MacBook Pro: How do I use external monitor only?

This is odd. It worked and then stopped working. I have a MBP with a Thunderbolt display plugged in. I want to close the clamshell and use only the Thunderbolt display. This worked fine.... until it didn't work. When I close the clamshell, the computer goes to sleep. Does anyone know the magic incantation to make this work?

Never mind. the answer is that the power cord wasn't making proper contact.

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    Hey Renecek,
    My first thought was, "Hey, you are using closed-clamshell mode".
    How to use your Mac notebook computer in closed-clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display - Apple Support
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    OS X Yosemite: If your Mac won’t go to or stay in sleep
    OS X: When your Mac doesn't sleep or wake - Apple Support
    Take care,
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    If an external display doesn't work, its possible your video card is shot or the connector is bad. The Mac Pro's video card is pretty easy to replace. If you have the Apple display I think there are some diagnostic lights that flash when something is wrong with the display itself.
    You are talking about a "headless" Mac (no screen) so a search on that would turn up several options. What you need to do is use another Mac to boot up in Firewire Target Mode as a one-time operation. While in there, set your OS for remote screensharing access in the Sharing prefpanel. You can also enable "Remote Login" if you do command line and that is very useful for headless controlling.

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    Kimapurado
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    Hi a,
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    Try a different adapter and/or cable.

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    Hello,
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    Hey Renecek,
    My first thought was, "Hey, you are using closed-clamshell mode".
    How to use your Mac notebook computer in closed-clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display - Apple Support
    But then I realized, wait, you want it to sleep.
    For that, check out the suggestions in these articles.
    OS X Yosemite: If your Mac won’t go to or stay in sleep
    OS X: When your Mac doesn't sleep or wake - Apple Support
    Take care,
    Nubz

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    So it seems you are having issues with your MacBook Pro not displaying properly on your external display. It does sound like a frustrating situation. Let’s see if we can get you up and running.
    I would suggest that you use the steps in this article to troubleshoot the problem -
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    A quote from the attached article:
    Certain external monitors and LCD displays: Certain displays may emit harmonic interference, especially in the 2.4GHz band between channels 11 and 14. This interference may be at its worst if you have a portable computer with the lid closed and an external monitor connected to it. Try changing your access point to use 5 Ghz or a lower 2.4 GHz channel.
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  • Macbook Pro(Mid-2014) Not Detecting External Monitor

    Hi everyone, I'm trying to connect my MBP to an external monitor via HDMI. Since my MBP has an HDMI port built in, I'm not using any adapters between it and the monitor. But nothing is happening when I connect the HDMI cable, my MBP does not seem to detect it. I have tested my monitor with that HDMI cable on a desktop PC, and it all works without any issues there, so I reckon it must be something on the MBP end of the connection. But what could it possibly be? I have looked through forums and read countless threads about external display problems, but have not found any info that could identify the problem. I have tried booting my MBP and/or turning on my monitor before and after connecting the HDMI cable, and there was never even a hint of detection.
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    I have a problem connecting external display (Dell U2311H) to my 13" MacBook Pro (Early 2011).
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    As I can see on Apple discussion, it is a common problem with 2011 MacBook Pro's.
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  • Macbook pro for work station with external monitor?

    I shoot weddings and need to run cs2 plus other programs and storage for photos.
    I read in Macworld where they recc. the Macbook pro instead of a power mac as a work station using a 24" dell. They said the power mac is overkill.
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    how do I add external hard drive which contains my entire iTunes library to new MacBook Pro. i want to keep iTunes library on external hard drive. But I want all my iTunes information:  artist, songs, albums, playlists on my new MacBook Pro.  I know about going to iTunes preferences- advanced-itunes media folder location.  At this point I don't know what to do   Do I drag external icon into iTunes media folder location box. I want to keep music files on external hard drive. I don't want to use macbook pro memory for my very large music files.

    I will request that your query be relocated to the iPhoto forum where knowledgeable iPhoto users will be able to assist you.
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  • MacBook Pro 2011 does not detect external monitor

    I have a MacBook Pro 13'' early 2011 runing Lion 1.7.2.
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    I have a problem connecting external display (Dell U2311H) to my 13" MacBook Pro (Early 2011).
    I use Tecklink Mini DasplayPort to HDMI adapter (http://www.techlink.uk.com/products/wires_cables/wiresmedia/wiresmedia_media/wir esmedia_mini_displayport_plug_to_hdmi_plug), but since U2311H doesn't have HDMI input, I also use Manhattan DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (http://www.manhattan-products.com/en-US/products/8101-displayport-adapter).
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    I even reset PRAM, and installed 10.8.2 Supplementary update.
    I also plugged and unplugged all I could, with no luck.
    As I can see on Apple discussion, it is a common problem with 2011 MacBook Pro's.
    It seems like the problem is in Thundebolt port, it somehow does not work properly.

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    I have an HP 2311x as well. I'm using an HDMI cable and am not having any issues getting the screen to display. I know you said the cable works with a PC but have you tried a different HDMI cable just in case. It might be worth a try. Other than that, I'm not much help.
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