Need menu bar on BOTH displays when using external monitor

How can I have the menu bar on BOTH displays without using the "Mirror Display" mode???
I bought a Thunderbolt and use it with my MBA. It works fine overall but this is still like having one display instead of two. A real downer!!
There are 2 modes:
Mirror Displays: (identical screen: why waste valuable screen realestate?)
"Normal" mode: where it gives you access to the 2 monitors independently (you can move apps. windows and locate them on any screen you want).
In the "Normal" mode, you can move the menu bar from one display to the other but it does not resolve the problem. We need TWO menu bars, which work identical and can be used on whatever display the mouse cursor happens to be.
Currently, let's say I have applications A & B displaying on MBA, applications C & D displaying on TB, and the Menu Bar on TB. It is a nightmare to work!!!! Anytime I want to work on A or B I have to move the mouse side way to get to the MBA, then to use the menu, I can't even move up into the TB all the way to the menu bar: I have to move through the side onto the TB then up to the menu bar, select, down through the TB, side way to the MBA, and on and on and on....
Anybody knows how to duplicate a functional menu bar without Mirror Display?
Anyway of simplifying this nightmare?
Thanks

I asked the same question a few days ago, got some other options then ...
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16953617#16953617
Many many things to try ...

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Hi there
If you like you can do a System restore to a previously known good state.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=in&lc=en&docname=c03327545
Alternatively try uninstalling current graphic driver from Display adapters section in Device Manager & reinstalling the latest Graphic driver from your HP support page.
Then restart the system, check.
Regards
Visruth
++Please click KUDOS / White thumb to say thanks
++Please click ACCEPT AS SOLUTION to help others, find this solution faster
**I'm a Volunteer, I do not work for HP**

How to blank laptop screen when using external monitor/

Hi there
I need some help with figuring out how to configure my xorg.conf for my Arch Linux 64 bit installation on a HP Pavilion dv 5000 laptop so that I can automatically blank my laptop screen when using an external monitor. I have Arch Linux installed along with Ubuntu Feisty. In Ubuntu my external monitor (Viewsonic 1912WB) was not detected at the time of installation but with the native 1280X800 resolution that is good for the laptop takes effect for the external monitor automatically when the external monitor is plugged in. The laptop monitor goes blank when the external monitor is plugged in.
In my Arch Linux installation I have not been able to configure a dual head configuration using the ATI Radeon drivers (fglrx). I have the native 1280X800 resolution set up for the laptop monitor and this resolution takes effect for the external monitor also. However the laptop monitor also continues to function when the external monitor is plugged in. I would like to blank the laptop monitor when using the external monitor.
I am attaching my Arch Linux xorg.conf and the Ubuntu xorg.conf below. Thanks for anyone who can help, I am having a lot of difficulty in figuring out how to set up xorg.conf among all the things that I have had to learn so far in Linux and I am a relative newcomer to the whole thing. I have tried to compare the two xorg.conf files and edit my Arch xorg.conf in accordance with the Ubuntu one but it did not work and I keep getting errors!
I am using XFCE as my Desktop environment.
Arch Linux xorg.conf
# File generated by xorgconfig.
# Copyright 2004 The X.Org Foundation
# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
# copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
# to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
# the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
# and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
# Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
# The X.Org Foundation BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY,
# WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF
# OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
# SOFTWARE.
# Except as contained in this notice, the name of The X.Org Foundation shall
# not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other
# dealings in this Software without prior written authorization from
# The X.Org Foundation.
# Refer to the xorg.conf(5) man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# Module section -- this section is used to specify
# which dynamically loadable modules to load.
# Files section. This allows default font and rgb paths to be set
# Server flags section.
# Input devices
# Core keyboard's InputDevice section
# Core Pointer's InputDevice section
# Other input device sections
# this is optional and is required only if you
# are using extended input devices. This is for example only. Refer
# to the xorg.conf man page for a description of the options.
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "Mouse2"
# Driver "mouse"
# Option "Protocol" "MouseMan"
# Option "Device" "/dev/mouse2"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "spaceball"
# Driver "magellan"
# Option "Device" "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "spaceball2"
# Driver "spaceorb"
# Option "Device" "/dev/cua0"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "touchscreen0"
# Driver "microtouch"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
# Option "MinX" "1412"
# Option "MaxX" "15184"
# Option "MinY" "15372"
# Option "MaxY" "1230"
# Option "ScreenNumber" "0"
# Option "ReportingMode" "Scaled"
# Option "ButtonNumber" "1"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection
# Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier "touchscreen1"
# Driver "elo2300"
# Option "Device" "/dev/ttyS0"
# Option "MinX" "231"
# Option "MaxX" "3868"
# Option "MinY" "3858"
# Option "MaxY" "272"
# Option "ScreenNumber" "0"
# Option "ReportingMode" "Scaled"
# Option "ButtonThreshold" "17"
# Option "ButtonNumber" "1"
# Option "SendCoreEvents"
# EndSection
# Monitor section
# Any number of monitor sections may be present
# Graphics device section
# Any number of graphics device sections may be present
# Standard VGA Device:
# Device configured by xorgconfig:
# Screen sections
# Any number of screen sections may be present. Each describes
# the configuration of a single screen. A single specific screen section
# may be specified from the X server command line with the "-screen"
# option.
# ServerLayout sections.
# Any number of ServerLayout sections may be present. Each describes
# the way multiple screens are organised. A specific ServerLayout
# section may be specified from the X server command line with the
# "-layout" option. In the absence of this, the first section is used.
# When now ServerLayout section is present, the first Screen section
# is used alone.
# Section "DRI"
# Mode 0666
# EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
# The Identifier line must be present
# Each Screen line specifies a Screen section name, and optionally
# the relative position of other screens. The four names after
# primary screen name are the screens to the top, bottom, left and right
# of the primary screen. In this example, screen 2 is located to the
# right of screen 1.
# Each InputDevice line specifies an InputDevice section name and
# optionally some options to specify the way the device is to be
# used. Those options include "CorePointer", "CoreKeyboard" and
# "SendCoreEvents".
Identifier "Simple Layout"
Screen 0 "aticonfig-Screen[0]" 0 0
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
EndSection
Section "Files"
# The location of the RGB database. Note, this is the name of the
# file minus the extension (like ".txt" or ".db"). There is normally
# no need to change the default.
# RgbPath "/usr/share/X11/rgb"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (which are concatenated together),
# as well as specifying multiple comma-separated entries in one FontPath
# command (or a combination of both methods)
# FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"
# FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/local/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/TrueType/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/freefont/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
# FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
# The module search path. The default path is shown here.
# ModulePath "/usr/lib/modules"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"
EndSection
Section "Module"
# This loads the DBE extension module.
# This loads the miscellaneous extensions module, and disables
# initialisation of the XFree86-DGA extension within that module.
# This loads the font modules
# Load "type1"
# This loads the GLX module
# Load "glx"
# This loads the DRI module
# Load "dri"
Load "dbe" # Double buffer extension
SubSection "extmod"
Option    "omit xfree86-dga" # don't initialise the DGA extension
EndSubSection
Load "freetype"
# Load "xtt"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
# For most OSs the protocol can be omitted (it defaults to "Standard").
# When using XQUEUE (only for SVR3 and SVR4, but not Solaris),
# uncomment the following line.
# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"
# Option "Xleds" "1 2 3"
# Option "LeftAlt" "Meta"
# Option "RightAlt" "ModeShift"
# To customise the XKB settings to suit your keyboard, modify the
# lines below (which are the defaults). For example, for a non-U.S.
# keyboard, you will probably want to use:
# Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
# If you have a US Microsoft Natural keyboard, you can use:
# Option "XkbModel" "microsoft"
# Then to change the language, change the Layout setting.
# For example, a german layout can be obtained with:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# or:
# Option "XkbLayout" "de"
# Option "XkbVariant" "nodeadkeys"
# If you'd like to switch the positions of your capslock and
# control keys, use:
# Option "XkbOptions" "ctrl:swapcaps"
# These are the default XKB settings for Xorg
# Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
# Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
# Option "XkbLayout" "us"
# Option "XkbVariant" ""
# Option "XkbOptions" ""
# Option "XkbDisable"
Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "kbd"
Option    "AutoRepeat" "500 30"
# Specify which keyboard LEDs can be user-controlled (eg, with xset(1))
Option    "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option    "XkbModel" "pc104"
Option    "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
# Identifier and driver
# the following line.
# Option "Protocol" "Xqueue"
# Mouse-speed setting for PS/2 mouse.
# Option "Resolution" "256"
# Baudrate and SampleRate are only for some Logitech mice. In
# almost every case these lines should be omitted.
# Option "BaudRate" "9600"
# Option "SampleRate" "150"
# Mouse wheel mapping. Default is to map vertical wheel to buttons 4 & 5,
# horizontal wheel to buttons 6 & 7. Change if your mouse has more than
# 3 buttons and you need to map the wheel to different button ids to avoid
# conflicts.
# Emulate3Timeout is the timeout in milliseconds (default is 50ms)
# Option "Emulate3Buttons"
# Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
# ChordMiddle is an option for some 3-button Logitech mice
# Option "ChordMiddle"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option    "Protocol" "Auto" # Auto detect
Option    "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
# When using XQUEUE, comment out the above two lines, and uncomment
Option    "ZAxisMapping" "4 5 6 7"
# Emulate3Buttons is an option for 2-button mice
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
# HorizSync is in kHz unless units are specified.
# HorizSync may be a comma separated list of discrete values, or a
# comma separated list of ranges of values.
# NOTE: THE VALUES HERE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. REFER TO YOUR MONITOR'S
# USER MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT NUMBERS.
# HorizSync 30-64 # multisync
# HorizSync 31.5, 35.2 # multiple fixed sync frequencies
# HorizSync 15-25, 30-50 # multiple ranges of sync frequencies
# VertRefresh is in Hz unless units are specified.
# VertRefresh may be a comma separated list of discrete values, or a
# comma separated list of ranges of values.
# NOTE: THE VALUES HERE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. REFER TO YOUR MONITOR'S
# USER MANUAL FOR THE CORRECT NUMBERS.
Identifier "My Monitor"
HorizSync 30.0 - 62.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 70.0
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "aticonfig-Monitor[0]"
Option    "VendorName" "ATI Proprietary Driver"
Option    "ModelName" "Generic Autodetecting Monitor"
Option    "DPMS" "true"
EndSection
Section "Device"
# The chipset line is optional in most cases. It can be used to override
# the driver's chipset detection, and should not normally be specified.
# Chipset "generic"
# The Driver line must be present. When using run-time loadable driver
# modules, this line instructs the server to load the specified driver
# module. Even when not using loadable driver modules, this line
# indicates which driver should interpret the information in this section.
# The BusID line is used to specify which of possibly multiple devices
# this section is intended for. When this line isn't present, a device
# section can only match up with the primary video device. For PCI
# devices a line like the following could be used. This line should not
# normally be included unless there is more than one video device
# intalled.
# BusID "PCI:0:10:0"
# VideoRam 256
# Clocks 25.2 28.3
Identifier "Standard VGA"
Driver "vga"
VendorName "Unknown"
BoardName "Unknown"
EndSection
Section "Device"
#VideoRam 131072
# Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate
Identifier "* Generic VESA compatible"
Driver "vesa"
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "aticonfig-Device[0]"
Driver "fglrx"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen 1"
Device "* Generic VESA compatible"
Monitor "My Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 8
Modes "1280x800" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 16
Modes "1280x800" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "aticonfig-Screen[0]"
Device "aticonfig-Device[0]"
Monitor "aticonfig-Monitor[0]"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Viewport 0 0
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection
Ubuntu xorg.conf
# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf(5) manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg
Section "Files"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
# path to defoma fonts
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection
Section "Module"
Load "i2c"
Load "bitmap"
Load "ddc"
Load "dri"
Load "extmod"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
Load "int10"
Load "vbe"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Synaptics Touchpad"
Driver "synaptics"
Option "SendCoreEvents" "true"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Protocol" "auto-dev"
Option "HorizScrollDelta" "0"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "stylus"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "eraser"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Driver "wacom"
Identifier "cursor"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4" # Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection
Section "Device"
Identifier "ATI Technologies Inc ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 5955 (PCIE)"
Driver "ati"
BusID "PCI:1:5:0"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "ATI Technologies Inc ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M 5955 (PCIE)"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x800"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Configured Mouse"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection
Section "DRI"
Mode 0666
EndSection

Xrandr 1.2 provides means for this. But today the only supported configuration is xorg-server-1.3 + xf86-video-intel-2.0. So for Radeon you'll have to wait for drivers that support Randr 1.2.
On my laptop (Thinkpad x60s) that would be:
xrandr --output VGA --auto
xrandr --output LVDS --off

GS70 Stealth Pro Crashes when using external monitor..

Hi Guys,
I just bought a GS70 ghost pro a few weeks ago and have been loving it, no problems, running Battlefield 3 and watchdogs..
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Which nvidia driver are you using? (latest one from nvidia GeFormce Experience or MSI website)
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http://www.msi.com/support/nb/GS70_2PE_Stealth_Pro.html#down-firmware&Win8.1 64
step by step guide:http://www.msi.com/files/pdf/VBIOS_Update_under_DOS_mode_EN.pdf
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Macbook Pro 15 Late 11 extreme fans noise when using external monitor

Dear Apple, recently I bought Macbook Pro 15 Late 11. I really love it's speed and new OS X Lion, BUT this Macbook really noisy when I use external monitor and keyboard. I work on external monitor all the time. I don't care about how hot my Macbook is when I'm on external monitor. Let it just be hot and quiet.
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I did that and it didn't help. It's common problem with an external monitor. Here are some links:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1162550
http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/Articles/Macbook-Pro-Cooling-Issues

The "Remember Password" volatile menu bar no longer displays when I enter a required site login/password data.

When I attempt to log into a site that requires login / password data, the pop-up menu bar that would ask whether to save this password data or not momentarily displays then disappears befor I can tick my choice.
I tried re-installing Firefox but that didn't change the situation.
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May 17 19:54:47 scott-sanders-computer configd[45]: WirelessAirPortDeviceNameCopy(): no AirPort driver found
May 17 19:54:48 scott-sanders-computer shutdown: reboot by scottsanders:
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May 17 19:54:48 scott-sanders-computer SystemStarter[145]: authentication service (153) did not complete successfully
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May 17 19:54:50 scott-sanders-computer kernel[0]: (186: ps)tfp: failed on 0:
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MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Turning off Macbook Air Display when using External Display on Lion

I had been searching the web and the community forums here for a few hours and finally figured out how to turn off the display on my Macbook Air 2011 running lion and using an external monitor.
With Snow Leopard all you had to do was plug in the external monitor to your MBA then close the lid and wake up the MBA while it was closed. Then you could open up the lid and it would stay off so it would have better air flow and wouldn't get too hot and run the fan all the time.
But ever since Lion, they screwed that up for us.
But after all my searching I finally found someone here give the fix on a MBA.
All you need to do is use a little magnet and put it where the MBA
Special thanks to ronaldfromjakarta and wv636 for giving the answers and workaround until Apple fixes this oversight
"I found a solution for this.. my solution is to put a fridge magnet directly right to the return key (about 2 cm away from the right usb port)... so the laptop thinks the lid is closed and so the display is off.. lol.. try it.. it works.."
You can read more about others using this here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3192733?start=0&tstart=0
In this example I used a big yellow magnet just to test it out, but I will be using a small thin magnet for regular use so that it wont mess up my screen if I accidentally close the lid on it.
Also I put a small piece of paper between the magnet and my MBA so that I wont scratch my MBA.
Some will also ask if it is safe to use a magnet on your MBA etc. You are only placing a magnet where the magnet from the lid would go anyway's. Just make sure you don't use a super magnet or something and you should be all good ;-)
Here are the image examples:
MBA is powered on
MBA is now asleep
Just place the magnet right next to the "Enter/ Return" key
(Note: I used a small piece of paper under the magnet to protect from scratching my MBA)

I also made a video

Turn off LCD display when using second monitor WITHOUT closing lid

I am wondering if there is a way to turn off my macbook's LCD monitor when using a secondary display without closing the lid. I end up having to close the lid, wait for it to sleep, moving moues, and then reopening the lid so it doesnt overheat, and that's alot of work when most windows machines just offer a display setting to accomplish the same thing.
Does anyone know of a terminal command that would disable the primary monitor?

Ilya Batikov wrote:
I am wondering if there is a way to turn off my macbook's LCD monitor when using a secondary display without closing the lid. I end up having to close the lid, wait for it to sleep, moving moues, and then reopening the lid so it doesnt overheat,
It is designed to work with the lid closed and it will not overheat. I do it all the time and have not noticed a rise in temperature because the lid is closed.

Display problem when using external monitor

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Same problem. I have always extended my monitor though. Today I went to lunch... came back... no display... I am using it right now though, I finally was able to figure out how to get the external monitor to act as a clone. The support guy said there wasn't a way to do this, but if you hit option F7 it will switch to clone, then you can go to the display settings and set the external monitor to have the white bar.
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The support guy's computer crashed twice while I was on the phone with him.

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 ?

HT2494 Reboot my Macbook Pro when using external monitor w Thunderbolt to VGA adapter

I have a Macbook Pro running 10.9.2 OS X (MacBookPro8,1). I never had any problem w that but yesterday i bought an external monitor (kind of old model from LG - L1900E). Well, i was trying to extend my Macbook Pro display through a Thunderbolt to VGA adapter. It worked at first but it started rebooting my Mac. I just disconnected that and the reboot stopped.
It sounds to me like a Software related BUG regarding connection or something strange.....
I would like to have some help on how to proceed w that ? Is there a specific SW i need to install to use that ?
I am kind of disapointed because i heard that one of the major items the new OS X was about external displays.....
Looking forward a help from an apple specialist, Tks !
Marcello H. Ishida.

Examine these instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3131
Ciao.

Reboot my Macbook Pro when using external monitor w Thunderbolt to VGA adapter

I have a Macbook Pro running 10.9.2 OS X (MacBookPro8,1). I never had any problem w that but yesterday i bought an external monitor (kind of old model from LG - L1900E). Well, i was trying to extend my Macbook Pro display through a Thunderbolt to VGA adapter. It worked at first but it started rebooting my Mac. I just disconnected that and the reboot stopped.
It sounds to me like a Software related BUG regarding connection or something strange.....
I would like to have some help on how to proceed w that ? Is there a specific SW i need to install to use that ?
I am kind of disapointed because i heard that one of the major items the new OS X was about external displays.....
Looking forward a help from an apple specialist, Tks !
Marcello H. Ishida.

Examine these instructions:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3131
Ciao.

Kernel_task high cpu usage when using external monitor at 1080p

Specs
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro6,2
Processor Name:          Intel Core i7
Processor Speed:          2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache (per core):          256 KB
L3 Cache:          4 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed:          4.8 GT/s
Boot ROM Version:          MBP61.0057.B0C
SMC Version (system):          1.58f15
My external display is a Samsung PX2370 connected to my MBP using an HDMI cable with a HDMI-to-miniDP adapter
I first noticed this after the last EFI update several months back. At first I thought kernel_task eats up too much cpu cycles whenever an external display is attached, but it turns out this only happens when the external display is set to 1080p. When external display is set to 720p, kernel_task is pretty much normal (~5% cpu usage) but rises up to ~150% cpu usage once the external display is set to 1080p.
kernel_task cpu usage is also with normal range when my MBP is connected to a Samsung LCD TV at 720p.
Anyone having the same problem or know of any fix/workarounds?

Seems like the problem persists when playing a 720p video on the external display set to 720p. To sum it up
Video Resolution
Main Display
External (1280x720)
External (1920x1080)
480p
ok
fluctuating kernel_task cpu usage (~5 to ~150 cpu usage)
high kernel_task cpu usage
720p
ok
high kernel_task cpu usage
high kernel_task cpu usage
1080p
ok
high kernel_task cpu usage
high kernel_task cpu usage

Can't take screenshots when using external monitor

I used to take screenshots of areas of my screen all the time using Cmd-Shift-4 but, on my new Macbook Pro, if I have my external LCD screen connected, then any screenshot I take comes out as just a bunch of diagonal shading. It doesn't make a difference whether I take a whole or partial screenshot, and it's the same if I use the Grab utility or the shortcut keys.
If I disconnect the external monitor, screenshots work fine.
This is really frustrating, because I use the Cmd-Shift-4 all the time to collaborate with colleagues on designs.
Any idea if it's possible to fix this?
David

OK, this problem has vanished. The only thing I think it might be is that, when I check the colour profiles for each display, they're set to a combination I didn't try when I was trying to fix this issue ("Color LCD" for the laptop and "HW191D" for the external screen).
Anyway, it's working fine now, so I'm happy!

Desktop acting weird when using External Monitor.

Hey guys,
Just wondering if people have been having this weird "problem" when using an external monitor on OS X Mavericks. Though not really an issue that makes the OS/Mac usable, it's more of a quality of life thing (and it's really annoying for someone who likes things to be where I put them).
Anyways, the problem is that when I use my external monitor when at home, I have it set as the main display while the monitor on my MacBook Pro 15" acts as the extended/secondary monitor. No problems in functionality, BUT, the icons on my desktop always move while my external monitor is in use.
I usually do my work while using my external monitor and I use my desktop as my initial location to save my work files before moving them to an appropriate folder. However, revert back to not using the external monitor, everything just gets muddled up on top of eachother, stuff (sometimes) get missplaced and it just becomes a hassle to rearrange my desktop to how it was before.
tl:dr: desktop icons move when I use my external monitor as my main display.
So does anyone know if this is a problem that can be fixed, or is it an issue my monitor being a 3rd party model and old?
(Monitor HP w2448h — http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay?ac .admitted=1391518927628.876444892.199480143&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignet te.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.pr p_ba847bafb2a2d782fcbb0710b053ce01=wsrp-navigationalState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c01 482166-8%257CdocLocale%253D%257CcalledBy%253D&javax.portlet.tpst=ba847bafb2a2d78 2fcbb0710b053ce01&sp4ts.oid=3454237)

Hi BradnBeaverton,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
The article below may be able to help you with this issue.
Whether or not you are using an Apple Cinema Display, the behaviour you are describing is the same:
Apple Cinema Display: Troubleshooting steps
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2810
Desktop icons move after screen resolution change
Changing the screen resolution affects the display of information on your screen, especially changing to a smaller resolution. The operating system may automatically reposition icons after you change the screen resolution.
OS X Mountain Lion: About the Display pane of System Preferences
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5369
Cheers,
- Judy

Need menu bar on BOTH displays when using external monitor

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