Is keeping lid closed ok?

Hi,
I recently got an Apple Cinema Display. I also have one of those mStands that lifts my MacBook Pro to eye level and so I can put it next to my ACD. I know of the clam shell mode, and I know I can also run my computer with the lid open and have an extended desktop. I actually have used my laptop with an extended desktop like that ever since I bought the ACD. However, I realized that I'm not really using my laptop LCD in this configuration because everything is much smaller (the dpi is higher on the laptop LCD than the ACD) and besides I have plenty of screen real estate on my ACD for my use.
So I was wondering if it would be ok to run my computer in clam shell mode (with the lid closed). This way I don't have the extra extended display when using Spaces and I can see stuff better. I'm asking this question though, because I know that the computer ***** in air through the keyboard and it blows it outside through the back vent. Since the laptop display is closed, I was wondering if it is going to do any harm to the ventilation of the CPU and GPU.
Does anyone know? Thanks.

So I was wondering if it would be ok to run my computer in clam shell mode
I've been doing it for years no problem. When it's hot weather (over 80°F) I leave it open. When it's very hot weather (over 90°F) I leave it open with a 12 volt computer fan on the keyboard. Empirically, this works fine. My MBP is permanently set up inside an RV.

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Keeping lid closed

Hey guys,
I just switched to mac - got myself a new MBP! My question is about keeping the MBP lid open only about an inch so to prevent it from going to sleep while downloading stuff, thus preventing dust from getting in. Is this a potential heat problem and will anything get damaged? Should I just leave the cover completely open?
Thanks.
Alex

I have a Macbook Pro and also want to close the lid but keep the computer awake for a period of time. Insomniac doesn't appear to have been updated since the Intel switch and sleep/wake is definitely different on the Intel.
I am a corporate user connecting to network drives using SMB. When I move from my office to a conference room, it is just plain easier to close the lid, but this really screws with open documents on the network and network connected drives/folders. I would like the Macbook Pro to stay awake for 5 or so minutes, allowing me to move around with the lid closed. I would even live with needing to put it to sleep manually from the apple menu if I can just stop it from going to sleep when I close the lid.
Any other ideas? Insomniac for Intel OSX?

How to keep the MB powered on with Lid closed

How to keep the MB powered on with Lid closed and no monitor connected?

You can't. And you shouldn't due to heating issues.
There are however 'hacks' that allow you to bypass
this.
http://www.alxsoft.com/mac/sleepless.html
http://semaja2.net/insomniaxinfo/
Blackbook C2D Mac OS X
(10.4.10) 120Gig, 1Gig, Superdrive.
This may be true of overheating, but ONLY in the iBooks and very old laptops, if you think about it what is the difference between native clamshell mode (Using the monitor/keyboard etc) and the hacked clamshell mode? does plugging a screen in to the laptop some how create more ventilation :S
This rumor is really really wrong, and as stated only affected the old machines which were not capable of native clamshell mode, but of course we keep the warnings there because we dont want to be sued if some idiot places it in there laptop bag while rendering a movie.
PS. If anyone can give me evidence to prove otherwise i will add it to the investigation that im slowly compiling to "bust" this annoying myth

New HDD keeps spinning with lid closed

I have replaced the original 160GB HDD in a Macbook late 2008, OS-10.6.8, with a WD Black Scorpio 750GB.
The thing is that when I close the lid, the screen gets black but the disk keeps spinning.
If I set it to sleep in the Apple menu, then the drive get silent. … Worrisome?

My iBook G4 went back to Apple just an hours ago. A lot of issues developed, which I suspect is a bad logic board, but who knows:
* Intermittent problems like yours where it can't sleep with the lid closed
* Waking up to either the black screen of death or else the screen freezes (and the cursor disappears) within a few seconds after waking up (the panic log suggested an AirPort issue, but who knows?)
* The combo drive will not play or rip some CDs (although if I make a copy of the CD on another computer, it plays fine)
* Yesterday in the middle of writing an e-mail, the screen went dark with a series of vertical white lines
The last issue convinced me it was a logic board problem and had to go back.
I'm typing this on my previous iBook (G3, 800 MHz) that had some issues with the battery and AC adapter failing and did have the closed lid/sleep/wake cycle issue that you have but it works fine now and never had a documented logic board problem. I'm surprised the bugs haven't gotten worked out of the iBook after all these years. Very disappointing!

How to keep file sharing on while MacBook lid closed?

would like to keep file sharing on while lide closed on macbook...so i can access files with other device.

i really dont want to be needing to buy a extra screen just to get something working that i had going before...
i do have a bluetooth mouse attached and everytime i move it..the macBook seems to start up but then immediatly goes back to sleep..playing dead
all i want is that file sharing continues when i close the lid...
Do you think that it might be a hardware problem?
Or maybe software...because since I downloaded Lion...screensaver has been jumping in randomly too...I know it's nothing special since many people have encountered this issue and i just reinstalled lion and it seems to be fine so far....
anyhow... still hoping to find the right solution...
But thanks for the help..really appreciate it...

How to keep unplugged macbook awake with lid closed

My macbook would stay awake while its plugged in with its lid closed, but it won't stay awake once its unplugged.
any suggestions?
thx!

Requirements for closed display mode:
Power adapter
External keyboard, mouse, or trackpad
External display
If any of these conditions are missing, then the closed MBA will sleep. So, unplugging the power will sleep the system.

MBP keeps waking up (for a few seconds) with lid closed and in sleep.

My macbook pro, with the lid closed and hence in sleep, will periodically turn on. As in, ill be laying in bed trying to sleep, ill hear the sound of the fans and hd etc turn on, and then ill see the lcd light up.. itll do this for 4 secs, then go back to sleep. Every 20 mins or so it will do this.
What the hells wrong with it ?

Do you have any USB devices attached? Any Bluetooth devices tethered and nearby? Both of those can wake the MBP... Bluetooth can be set not to wake (System Preferences > Bluetooth), but for USB the only way is to unplug them before you close the lid. If you have Ethernet connected, uncheck the box to wake for ethernet administrator access in System Preferences > Energy Saver > Options tab (in Power adapter settings) .
Hope this helps...

How can I use an external display with my MBP lid closed and disconnected to power?

I know that I can use an external display when my MBP lid is closed and it is connected to power. I was wondering why it does not work when the power cable is removed.
I only use an external display when I am at home so my MBP acts like a Mac Pro or Mac Mini in that way, but it is not good to leave the battery charging constantly on a MBP so I want to disconnect the power and use external display and have the lid closed. Is this possible or do I have to leave my lid open when running on battery power?

I'm plugged into my wall socket at least 90% of the time - probably more. I always make sure that I take my MBP off mains about once every two weeks and let it run down to about 30-40% and then plug it back up. This keeps the ions flowing and the battery healthy. My MBP will be one year old on March 20, 2013, and my battery health is still at 99%. I run in clamshell mode most of the time now - since I bought a 27" Apple Thunderbolt Display. Only occasionally am I off mains - and then because I'm exercising my battery, usually.
Don't worry about running of mains most of the time - just be sure and unplug about once every two weeks (or twice a month) and let your battery dip to the 30-40% mark and you'll be fine.
Good luck,
Clinton

How do I use my macbook pro lid closed

How do I use my macbook pro lid closed?

Well what i'm trying to do is keep file sharing on while macBook is closed so i can access files through "newtwok" (Back to my mac) with my imac...
Ideally i would then control my macBook with screen sharing on my imac while the MacBook is stored behind my iMac...
Somehow it worked before but now it stopped...and everytime i close the lid ..mac book pro goes black screen and completly disconnects from the newtwork...
Everything works fine with lid open..
I am trying to do this because i have a new imac with thunderbold and an older macbook pro with mini display port..and as you might already know...you canot connect these thow devices using thunderbolt cable...which really *****....there is also no adaport enabling this...and i really dont need to buy another mac book that just has one more hole in it >.<
Anyway..hope there is a solution somewhere to keep file sharing going while lid down..
regards remo

Why doesn't the Macbook work lid-closed??

I've only just discovered that the Macbook will try to go to sleep every time i close it's lid. For me, this is possibly the most annoying thing that any laptop could ever do!
I know the Macbook is designed for lid closed use when external keyboard, mouse and display are connected. But if it doesn't overheat in this situation, then why should it be a problem without any of these connected!?
I use my laptops esentially as desktops. Download and encode video overnight, play mp3's 24/7 and don't want to leave the lid open for dust to collect just to be able to do these things.
Can anyone think of anything to explain this crazy behaviour? Or vouch for the use of software to work around this, such as sleepless.
Macbook (White) 2.0GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6) - 2Gb RAM, 80Gb HD

Wtihout knowing Aple's specific reasons I would think that it were a safely reason. With the lid closed it would hence but unknown if it were on. There are no lights or anything to say this so potentially you can grab it and move it as though you would when off. Thi s could be extremely bad, even with the sudden motion sensor.
When it is connected to an external monitor you will at minimum have to disconnect it and USB mouse/keyboard which does give you time to think that it's on.
I have the same issue as you do though as I have a PowerBook currently running as a server. I use a very high tech device to keep the lid open just enough to keep the thing from sleeping.… it's called an eraser.

How to work on external monitor with lid closed?

I have an external monitor connected to my MB Pro and would like to work with the lid closed. When I shut it, the monitor also goes to sleep. Yesterday I did something right and the monitor woke but I was able to keep the computer closed. Today it's not working. I use a wireless keyboard that also goes to sleep when the lid closes.
What's the procedure to keep the monitor awake while the laptop is closed?
System 10.6.8

Yes, I have done that and tried it over and over and it still won't work. The monitor went on for a few seconds and then went black again.
Is it possible to do this with a wireless keyboard? I do press the power key to try to wake to keyboard but nothing happens.

Computer does not put itself to sleep when used in lid-closed mode

Hi. I'm having a small problem when using my macbook pro with the LED display, lid closed and with external keyboard and mouse. If I leave the computer unattended, the display goes to sleep at the time specified in system settings under energy saver. The computer, however, does not go to sleep - the white power indicator remains solid and noises for new email etc can still be heard.
I should probably just try to remember to put it to sleep manually but I keep forgetting. Does anybody know what settings I need to adjust?

I tried cycling the old battery many times, and the computer would still shut down unexpectedly instead of going to sleep when it ran out of power. I got a free replacement from the supplier [http://myworld.ebay.com/cbkusaelectronics>, but I have cycled this new battery twice now, and it still does not go to sleep when it runs out of power. The capacity of the battery is fine (4.9 Ah), and the timing calibration seems fine as well. I have two older batteries from NewerTech and they allow sleep every time, so I think my computer is fine. Can anyone enlighten me about the cause of this problem? Does my battery lack some 'sleep battery' cell in it for use after the other 4 cells discharge? Or does my battery lack a chip that communicates with the computer? Is there any hope of getting this battery to support sleep when discharged?
Has anyone else seen this problem consistently in a brand of battery? Does anyone have a recommendation for a cheaper battery that does not exhibit this problem? I have been happy with NewerTech, but they cost over $130.
(I only paid $44 plus $10 shipping, so I probably got what I paid for. It is maybe still worth it to have a high capacity battery for such a low cost, but I can't rely upon it in those last few minutes or I may lose work.)

Using MBA connected to iMac with lid closed

Just purchased my 11" MBA and its working a great replacement for my 15" MBP, especially for travel.
One thing I haven't been able to do yet though is work with the MBA closed while connected to my iMac (like using an external Studio Display). I do this all the time with the MBP. I can plug it in (power and mini-display) keep the lid closed, and wake it with my BT keyboard an mouse.
Unfortunately, the MBA is not waking with the keyboard or mouse.
Any ideas? Is anyone else using their MBA like this?

Performed an SMC reset and it works like a charm.
This 11" MBA is a great replacement for my old 15" MBP. Runs on the 27" iMac fantastic (although no sound is coming through).

Wake on wireless possible? Disable sleep when lid closed?

I just bought my first Mac & am still trying to figure some things out.
Is there a way to have it wake on wifi? I like to be able to connect to my machines when I'm at the office. My Macbook goes to sleep & then I can't remotely access it. Wake on LAN works fine, but I don't want to keep an ethernet cable plugged in.
Another thing I can't seem to get is how to disable the Macbook sleeping when I close the lid. On my old Windows laptop, I'd often put on a podcast & listen while falling asleep & have one start as an alarm clock in the morning. I like to keep the lid closed to keep out dust, etc.
I found a 3rd party app InsomniaX, but would rather find a supported way of doing this.

Insomniax is your best bet. The only other way would be have an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse hooked up.

Can iTunes play with lid closed?

I am a newbie, so please excuse me if this sounds like a dumb question. I just moved from Windows world (after using it for 25 years) to MacBook Pro about 4 months ago.
I am using AiportExpress to stream music from iTunes to 3 different audio system throught my home. I would like play iTunes to play the music even when my MacBook lid is closed. I can't seem to get this work. Seems like such a basic function. Is it possible to play iTunes with lid closed? What am I missing?

{quote:title=Chris CA wrote:}If Apple were to allow it with a setting and the user burned up the computer, then it would have to be covered under warranty, which it isn't.{quote}
Don't mean to argue.. but I still believe that it should be a user enabled/disabled function. I've used it on all my PCs for several years (when playing CD on Windows Media Player) and I am yet to BURN a single device
If I have to keep the MacBook open to keep running iTunes, wouldn't I run the same risk of BURNING (like you said)?
OK.. this is what I need to do...
I have all my music in iTunes. I have setup 3 AirportExpress (AirTunes) hooked up to receivers on 3 levels on my home. I'd like to play the music from iTunes (wirelessly streaming throughout the house via AirTunes) without having to keep the MacBook open. How do I do it?
I don't want to see any third party apps (e.g. Insomnia) to prevent my computer from going to sleep. I just want to accomplish what I described above. Can this be done or not?
Another question is if the iTunes is running on one of my Windows-based laptops, and I close the lid on that, iTunes (on PC) should continue to run. Right?
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Is keeping lid closed ok?

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