Is it possible to "turn off" iMac display (ie. run "headless")?

Hello.
I've replaced my old late-model 2006 iMac (Core2Duo) with a new Mac mini. I'm going to be using the iMac to run Lion server (replacing an old G4 running Leopard server). Since I'm going to be placing the iMac in a server closet and managing it remote (via ARD), I don't need/want the display to be on. Aside from physically disconnecting the iMac display (which I'd rather not do), does anyone know of a way to "turn off" an iMac display?
I know I can do things like run a screen saver of a black image, etc. but that means the iMac is still using the backlight, etc. to display the black image. I know there's no official Apple-supported way to do this, but I'm hoping someone might know of a third-party hack that might work?
Thanks,
Kristin.

Yea, as stated in my question — since I'll be remote managing the box, sleeping the display won't work (as when I remote in, it's considered a mouse movement and the display turns on).
And by disconnecting the monitor, I literally meant disconnecting — in the case of that model iMac, it's simply disconnecting the inverter that powers the backlight. That's what I meant by literally disconnecting the display (and probably what I'll end up doing).
Thanks,
k.

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I've set up a new 21.5" imac for my parents use in their living room and have connected their 52" lcd tv to the imac as a mirrored display.
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Is their any way (3rd party software??) to turn off the imac display while still being able to have the mirrored display running?

You should actually NOT use mirroring, although it would work OK on the 21.5-inch iMac because the screen resolution is identical to 1080p HDTV.
In System Preferences Displays pane Arrangement tab, turn mirroring OFF. This makes the HDTV screen extend the iMac's Desktop. In the diagram on that pane, it shows how the two screen arranged. The edge where they touch is where you can move your mouse cursor from one screen to the other. You can move the two screen around in the diagram, to match how the iMac and HDTV are located in the real world.
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To watch video content on the HDTV, first show the video playing in a window. Drag the window to the HDTV screen so that it is completely on that screen. Give the full screen command (usually Command-F). The video will play in full screen mode on the HDTV screen. In most video playing applications, such as DVD Player, QuickTime Player, iTunes, etc., the other screen (the iMac's screen in this case) will go black. It's not OFF, but it will display black.
Note: Some video playing apps have a preference setting for which screen gets the full screen. When playing video content in a browser window (such as YouTube or Hulu), when you go to full screen mode by clicking the +full screen+ button, the other screen will not go black.
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Turning off imac display whilst in windows, is it possible?

I'm currently downloading a large file and i have to leave my mac on over night, is there any way to turn off the the display, like in mac osx you hold down shift+control+eject to turn it off. I am using windows 7 ultimate

antis wrote:
zhiwlin wrote:Or you can download rdesktop (http://www.rdesktop.org) and compile (./configure, make, make install, make clean), then download tsclient (http://sourceforge.net/projects/tsclient) and compile (./configure, make, make install, make clean). Then run tsclient (I think the default is in /usr/local/bin folder).
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Last edited by mcover (2009-01-13 22:31:18)

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I've been searching around and haven't been able to find an answer to this.
I have my computer set to turn on the screen saver after 5 minutes of inactivity and turn off the display after 15 minutes of inactivity, and I like it that way. My computer is in my bedroom though, and sometimes I want the display to just shut off when I am going to sleep... but sometimes, I am working on something that takes the computer a while to process, such as exporting a large final cut file, burning a DVD, or leaving an away message enabled on AIM. I don't want to put the entire computer to sleep, because that stopps the process... and I don't want to wait 15 minutes for my display to shut off... and I don't want to change the Energy Saver settings every single time I want the display off!
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(20364)

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Hello @duleNS
To get your issue more exposure I would suggest posting it in the commercial forums since the HP EliteBook 8770w Mobile Workstation is a commercial product. You can do this here Notebook - HP ProBook, EliteBook, Compaq, Slate/Tablet PC, Armada, LTE
The support page for your product may be helpful in the meantime: HP EliteBook 8770w Mobile Workstation.
I hope this helps!
Thank you for posting on the HP Forums.
Please click the "Kudos, Thumbs Up" at the bottom of this post if you want to say "Thanks" for helping!
Please click "Accept as Solution" if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
The Great Deku Tree
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Is it possible to "turn off" iMac display (ie. run "headless")?

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