Problem running in closed-lid (clamshell) mode?

New 2.4 glassbook, upgraded to 4Gb Crucial ram, using bluetooth mouse and keyboard, with external Dell 2007FP monitor.
With my old MBP in sleep mode, I could connect the monitor, ethernet, and power, and when I plugged in usb with the lid still closed, the laptop would turn on and everything worked in lid-closed mode.
Now with new glassbook, do the same thing (using display port to DVI adapter), the machine whirrs up, the display turns on (without top menu), and then the laptop goes to sleep. Tried it on a different monitor, same problem.
Am I the only one with this problem of the glassbook not wanting to operate in lid-closed mode?
Thanks in advance.

Yes, same problem. Swapped memory chips back to Apple, same problem. Reset SMU and zapped pram, same problem. It's gonna suck if I have to exchange the laptop because I've spent a day migrating over. I'm hoping it's just a defective DP-DVI adapter. I've also noticed external display flashing (losing signal) as detailed in this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1756755&tstart=0 This makes me worry it's not just the adapter but a problem (driver or hardware) with the 9400M. Can someone else confirm they can operate in clamshell mode without problems?

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HT3131 With the lid closed in clamshell mode, the lid covers the fans - won't it overheat?

With the lid closed in clamshell mode, the lid covers the fans - won't it overheat?

This is useful but the MBA gets a bit hotter due to intake, but if you have the lid open + external screen it gets even hotter due to more for the GPU (processor) to do.
Only way I’ve manage to run only external screen with the lid open is to trick the MBA that the lid is closed with a magnet positioned on the left.
I’d really like a software solution to this though…

Can running Macbook Pro in Clamshell Mode cause problems for Macbook Display?

Hi,
I recently got a new monitor (Dell U2711) and it is stunning when running at full resolution through a mini displayport to displayport adapter. However, i ran my MBP in Clamshell Mode and after rebooting (without the display this time) i had horrible lines across my screen. It was like a grid, but they were tiny, it was like i could see the individual pixels or groups of about 4. I turned it off straight away and when i came back to it (about an hour or 2 later) it was as normal.
I just want to know what is the regular behaviour of running in Clamshell? Is that to be expected? I know that Macbooks dissipate heat through the keyboard, so i wonder if it could be a heat related problem, and if that's something i should be worried about in relation to causing long term damage to my mac's display, or will it always sort itself out?
Sadly, i can't recreate the problem as i have a faulty monitor and it needs to be sent back (i will be getting the same model as a replacement though).
Does anyone have anything to say on this matter?
Thanks in advance
mrmeister

Shootist007 wrote:
Is this a brand new, less then a year old, MBP? If it is then take it to a Apple care center and have them look at it.
It's a refurb late 2008 that i bought in late 2009, but i do have apple care until september 2012 i think, i guess if the problem happens again i can take it in and they can sort me out.
eww wrote:
MBPs don't dissipate any significant amount of heat through the keyboard. No matter how often that misconception is posted, it's still a misconception.
Ok, so it shouldn't be anything to do with heat then, i know the top left corner (closest to the screen) gets pretty hot too, just above the speaker, but from Shootist007's post, it would appear that heat doesn't have anything to do with it. I mean, i wasn't running intensive tasks, i was only browsing the internet.

Closed lid clamshell overheating[?]

Hi, I have a macbookPro late 2009 running Mountain Lion OS, I started to use the computer in Clamshell mode where so far I was aware about ventilation issues hearing here and there incidents about overheating and stuff concerning using the computer with closed
Iid, are there any particular problems with that nowadays and any precaution actions I should be aware before I roast my machine ?
As far I can tell now relating on posts opinions are controversial.
I am an audio proffesional and sometimes I am using it full day with no break.
Thanks
K.

Can't be done. Unplug USB devices before closing the lid.
Should that happen again, you can force a hard restart by pressing and holding the power button for a few seconds.

Problems running ed. software in classic mode in OSX - software freezes up.

Hi,
I run a school lab. I am wondering if there are things I can do to help troubleshoot running software that requires classic mode. I eMacs that run 10.3.9 - 10.4.8. They all have 512MB of ram. I have the machines boot into classic mode on startup. This is working ok. The problem lies in using the actual software. Obviously some software does not freeze up much. some tend to freeze up frequently. Can anything be done. I have read some threads. The threads I've seen relate to classic mode freezing when it is initially starting up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Dan

As long as classic is starting up ok then you're fine. I would keep a copy of a good trimmed down, System Folder with all of the necessary extensions needed. Then when one goes bad you just delete the bad System Folder and copy in a good one.
Make sure you set the memory higher on needed classic applications. I have seen this necessary in certain apps. Also, sometimes the standard additions file inside scripting additions will get corrupted.

Problem with flashing screen in clamshell mode

Running Mac Book Pro with 32" Samsung TV
DVI / HDMI connection
It was working okay for months.
I dont recall doing anything or connecting anything that woudl have changed the setting.
Laptop Screen is stable.
During clamshell and open mode (mirrored or not) TV screen is constantly flashing on and off like its refreshing. Its so bad its impossible to write a sentence.
Tried powering everything off, detecting monitors, resetting TV, changing resolutions, changing HDMI cable and HDMI DVI ports.... nothing works.
I have spent a day trying to get this running again. Any ideas?

carlfromchicago - I too am encountering the exact same issue. I have a MBP 17" 2.3 GHz i7 Core and am trying to use the Henge Dock to reduce the clutter on my desktop. To add to it, I also am using the Matrox Dualhead2GO DP edition to utilize dual monitors for MBP. The external monitors work perfectly fine as long as the MBP lid is open. It will also work intermittently as other users have encountered as well in this forum.
I know there was a software update on 06/23 for the Mac OS to 10.6.8 and then there was a Thunderbolt Firmware update on 06/30. Unfortunately, it did not resolve the issue for me. It still acts flaky I have yet to be able to use Henge Dock and at this point, from all the forums I've read, I think it is an Apple issue.
I am actually in the process of downloading OSX Lion so we'll see if this addresses the issue.

Solution to Closed-Clamshell Mode in Lion

Hello all!
Lion has changed to default behavior of the internal screen from the old functionality in Snow Leopard. Previously, in SL (Snow Leopard), a Mac with an internal screen could be connected to external mouse, display, and keyboard and be ran with the external as the primary monitor WITH the laptop screen open. It is important to keep the screen open on laptops to release heat. Here are the steps to restore this functionality in Lion:
I have found that this command in Terminal restores Snow Leopard functionality in Lion to closed-lid/clamshell mode.
1. Open up Terminal in /Applications/Utilities
2. Type the following command: sudo nvram boot-args="iog0x0"
3. Press return
4. You will see a warning about using the sudo command. PLEASE make sure you typed the command into Terminal correctly. Mispelling sudo commands can be... dangerous.
5. Type in your password to confirm and press return.
6. You should see Terminal move to a new line.
7. Restart your Mac and the Snow Leopard functionality should be restored!
Note: Resetting the PRAM will erase this modification. If you are ever told by Apple to reset the PRAM or need to do so for another reason, you will have to repeat these steps again. The mod holds as long as the PRAM is kept intact!

hi Luke20333,
Thanks for the info, really appreciated it!!
But I think there's a little mistake in your instruction. It didn't work for me at first, but with a little googling I found the one that did the trick:
instead of:
sudo nvram boot-args="iog0x0" (step 2 of your instruction)
I used:
sudo nvram boot-args="iog=0x0" (= sign between iog and 0x0)
Now I can close the lid of my MacBook without having to think if it's connected to an external monitor or not. Much more natural, like what we expect from Apple products...

Clamshell mode messed up...

I use my macbook pro running Lion in closed lid clamshell mode with external keyboard, mouse and monitor all the time. There was a recent change in my logic board with a similar config one cause of problems with the USB.
When I open the lid it takes a lot of time for it to redetect the internal led display. they keyboard and the trackpad also dont function. when i unplugg the mini displayport it almost always doesn't detect the internal display again. keyboard and trackpad are also left non functioning.
when i unplug everything and reboot, it tends to power on the display, but as soon as the login window appears it goes blank. the internal keyboard and trackpad are unable to bring it up again. if at this point i connect my external diplay it works fine!
can someone tell me if this is some bug in lion or if this is my new logic board. incidently i started using an external configuration from the day my new logic board was fitted in. so i'm not sure of this was the same problem with the older one, thus am not sure if this is a logic board problem at all.
kindly advice.
Neerav

You need to have it looked at.
Whether or not you have an external display, keyboard or mouse connected when you open the lid all part of the MBP should work. Displat should come on (that is why there is clamshell mode. The only way to turn off the internal display) and the internal keyboard and touchpad should aways work even if the lid is closed (if you could get to them with the lid closed).
I believe it works on a magnetic switching system. Basically the same switching system used to put the unit into sleep mode when there is no external keyboard or display attached even if you have a mouse attached and it is running on battery or AC power. When you close the lid the unit goes into sleep mode. That same switch is used to set the system into clamshell mode when there are all those other prerequisites attached.

Cannot use clamshell ( closed lid ) mode

I have a very annoying problem with my MBP in clamshell mode. I used to use my computer in clamshell mode with my external monitor while plugged into the ac adapter. Once in a while when I want to use it in clamshell mode I try waking it up with my bluetooth mouse or keyboard and it wakes up and my monitor shows my desktop for about 10 sec, before it goes back to sleep. I try again and something happens. Sometimes it continues to wake up on its own before falling asleep again. This didn't happen before when I first bought it. Is anyone else having the same or related issue?

I can relate to this. I use my MBP mostly in clamshell mode. Transitions, plugging in and unplugging the external monitor, and other accessories, I do mostly with my fingers crossed and prayers to the patron saint of electrons. Sometimes I get the results you describe; sometimes, something even more odd. It's worth remembering that the external display doesn't necessarily mirror the (closed) laptop display — I find it has a different background, and of course it has different resolution and proportions as well. So some thinking and re-organizing is required on the part of the computer to change primary displays in that fashion. Two things I do to facilitate the change are (a) to put the computer in sleep mode before attaching or detaching the display, and then unplugging the AC power first; and (b) ejecting external drives before they are unplugged. Even if it's asleep, the computer objects to having a USB connector to a mounted external drive removed.

10.4.10 problem running with lid closed

Installed 10.4.10 last night, and now I'm having a problem running with the lid closed.
Every day at work, I connect my PowerBook G4 1.33GHz to an external display and USB keyboard/mouse (through a USB hub). I have plenty of room on the external display so I don't use the attached LCD panel - I just close the lid and tuck the computer under the monitor riser. It takes a couple seconds for everything to "adjust" when I connect all the hardware (screen turns on and off once or twice), but it always settled down within 10-15 seconds.
After installing 10.4.10, this configuration is totally unusable. After the external display wakes up, I only have a few usable seconds before the computer goes back to sleep. I can wake it again immediately by moving the mouse or hitting a key on the keyboard, but it never stays awake.
I've tried two different USB hubs as well as directly connecting the keyboard and mouse to the laptop, but I get the same behavior in all cases. If I open the lid, the LCD panel comes on and everything works fine (I can use the USB keyboard/mouse and the external display).
Has anyone had a similar problem since updating to 10.4.10? Like a fool, I rushed right into installing the update without doing a backup, so I'm stuck unless the problem gets fixed or I do a rebuild with 10.4.9.
PowerBook G4 1.33GHz Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Take a look at this link, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1776

Closed-lid mode USB devices disconnect randomly

I just recently connected my MacBook Pro to my Samsung DLP HDTV and started running it in closed-lid mode so my TV is the primary/only display. I also have an external hard drive (USB), external mouse (wireless with USB toggle) and the new Apple bluetooth keyboard.
The problem I have isn't entering the closed-lid mode. But once in closed-lid mode (after a short period of time) all of my USB devices disconnect and then reconnect. I know this because I get an error saying that my hard drive was removed improperly (please eject before disconnecting, etc) and I also get a message from my mouse software saying that my mouse has been disconnected. But then they reconnect themselves (hard drive shows up again on desktop and mouse software informs me that the mouse is present again).
Has anyone had this problem before where USB devices disconnect in the closed-lid mode? I just upgraded to Leopard (formatted the drive and started from scratch). I never tried this within Tiger so I don't have that for a reference. This is really annoying because I have my entire music collection on the external hard drive and it just stops playing when this happens and I have to restore the path to my music collection within iTunes' preferences (it defaults back to ~/Music/iTunes/ when it figures out that the hard drive is no longer there).
The strange thing about this is that when I don't run in closed-lid mode this never happens. I'll be more than happy to provide more details if needed. I greatly appreciate your help.
Thanks!
Mike

i appear to have the same problem under Vista (via Bootcamp) on MBP (2007). i close the lid, and 5-20min later i hear the sound a USB device makes when it disconnects, and a minute or 5 later it reconnects. i don't actually have any USB devices plugged in, but there are several components in the MBP that are connected internally via USB (DVD drive, etc).
what's almost as annoying is that the LCD backlight will come back on of its own accord, even though the MBP's been idle for more than the LCD/backlight time-out period. after the next idle timeout it turns off, only to turn back on againa while later. i see this under OSX & Vista.

Switching to clamshell mode while running

I like to switch between clamshell mode and using the powerbook as a secondary display quite often. But I can't figure out how to switch my powerbook into clamshell mode without first putting it to sleep by closing the lid, and then unplugging and re-plugging in the external display and input devices, which is a hassle (and cancels any current network transfers).
I know I can just dim the powerbook's screen until the backlight switches off, but the display is still active, and using up some of the video memory.
Is there any way to do this?
PowerBook G4 (15-inch) Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Thank you but that wasn't what I was asking.
I can run the powerbook in clamshell mode just fine. However, right now I have the powerbook open (and running) and an external display connected with the desktop spanned across both the powerbook monitor and the external display.
What I would like to do is run the powerbook in clamshell mode without putting it to sleep and waking it back up.
For example, if I'm transferring several gig over the network and decide I want to go into clamshell mode (from screen-spanning mode) I can't do so without cancelling the network transfer.

TV + Closed-Lid Mode?

Is running in closed-lid mode on the MacBook using a television with the Apple Video Adapter supported? I can't get it to work properly.
Brian

Make sure your power saving settings aren't unusual - I find normal works fine. Configure your external displays with the lid open and then with the power cable connected try closing the lid. It will fall asleep immediately - let it. Then when the light throbs try waking it back up again with the remote... It works for me, but it did try my patience before I came up with a routine that I was happy with.
Also - how do you connect your TV? My TV has a monitor / DVI out and it's quite happy with that. I shouldn't think that S-Video should be too different. Has anyone tried with S-Video? Hope this helps...
macbook 2.0Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2 Gb RAM

MacBook Pro keeps going to sleep in closed-lid mode and external monitor

I am trying to run the MacBook in closed lid mode with an external monitor. It seems to work fine at first, but after about 10 seconds, it goes to sleep. I can wake it back up but it just goes to sleep again.
Has anyone seen this before?

I figured it out. Apparently you can't run in closed-lid mode on battery. I plugged in the power adapter and it's working fine now.

IChat and Closed-Lid Mode

I found something very interesting in iChat 4.0.8 and Leopard 10.5.7. I run my MBP in closed-lid mode with an external Apple Cinema Display. When in iChat, I cannot do audio chats at all - i.e. no sound input with either of my external interfaces (Apogee Duet via FireWire and Mbox 2 Mini via USB). Of course video doesn't work at all, as the built-in iSight is not accessible. If I open the MBP display, they both work normally. As soon as I close the display, wake the MBP and run in closed-lid mode, I cannot get any input whatsoever. The devices work normally in QuickTime Player Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, etc. In either mode there IS an input level in System Preferences > Sound as well. I even tried to "trick" the system by using Audio Hijack Pro and Soundflower, but the issue remains. No combo of settings in the Sound preference pane and iChat preferences will allow a signal input.
Anyone else running a MacBook or MacBook Pro in closed-lid mode? Does this issue happen on your Mac as well?
VERY strange,
C

Well...Snow Leopard seems to have fixed this issue.

Problem running in closed-lid (clamshell) mode?

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