Keeping my macbook awake with an external monitor

So, I just hooked up my 15" macbook pro to my Samsung LCD using the mini display/port to HDMI adapter which in and of itself has resulted in some resolution problems, although that's something for another day. My big issue currently is that I'd like to go ahead and keep my macbook closed up so that I'm not putting any unnecessary wear and tear on the monitor, and to keep down the power usage. However, no matter what I do, whenever I close up the macbook the thing automatically goes to sleep after about a minute, regardless of whether I have it connected to an external power source or am actually in the middle of doing anything. Anybody have any advice?

I actually found that guide first and followed all of the steps and it still just automatically goes to sleep, despite being connected to an external power source. And clicking or using the keyboard doesn't work either. It'll stay on for about a minute after I close it up and then it just goes to sleep. I was actually in the middle of typing this post and it happened. Is there a setting somewhere I need to track down?

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Trying to connect my Macbook Pro with an external Monitor - Using VGA - DVI

Hi Everyone..
Please dont classify me as dumb but every-time i need to connect my MBP to an external monitor or projector i cant
It just doesn't work... I plug it in using all the right connectors - DVI-VGA or the other way around... Anyway - i get a blue screen which tricks me... =]
After the blue screen i go straight to the page i was on before connecting the monitor...! =[
Anyway.. are there any settings i need to adjust.... =]
If there is anything that you guys know of please inform me because i am in need to use a Monitor frequently but so far i havn't been able to do it seen as though i don't know what to do.. Ive watched tutorials and have done exactly what they've told me but it still wont display anything on the external monitor. Ive used 2 MBP's - Both i've had issues with connecting them to an external display. i know its only a minor change i need to make in System preferences but i dont know which one it is...
Please - if you know please please please tell me what it is.! =]
Thanks alot!
Carl... =]

I assume that you mean the blue screen is on your monitor, not your MBP. If this is the case, go to system preferences and click on displays, when the pop up box appears, click on "detect displays". See if that helps.

Powering up a macbook pro with an external monitor attached

I have a MacBook Pro and a new Apple 23" Cinema Display. How do I power up (not wake, I got that figured out already) the MBP with the external display attached?

AFAIK, you have to open the MBP's lid, hit the power button and then immediately close the lid. I don't believe there is any other way to do 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.

How to switch off internal macbook screen when using external monitor(s)

as far as i observed, adding external displays ( running different screens on them, not mirroring) to a macbook pro increases the gpu workload and with that comes temperature rise in the laptop and increase in ventilator noise - and probably increased hardware aging and risk of component faillure due to high temperature inside the laptop.
simply try connecting two external 27" screens and open some flash video on both of them. then run a temperature monitoring software and watch temps rise, compared to running same flash videos / demanding tasks only on one connected external screen or only on the laptop screen with no external monitor connected.
especially in mavericks, due to its increased background routines, such a set-up appears ever the more taxing, then again who does not love apple`s nice adds showing laptops with two 27” screens connected to it and the workspace vision they invoke....
i have seen temps around 100° to 102° celsius on a 13" macbook pro 2012 edition, which i would expect is territory where the cpu / gpu temp safety switches will trigger system shutdown any time soon ( hardware status before verified as fully in order by apple service and default osx installation)
imagine your anti-virus software starting some realtime content screening while runnign some demanding tasks already and the system shuts down easily (all such situation observed in reality)
(would be interesting to see how a retina display macbook fares with 2 external monitors running demanding tasks, considering the retina display already increased taxing for the gpu - any experience from users of such a setup would be very much appreciated as it will provide critical purchase decision intelligence for all of us envisioning a retina-book and two big screens adoring our desks...)
turning down the macbook`s built-in screen`s backlight may reduce power consumption but i have not seen any evidence that it switches off the gpu-to-screen feed and respective gpu load - it certainly did not prevent gpu, cpu, board, etc temps to rise to borderline levels.
so the key question here is, how to switch off the macbook pro`s built-in screen in order to avoid gpu cycles being wasted on that screen ( and the resulting heat developments) when working with big external screen(s) connected to the laptop ?

this thread talks about running several monitors as advertised by apple and running demanding task on them.
with the lid open, the keyboard offers a very efficiant heat escape vector, which is blocked when the lid is closed - this is a basic and commonsense insulation effect. this thread also mentions the use of temperature monitoring software and thus a repeatable test setup. the temps recorded were also mentioned. they rose when the lid was closed, the running task remaining unchanged. as far as i could track down the cpus in discussion will shut down around the 105 degree celsius range. i observed system shut downs when the system approached 103° celsius. not to mention that the fans will run loud well before that.
again this is on hardware checked and ok-ed by apple service.
the question still welcoming an expert answer: is there any way to switch off the built-in macbook monitor while the lid is open ?

MacBook Air w/ 4 External Monitors

I have a MacBook Air with 4 External Monitors:
Dell UltraSharp 30"
2 x Dell UltraSharp 20" - Rotated 90 degrees
Samsung Sync Master Commercial Display 55" Mounted on the Wall
This is the main monitor setup w/o the Samsung:
http://www.digitaltigers.com/ultraflex-powertrio30.asp
The 30" is connect to the air using a MiniDP to DP connector and the other monitors are using Sewell DisplayLink USB to DVI connectors:
http://sewelldirect.com/Sewell-Minideck-USB-to-DVI-Display-Adapter.asp
Everything seems to be working smoothly EXCEPT there are times when I bring the MacBook Air to the office and connect it and all the display settings do not seem to be saved. The arrangement and monitor rotation is not the way it was when I left. I have even tired shutting the computer down, restarting it correcting the configuration and then saving and restarting again. When it boots back up the rotation is correct (somtimes) but other settings such as arrangement or background may not be correct.
Any thoughts?
I love the Air and I would hate to go back to my ThinkPad but if this won't work then I will need to.

Quick update, I downloaded the mostt recent drivers for the Sewell adapter and that seemed to work. Which is strange because I thought i had done this previously.
None the less it looks like we are good to go now.

I dropped my macbook pro and the screen is broken can i still use it with an external monitor? Or can I or how do I transfer hard drive files to my mac mini?

I dropped my 17" macbook pro and the screen is broken. Can I still use it with an external monitor? When I plugged it into a monitor I had used it with before, I'm not able to see anything on the macbook screen to control it. It came on but I just got the blue screen with nothing else after typing in my password. (Didn't see the password form just assumed it was there somewhere and it did go from space to blue screen but no desktop icons, files, dock strip at top or anything else, just blank blue screen) so I can't access the system preferences.
Or can I / or how do I, transfer hard drive files to my mac mini? If not salvageable as is can I pull out the hard drive and make it an external harddrive? In otherwords is anything salvageable? It seems it's coming on I just can't access anything. BTW I was told it would cost aprox $1000 to replace the screen! I paid almost $4000 for this thing and it was running great - makes me sick to lose it!

I'd like to promise you that everything will be fine if you just get the monitor going - but it's hard to know what the hardware damage might be. It might be the monitor, or the damage might be greater.
Your best solution would be visit your local Apple Store and let them know what your situation is. They have access to diagnostics you don't, and they might be able to the best way to save your data and keep you computing. It's still not covered, but they can tell you what your current options are.
Um, you might consider investing in a backup drive.
And there other repair options, too. Powerbook Medic http://www.powerbookmedic.com/xcart1/pages.php?pageid=67 offers reliable repairs, and quotes prices well under Apple's.

Why is it that when I plug my Macbook Pro to an external monitor, the external monitor turns black and shows the mouse only

Why is it that when I plug my Macbook Pro to an external monitor, the external monitor turns black and shows the mouse only

Hi, yes preferences sees there is a second display it recognises what make of monitor it is etc but I just get a blank blue screen on the monitor when I change it to the hdmi setting! I have tried with mirroring on and off, rearranging the displays in the preference window and lots of different resolution settings but with no difference.
An old MacBook connects fine so the monitor and hdmi port must be okay. I'm sure we have used the cable before but it could have been with the previous MacBook Air. The current one I'm using is a mid 2011 version running lion and is (according to software update) all up to date.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated!

Problems connecting my MacBook Pro to an external monitor

For the past 2 years, I have regularly connected my MacBook Pro to an external monitor (Dell SR2320L) using a VGA cable. When I do so, the picture automatically comes up in the maximum resolution of the external monitor (1920 x 1080). However, just in the past few weeks, the picture on my external monitor automatically comes up in 1600 x 1200 instead. When I click on the display menu in the upper right corner of my screen, there isn't even an option for 1920 x 1080 anymore. I've tried restarting my computer and even unplugging and replugging in the cable, but nothing seems to fix the problem. However, on at least some occasions, the problem seems to fix itself after about a day or so of use, and the picture reverts back to 1920 x 1080. I should note a couple of things: when I connect another MacBook to my monitor, the display automatically comes up in 1920 x 1080. And when I connect my Macbook to a different display, I have the same problem as I have with my display. So I think the issue is definitely with my computer, not my monitor. Does anyone have a suggestion about how to solve this problem? Or, when the problem arises, is there anything I can do to reset the display to 1920 x 1080 other than waiting for the problem to fix itself? Any suggestions woudl be greatly appreciated!

Hi bonfig,
If you are having issues with the external display settings on your MacBook Pro, it may be worth going throught the following article, in particular the portion about resetting the SMC and PRAM:
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573
Cheers,
- Brenden

Every time I try to back up my Macbook Pro with an external hard drive using Time Machine, I receive the error of "the disk does not have enough space". I have a 500GB hard drive and only 120GB Macbook. It worked fine before the latest Maverick's

Every time I try to back up my Macbook Pro with an external hard drive using Time Machine, I receive the error of "the disk does not have enough space". I have a 500GB external hard drive and only 120GB Macbook. It worked fine before the latest Maverick's update. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My guess would be it has created an entirely new backup of your drive when you upgraded to Mavericks.
See Here: http://pondini.org/TM/1.html
And here: http://pondini.org/TM/9.html
Peruse the whole site. There is a lot of information there.

I have a PowerBook G4 with a non-functioning monitor. It used to work with an external monitor, but I reinstalled the OS, which cleared the display preferences and now when I restart it won't detect the external monitor. How do I fix?

I have a PowerBook G4 with a non-functioning monitor. It used to work with an external monitor, but I reinstalled the OS, which cleared the display preferences and now when I restart it won't detect the external monitor. This means I can't use the computer anymore. How do I fix? I tried using the Command+F2 keyboard shortcut, but it doesnt' work. It's possible that since I reinstalled the OS, it still needs to be set up, so there's only a welcome screen (but since I can't see it I'm not sure).

There is no limit to the number of times you can re-install Office on the same computer.
You can activate by telephone:
The last paragraph is the relevant bit

MacBook Pro to my external monitor

How do I hook up my MacBook Pro to my external monitor if I don't have an HDMI connection or a DVI connection port on my laptop?

Of course! some of the adapters can be purchased at best buy but are usually kind of expensive. I saw an HDMI adapter at Home Depot the other day for $7 which is a good deal.
Although, im not even sure if youre in the U.S., so this information be irrelevant to you anyway haha.

U430 Touch with 2 external Monitors

Hi Folks, have recently purchased a u430 touch which I'm very happy with but want to run it with 2 external monitors. Any suggestions?
Both the monitors I have support HDMI and VGA. Will and HDMI splitter do the trick?
Thanks in advance. M

Hi Markhreilly,
Welcome to Lenovo Community!
As per the query we understood that you are looking to connect 2 monitors to your Lenovo U430 laptop.
As per the specification of this model, it has only one HDMI out port as there is no VGA port. If the HDMI splitter has a VGA port then you can connect one to HDMI monitor and other to VGA monitor.
Click here for the specification of the model.
Hope this helps. Do post back if issue persists!
Best regards,
Ashwin.S
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Apply MacBook display settings to external monitor

Hi. The display on MacBooks and other Macs is beautiful, and I wish I can bring those display and color settings to my external monitor, because no matter how much I calibrate using the one under system preferences or adjust the setting directly on the monitor itself, it does look as nice as it does on my MacBook Air to which the display is connected. I can see all the figues in System Preferences -> Displays -> Color tab -> Open Profile, of both MacBook Air and the external monitor, but is there a way I can manually change those figures of the external monitor so that they are same as those of MacBook Air?
Thanks.

Yeah, I've changed the Display Profile of my HDTV (connected as a monitor).
If you go into System Preferences > Displays then click Gather Displays and click on the Color Tab for your monitor, deselect "Show profiles for this display only." You should be able to chose the same Display Profile for you monitor as your Mac.

I plugged my macbook pro into an external monitor, then unplugged it later and now it is stuck with black borders on top and bottom and zoomed out like it is still on the monitor. How do I fix it?

I started using my external monitor with my macbook pro and as soon as I plug it in it to the monitor it adjusts the screen by zooming out a bit and creating about 3/4 of an inch black borders on the top and bottom of the screen. But these dont show up on the monitor so I assumed it was fine. But when I took it off the monitor, the borders were still there like it was still on the monitor. Any hellp? Its starting to mess with my eyes haha.

Hi aefulcher,
It sounds like you had the external display set to mirror the internal display so the resolution(s) were changed to match each other.
OS X: How to use multiple displays with your Mac in Mountain Lion and earlier
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5019
Check if the current resolution matches your screen's natiive resolution.
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
Nubz

Keeping my macbook awake with an external monitor

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