No arrangements under display on system preference

I have a mid 2012 macbook pro and there is no arrangements under my display on system preferences so I cannot connect a cord from my computer to the TV using HDMI cords.

Let me try and sort this out. You have a regular MacBookPro and want to connect your TV via an HDMI cable to use as an external monitor.
By default, a regular MBP only has a Thunderbolt port capable of driving an external monitor. You need to purchase a TB to HDMI adapter/dongle to go between the Mac and the TV. When you have that, as soon as you plug it in, the Mac will automatically detect the TV, usually evident cause the TV will start displaying something and the Mac will at least flicker, if not readjust its screen. You can then open System Preferences / Displays and make the necessary adjustments. Can have two modes of operation: Mirrored or not. Mirrored means the contents of the Mac's screen will be duplicated on the TV, non-mirrored means you have two separate and independent screens onto which you can open application windows. You will probably have to fiddle with the screen resolutions, since most TVs don't have near the capabilities of the Mac's display.
If you have a Retina Mac, all the above applies save the adapter/dongle part. The Retina already has an HDMI port on the right side so you just plug in the cable.

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I am trying to connect my macbook air through my led tv using hdmi but it won't work. I could not find arrangement option on my system preference. how do i make it appear again on my system preference so i can mirror it through my tv. thanks

I am trying to connect my macbook air through my led tv using hdmi but it won't work. I could not find arrangement option on my system preference. how do i make it appear again on my system preference so i can mirror it through my tv. thanks

Hi jenette,
If you are having issues using an HDTV via HDMI as an external display to your MacBook Air, you may find the following article helpful:
OS X: How to use multiple displays with your Mac in Mountain Lion and earlier
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5019
(Note: You will generally only see the arrangement option in Displays when you are configured to use the external display in Extended Desktop mode; there is no arrangement in Mirroring as both screens are showing the same image.)
Regards,
- Brenden

Under APPLE MENU system preferences only opens sporadically, mostly not

Under APPLE MENU system preferences only opens sporadically, mostly not. I booted up with installation disk and ran a check but everything was alright. However, when I tried to click on items using the disk as a startup disk it frequently wouldn't function.

George,
Thanks for asking that question.
I offered this solution based upon similar successful advice which was given to another poster who solved this problem:Long story short I ended up reinstalling Mac OS X using Archive and Install. When I first used the computer following reinstalling Mac OS X, I was able to access the System Preferences by selecting them under the Apple in the menu bar. However, I have now updated my software using Software Update, and now I can't access System Preferences when I click on them under the Apple in the menu. The computer just acts like I never selected System Preferences.
Where have System Preferences gone??? provides another example of Previous Systems folder interfering with System Preferences.
Applications don't work after reinstalling Mac OS X explains a different problem with a Previous Systems folder: Example 1: You downgrade by performing an Archive and Install installation, but do not update to a later version of Mac OS X. The Previous Systems folder contains later versions of applications that may contribute to this issue.If you have proper backups, I recommend trashing the Previous Systems folder as soon as you can determine that the new system is functioning properly. The Previous Systems folders will either take up too much space or contribute to unexplained system problems.
;~)

Deleting a "Location" under Network in System Preferences

Not certain if this topic should be here or under MBP, but here goes. How do you delete a "Location" under Network in System Preferences? What's happened, is that throughout the 15 months of MBP ownership and switching mobile phones pretty frequently, I've managed to acquire 4 different locations without intention, but only need one and would now like to delete the other three.
thanks in adavance for the help
Paul

Choose Edit Location from the Location pop-up, then just select the ones you want to delete and click the "-" button.

How to add audio devices under sound in system preferences

How do I add output audio devices under system preferences --only option listed is internal speakers?
Macbook help says to change device under sound in system preferences. However, only option listed it the internal
speaker.
I need to sound to come from my tv which is hooked via vga cable and audio cable.
Every thing works but I cannot get sound from tv.

You are my hero. I'm not very savy when it comes to connections. I had the audio cable hooked up to the audio port which is next to the headphone port on my macbook. After switching the tv was listed just as you said it would. Thanks so much. I'm now a very happy camper.

Under Security in System Preferences I get "Preferences Error"

Under Security in System Preferences, when I click on Security I get the message "Preferences Error - Could not load Security".
This may be related to another problem I see. If I go into Accounts > Login Options, when I try to uncheck "Automatically log in", the window hangs.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Ray

Ray
Welcome to Apple Discussions!!
when I click on Security I get the message "Preferences Error - Could not load Security".Strange behaviour by System Preferences can often be fixed by trashing com.apple.preferencepanes.cache in Home > Library > Caches folder. But it may not help in your case, so it may help to look in your log files to find out why your preference pane is not opening.
The simplest way to look at log files is to use Console.
Open the Console application from /Applications/Utilities. It will default to showing the "console.log" and possibly the "system.log". Use the File menu if necessary to get both these logs open, and use the Broom to Clear both windows.
Now try to open the Security preference pane and see what appears in either of these windows. Copy and paste it here.
You may see a message saying "Crash report written to <pathname of crash.log>". If so, click on the "Logs" icon at the top left in the tool bar. Then, depending on the <pathname of crash.log> in your message, look under either ~/Library/Logs or /Library/Logs by clicking the disclosure triangle, then click the disclosure triangle for "CrashReporter".
Find the crash log corresponding to your message and select it. It will open at the end of the log. Look back for the last line of asterisks in the log, then post everything after that to the end of the log.

Printer does not display in System Preferences

I've got a simple setup, which is still in testing (no production clients yet).
Server: Mac OS 10.9.1 with Server 3.0.2 . Self signed trust certificate and enrollment certificates. 3rd party SSL cert for web. I've tried this with 10.8.5/2.2.1 as well with no success there either.
Client: Mac OS 10.9.1
I configured a printer on my server through System Preferences with these settings:
Printer Type : IP
address: servername.mydomain.edu
Queue: MyPrinter2000
Name: MyPrinter2000
First of all, Profile Manager 2 was horrendous. I would not recommend using it at all. I could not get consistent profile deployments at all. Moving on...
I add a profile in Profile Manager that is associated to my client. I add some settings to try out including energy savings, login items, login window and some others. For the printer setting, I add the printer that is installed on my server. I allow users to manage the printer list, allow local printers, and save the setting.
The profile deploys right away, and on my test machine, I can see that the printer should be installed when reading the profile in System Preferences. In the Print & Scan menu, however, no printers are displayed whatsoever. I navigate to http://localhost:631 on this same client, and can see the printer there with the correct servername, queue, and driver. I am able to print a test page via that interface successfully.
I have tried installing the printer on the server as shared and not shared. I've removed all profiles and started from scratch with just one profile with just one printer added. Still nothing. I can't figure out why the printer seems to get deployed when I look at the web CUPS interface on the test machine, but System Preferences doesn't show anything.

Are you deploying the profile at user or machine level? I know you may know this but others may not but Apple began the deprecation of WorkGroup Manager with 10.7. FWIW those of us who've been using these technologies since 10.2 and earlier learnt to adapt and used a combination of many applications (some 3rd-party) as well as other techniques which over time worked consistently well. I suppose what I'm trying to say is don't pin all your hopes on PM because it's still not 'enterprise-ready' for OS X yet IMO. I think other veterans and professionals in my field may agree? Having said that I did make it work at some installations/deployments since its first release. Yet at other installations I saw exactly the same behaviour as you do. No logical reason as to why as the network contractor was the same for all those sites. For me this effectively ruled out the network topology and infrastructure as a potential source of the problem. Interestingly I noticed it occasionally worked if the printers were in the same subnet as the macs but even this was not conclusive.

Why under security in system preferences can I not make changes?

When I go to change the settings under General in Security in the systems preferences on my Macbook Pro they are all grey except require a password and can't be clicked. I am trying to change the automatic logout time, but it won't let me. Please help!

Just to confirm, you click the lock, enter your admin password, the lock icon changes to an unlock icon, and all the checkboxes still remain grayed out?

Install Printers now displaying in System Preferences

We are a school district using Casper to manage our computers. We are switching the way we manage printers (our Canon Copiers) from a managed printer to a scripted printer using CUPS scripting to install the printer.
For the most part, it is working and working well. We can set the defaults for the user (Single Sided, Black & White, Secured Printing) and allow the user to change those settings by using Presets.
BUT, every once in awhile, we get a computer (we have 500 13" MacBook Airs, all purchased at the same time), where after installing the printer using Casper Self Service, the System Preferences seem to be 'wiped out'. Yet if we then attempt to print, the printers are all there in the Print Dialog box. Strange. A restart of the computer didn't help, but logging in as "Admin" did show the printers in System Preferences. Logging out and back in as the user, nothing in System Preferences / Fax & Print, yet you could still print.
We eventually did a PRAM reset, and then the printers did return to the System Preferences. Just wondering why this is happening though. If it was only once, I would forget about it, but it has happened on about 5 MBAs now. Yet doing the same thing on 20 other MBAs at this one building was successful with no problems.
I hate inconsistency.
All machines are running either OS X 10.9.3 or 10.9.5 (depending upon when we update them).
Has anyone else experienced this?

Hi Buckster. Well I was not managing any of the preferences before but have done now. Will check tomorrow after the computers have been off to see if the printers stay where they belong.

Can't select "Displays" in System Preferences

In System Prefences, I can't select "Displays" to change the settings. How do I fix this?

you can try removing the audio settings, and see if you get get into settings.
to do so, open the terminal (applications, utilities)
'sudo mv /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist.old'
'sudo mv /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist.old'

Displays in System Preferences blank with new Samsung LCD

On my G4, which has an ATI Rage Pro 16 MB AGP card and an ATI Rage PCI card installed, I now get a blank displays control panel since connecting a new Samsung SyncMaster 730b monitor to either card. The second monitor is a Gateway EV700. If I disconnect one monitor, I get the displays panel back, as soon as I reconnect and restart, it is blank again. I obviously cannot rearrange monitors, although I can change resolutions in my displays icon in the menu bar.
I purchased the AGP card and installed it after installing OS 10.3.9, although when I had an old Apple 720 monitor connected the displays panel worked fine. I have tried connecting the Samsung with both a DVI and a VGA cable (has both options) and nothing works to fix the problem.
Short of re-installing the OS, does anyone know a fix?
G4 500 MHz (AGP graphics) Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Thanks Grant.
I tried this as well, still no luck though, I still get a blank panel.
I took a chance and put the ATI Displays software on the machine, and still the displays panel is blank. The ATI cards still see the monitors and identify them correctly in the ATI control panel installed in system prefs.
At this point I think I just have to live with it, or try installing Tiger, which I have been contemplating. I am a little hesitant though as Tiger hogs a bit more ram and is a larger installation; plus the G4 is an old machine and other than this problem runs everything very well.
eMac 700, G4 500 MHz (AGP graphics), 2 Beige G3's, Blue & White G3 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

System Preferences - Display Frozen

When I attempt to change my display from System Preferences (wishing to stream different photos at 5 second intervals) the dreaded spinning ball immediately appears and System Preferences crashes after several minutes. I am left with one frozen picture which I've actually discarded to trash.
HELP!!!

Ok, this cleared up for me. During the time that things weren't working I was transferring a file from my MBP to my Mini via WiFii. This caused many items related to video to hang: Screen Saver pref, Display Pref, and Front Row all had problems. Once the file transfer completed everything cleared up and started working normally.
What's really interesting is that when I did the transfer via a direct ethernet connection between the machines there was no problem: prefs loaded fine, etc., while the transfer was in progress.

I cannot save general system preferences.

Under the application System Preferences, under 'General', I tried to change the scroll bar preferences as well as ask to keep changes preferences.
After I quit and relaunched to System Preferences, I found out that both of the settings have been reverted. The scroll bar continued to show and the documents continued to ask to keep changes.
OS X Yosemite
Version 10.10.2 (14C1514)
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
Processor     2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory     8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Storage Capacity of 999.35 GB

Back up all data before proceeding.
This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership, permissions, and access controls to the default. If you've intentionally set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it, but you do need to follow the instructions below.
Step 1
If you have more than one user, and the one in question is not an administrator, then go to Step 2.
Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:
sudo find ~ $TMPDIR.. -exec chflags -h nouchg,nouappnd,noschg,nosappnd {} + -exec chown -h $UID {} + -exec chmod +rw {} + -exec chmod -h -N {} + -type d -exec chmod -h +x {} + 2>&-
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.
You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The command may take several minutes to run, depending on how many files you have. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear, then quit Terminal.
Step 2 (optional)
Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1, if you prefer not to take it, or if it doesn't solve the problem.
Start up in Recovery mode. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
          Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. In that window, type this:
resetp
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.
Select your startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select
           ▹ Restart
from the menu bar.

System preferences, Sharing: just a few items?

Hi,
I saw a video tutorial recently, in which the instructor started Apache by turning on "Personal Web Sharing" under "Sharing" in "System Preferences", from an earlier version of OSX Server. But in OSX SL Server I find only 7 items, and there is no "Personal Web Sharing" or even "Web Sharing". Nor do I find "Printer Sharing", "Internet Sharing", "XGrid Sharing", etc. etc. Are these placed somewhere else or did I do something wrong?

Hi
You may have been slightly confused about what you were looking at? Personal, Printer, Web, FTP and the rest are only available in the Client OS via the Sharing Preferences Pane. For OSX Server most of these are dedicated Services with their own 'fuller-featured' interfaces accessed via Server Admin. You won't see them in OSX Server's Sharing Preferences Pane in other words.
I say Server Admin as I only ever use this and WorkGroup Manager. I have a feeling Server Preferences (depending on which mode chosen at the install stage) might give you some (limited?) access to these services also?
Apart from the interface you can access all of these services as well as some features not available in the GUI using the command line:
man serveradmin
Would be a good place to start. Not sure how effective some of the command line tools are if indeed you chose Standalone at the beginning? This 'special' mode seems to behave in a way most of the experienced contributors/users on here are not familiar with because we simply don't use it. Standard/Standalone also seems to use config files in a different way? This is a shame as most of the current crop of posters looking for help are not necessarily getting what they were hoping for?
Of course I could be assuming too much here and you are actually using SA and WGM normally?
Tony

Clicking "Displays" ion system prefernces causes a crash

Just recently noticed this but when I try to access "Displays" through system preferences I get the beachball of death for about a minute and then get a crash report.
This is pretty annoying since I want to change my display preferences!
I've done software update, checked and repaired permissions and no change
any suggestions?
Process: System Preferences [78054]
Path: /Applications/System Preferences.app/Contents/MacOS/System Preferences
Identifier: com.apple.systempreferences
Version: 7.0 (7.0)
Build Info: SystemPrefsApp-1750100~6
Code Type: X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [291]
Exception Type: EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 0 Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 3 GB

Download and install the 10.6.7 COMBO update, repair permissions, and restart.

No arrangements under display on system preference

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