my workspace

    Could anyone please tell me if I can use an external monitor such as an apple 20” or 30” display as an extension to my workspace. I am using an apple 17”1.5 power book & I would like to drag & drop[p photos etc. from one monitor to another etc.
    17"powerbook 1.5   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    yes, when you connect an external display you can either mirror the laptop display, or have it act as an extended desktop
    this needs the mac to support extended desktop rather than just mirroring, for instance i think ibooks can only mirror but powerbooks can do both

  • Can I use an external monitor in portrait mode?

    I do not yet own a Mac, but I am doing up-front research to know what to expect.
    I currently have a Samsung 204T LCD monitor (DVI) which allows rotating the display into portrait mode.
    I know that OS X supports using an external monitor to extend or mirror the desktop. Can an external monitor be configured for operating in portrait mode? I would expect that this requires the video driver to rotate the display before sending it to the monitor.

    I will leave this answer to my original question.
    I called Apple and was completely disappointed with their answer. They indicated that they would not answer such a question, since they deemed it to be "outside of the scope of Apple support" since my question was deemed "not a consumer-oriented
    question."
    So yesterday, I took my Samsung SyncMaster 204T monitor to the local Apple retailer to try it out on an actual system. I specifically tried it out on the 24" iMac with the nVidia 7300GT graphics card, since that is the system I was interested in.
    It turned out that this monitor works beautifully in portrait mode with the above system using Tiger 10.4.8.
    So, I went and bought it!!

  • When I close my laptop lid and it goes to sleep so that I can use an external monitor, monitor does not turn on when I hit a key to start laptop

    When I use my external monitor, I cannot get it to work after awakening my laptop using any key.  My monitor won't light up although laptop keyboard is backlit showing that it has come out of sleep mode.  Why does the monitor not get the signal from the laptop?

    I still cannot figure out why it doesn't always work.  All parameters were met and my bluetooth keyboard is set correctly to wake the computer.  My keyboard becomes backlit, but my LG monitor does not pick up a video signal and is black and my laptop monitor is off.  The only way I can get out is to hold on button on laptop until it shuts down and I can start up again.  This happens on an intermittent basis.  Sometimes it works and other times I get black screens.   I need to know if I can use command F1 to get the laptop to detect the display or is their another key combination to send the signal to the external monitor when I can't see anything because I hate to do a hard shut down to get out of this mode!  Please advise!

  • Can't see post on a Presario CQ56-219WM while using an external monitor

    I can't see any post info on a Presario CQ56-219WM while using an external monitor. The built-in monitor has been broken for some time and I've been using an external monitor via the vga port. Recently I had an issue with Windows and must now perform a system recovery. Whereas the built-in monitor does light up there is no portion that is viewable. It's damaged in a way that has everything totally distorted. I disconnected it hoping that the system would reroute directly to the external but unfortunately it didn't. I'm confident that my tinkering inside the laptop wasn't a factor since prior to disassembly the external monitor was never active until the system booted into Windows, plus I can reconnect the built-in monitor and it still lights up just as it did before.
    Is there any known keystrokes to activate the external during post?...other than the F4 key

    Hello Kerdomrikman,
    Welcome to the HP Forums.
    In regards to your question on known keystrokes to activate external during post, there aren't any. The graphics won't switch to external until after the post.
    What you can try, if your able to veiw the BIOS on the external you can run diagnostics from there.
    I hope this answers your question. Thank you for posting on the HP Forums.
    I worked on behalf of HP.

  • Can macbookpro be used with the lid closed while using multiple external monitors

    I want to use macbook pro with external monitors and be able to close the lid on the laptop, but can't figure out how to make that works with multiple monitors.  I currently use two external monitors with the laptop monitor as my third.  All are independent monitors and I accomplish this using the matrox diamond bvu-195 product (one for each external monitor).  Now I would like to add a third external monitor and be able to close the laptop lid - kind of like you would do with a docking station for a Windows laptop.  Anyone have any suggestions as to how to accomplish this?

    Connecting your present two external displays via USB has left your MBP's Mini-DisplayPort available for a third. Depending on the monitor's available inputs, buy a mini-Displayport-to-VGA, MDP-to-DVI, or MDP-to-HDMI adapter and the appropriate cable to make the connection. I would expect that adding a third monitor to your GPU's workload might cause your already slow USB-connected monitors to slow down farther, but you'll have to see whether that's true and, if so, how tolerable it is in your work.
    As for what will happen when you close the built-in display, I suspect that what happens if you do that now will continue to happen if you do it with a third monitor connected. If you can now close the display and run the machine in closed-clamshell mode, I expect you'll still be able to do so after adding the third external screen.

  • How do I use an external monitor with my MacBook??

    Hi,
    I recently purchased my MacBook, but when I am at home, I want to be able to use my MacBook like a normal computer, by plugging a keyboard, mouse and my existing LCD monitor to it.
    What do I need to purchase to enable this and what system settings do I need to adjust to get my monitor to work?
    Could I have my laptop closed while i am using my external monitor? How do I do this? I don't want my MacBook open, while I am using my monitor!! Can someone please give me a simple step by step guide on how to turn on and use my laptop which my external monitor plugged in.
    Thank you very much for your help.

    Can you read it ? http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3510076&#3510076
    Shortly,yes,if your Display connected,just close it and than click the mouse it'll wake up in external display.

  • My macbook has problems streaming video when using an external monitor

    I have a MacBook from 2007.  I have a converter so that the MacBook can be connected to an external monitor, and have connected it to my TV.  This works fine, but if I am streaming videos and trying to watch on the TV, the streaming becomes very choppy, almost like the wireless connection is too slow.  If I unplug the computer from the TV, however, the streaming returns to normal.  I previously connected to a TV with an S-video connection and the problem did not seem as prominent.  Now I am connecting to a HD tv using an HDMI connection.
    Any suggestions for how to alleviate this?  I haven't updated or upgraded the memory or RAM, possibly that would help?  Would the amount of files I am storing be causing the problem?  I currently have 50 GB available.
    Thanks for any help!
    Conor

    Make sure your Mac is set to a resolution and frequency that your monitor supports.
    The other possibility is that your graphics card is fried, but that seems unlikely since your computer is new. Before too long, you should make sure your graphics card is OK using the Apple Hardware Test, but I'm not sure how reliable that is because it claims that my partially broken graphics card is OK.

  • Use two external monitors

    Hi Guys!
    I am using a MacBook Pro early (2011), i also use an external Monitor. (Works fine -> mini displayport dvi adapter) !
    Yesterday, i tried to connect an older (VGA, i did not want to throw it away) monitor too, in order to use 2 Monitors + MacBookPro-Monitor!
    Is there a way to use these two external monitors?
    Thanx guys for your help, if this topic was discussed in the past, i apologize for this extra entry (May you can show its link)
    Greetings from Austria
    theFlow

    Hi MarcusL,
    Welcome to the HP Community, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
    I saw your post regarding using the two external monitors. You should be able to connect both. I have included two documents below depending on your operating system that will show you how to do it.
    Connecting a Monitor, Projector or TV (Windows 7)
    Connecting a Monitor, Projector or TV (Windows 8)
    Thank you,
    Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue.
    Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
    Thank you,
    BHK6
    I work on behalf of HP

  • Is it possible to use 2 external monitors?

    Hi,
    My name is Joe Chaplow, and I am new to the forum. Hello all.
    I want to set my Macbook Pro 15inch Mid 2009 model (2.8ghz with 512 dedicated vid ram and 256 for power saver mode) up so that I use two external monitors. I want to mirror the desktop (so I can slide programs from one screen to the other). If i use the mini dvi to dvi adapter and split the adapter, would this work? Thanks in advance.

    No, splitting won't work. You will find a discussion about the use of USB adaptors to use multiple monitors here. Here is another article.
    Matrox makes a special adaptor for adding multiple monitors to laptops.

  • How can I set up an external monitor to extend my screen in windows 7 bootcamp?

    How can I set up an external monitor to extend my screen in windows 7 bootcamp?  I have updated bootcamp to the latest version.  The monitor I have works while I am using Mac OS X. While in bootcamp the monitor is dectected and I am able to select the settings and displays however the external monitor remains alseep.  I hooked it up using a mini display port to VGA adapter.  Any suggestions?
    Thanks

    On your Windows desktop right click and select Screen resolution from the menu. You should see a window like this:
    Make sure you select Extend and then set your resolutions for each monitor.
    If this does not work for you try asking on a Windows forum about extending displays to a second monitor.

  • Why does my screen turn blue and freeze every time i try to plug in my 'mini display to hdmi' cable into my thunderbolt port in order to use an external monitor?

    why does my screen turn blue and freeze every time i try to plug in my 'mini display to hdmi' cable into my thunderbolt port in order to use an external monitor? it only works if i turn the computer on with it already plugged in.

    Do you have gfxCardStatus installed?  Is your monitor set to "Integrated" or "Discrete".  You want it set to Discrete to drive the external HDMI display.
    Try resetting the PRAM and SMC
    <About NVRAM and PRAM>
    <Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)>
    Are you sure you have a good miniDisplayPort to HDMI cable?
    Do you have another HDMI display you can test against (your neighbor's HDMI capable TV).
    Do you have friend that can test the cable using their Mac and maybe their TV or a monitor that has HDMI input.

  • HT6030 Why can't I get an external monitor to work on my macbook running Mavericks

    I'm trying to use an additional monitor ( Samsung) but both screens just flash on and off, I'm running Mavericks latest east version and using the mini port and VGA connector, can anyone help me here?

    Hey Starmanpaul43,
    If you haven't already, I would run through the steps in this article, which can help you troubleshoot the external monitor issue:
    Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities!
    Regards,
    Delgadoh

  • Using an external monitor with my clamshell

    Hi there,
    I was wondering if I can use an external monitor iwith my tangerine clamshell. If so, what adapters do I need to purchase.
    Thanks

    I don't think you are able to, the later (firewire) models had composite video out though which may or may not be useful .

Maybe you are looking for