Set display preferences automatically

Hi All,
Is it possible to set display preferences using automator or apple script? I would like to switch my display prefs from extended display to mirror displays whenever front row is launched.
Thanks

Another thought, is it possible to just configure which monitor front row opens on?

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I wasted about 20 minutes looking for it and couldn't find it
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Display Preferences refuse to stay set.

Brand new 2010 8Core 2.4Ghz MacPro. ATI 5870 video card. Running 3 displays - 2-24" Dell UltraSharps and a 30" Apple Cinema Display.
Using 2 Dual Link DVI to Mini Display Adapters in order to drive all 3 displays.
Card ports =
MiniDisplay #1 - Apple 30"
MiniDisplay #2 - 24" Dell
DVI Port - 24" Dell
The Dells have a max resolution of 1920x1200. I have them rotated to portrait (90°) via Display Preferences.
I HAD to set the Apple 30" in Mini Display port #1 so it would be seen as the primary monitor at all times. Simply dragging the menu bar in Displays > Arrange works for a while.. but read on....
System runs and operates fine overall. I set the Display Preferences, arrange the three monitors (24 - 30 -24) and set the rotation for the Dells. All works and is great while I'm sitting there.
I leave the system for 15 minutes or more and come back to it sleeping. When I hit the spacebar to wake, the Dell displays reset to either 1200x1600 resolution (stretching the picture), lose the 90° rotation, or both. If the Apple 30" isn't plugged into MiniDisplay Port #1, then whatever monitor IS plugged into that port becomes the primary. If I reset things, via Display Preferences, it's all great again until the system sleeps for more the 15 minutes again.
I've tried everything I can think of - zapping PRAM - reinstall the OS - trashing com.apple.windowserver.plist - locking com.apple.windowserver.plist (well setting permissions to read only, you can't lock that file).
Nothing I do will allow the monitors to retain their settings. Am I missing some trick somewhere?
Long time Mac User, previous MacPro with two nVidia cards didn't have this issue.
In addition.. not display related, but I'm finding disk access on the new MacPro horribly slow. Initial disk access takes 3-5 seconds every time. This is exceptionally abnormal for me. I'm not certain if it's an issue with the machine or the OS. This new system purchased last month is my first real exposure to OS10.6.4 on a regular basis. I did completely erase and install the OS when the system arrived as I always do.
Any ideas?

Wasn't due to a bad machine.
I have had 2 machine swaps since my October purchase of a 2010 MacPro. First system had a hard freeze at ~80% load and Apple requested a swap. Second system shorted out after 44 days of use. Short was not in the power supply ro logic board, it was deeper. I requested a new machine at that point.
So I'm on my 3rd new MacPro since October.... display issues have been the same on all three systems. It's obviously a firmware/video driver issue.
Let's hope this third system actually lasts longer than 45 days. So far, I'm swapping machines due to bad hardware every month and a half.

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abdu wrote:
I want to display the page the way *I* like.
I guess there are two ways to look at that. Since they created it, maybe they want you to see it they way "they" like. That's the basic premise behind PDF. But yeah, it can be a bit irritating for those on the receiving end.
abdu wrote:
As far anyone is concerned, the document setting could have been a default setting of the pdf creator tool and the document author is not even aware of this setting!
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abdu wrote:
So Adobe.. please fix this setting or add a checkbox to override the document setting.
I think a checkbox is a fine idea.

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— Lorna in Southern California

iWeb doesn't remember your default choice like that
unfortunately. Are you finding that you use the same
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Page Display Preferences

I am running Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.2 on Widnows 2008r2 and am having a problem saving my settings. I am trying to change the Page Display preference Page Layout from Automatic to Two-up. I set that preference and it works fine until I close Acrobat. When I open it again the preference is set back to Automatic.

Bill
Thanks but I am using Edit>Preferences>Page Display but it will not say what I set it to after restarting the program.

Preferences error - could not load displays preference pane

My screen resolution changed during game play. Now that the game is off, I cant change it back. This is what the error message says "Preferences Error - Could not load Displays preference pane."

Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

My imac g5 display preference will not stay bright after bootup.

My imac g5 display preference will not stay bright after bootup.
Precessor 1.8 PPC G5
2gb ddr sdram
osx 10.5.8

cwc wrote:
My imac g5 display preference will not stay bright after bootup.
Welcome to Apple's discussion groups.
I'll presume that you can adjust the brightness after bootup. If that display preference is kept in PRAM, it's possible that the PRAM battery is wearing out.
Here's what Apple says about what's stored in PRAM:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1242
To test that possibility, turn off "Set date and time automatically" in the Date & Time panel of System Preferences (if it's set), shut down and unplug your Mac, then let it sit for a few minutes. When you reboot it, check the system date and time. If the PRAM battery is failing, those may be set incorrectly.
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http://www.ifixit.com/Browse/iMac_G5

Display preferences reset

For some reason my display preferences reset at every bootup recently. I have to launch display preferences and as soon as it opens my calibration setting kick in. I have zapped p-ram, repaired promotions, even deleted my calibration files and made new ones.
Any ideas besides get a new Mac? I am waiting for the new Intel Towers to come out but then this one goes to my son when I get my i6.

Hi, vandar.
Well, I wish you had mentioned the Huey earlier. Let me see if I understand the problem now more fully.
You've written: "For some reason my display preferences reset at every bootup recently. I have to launch display preferences and as soon as it opens my calibration setting kick in."and"I am using a Huey for monitor calibration."By Huey I presume you mean the Pantone display calibration device.
1. So, are you saying that the calibrations you've made with your Huey do not load at startup, but simply opening System Preferences > Displays they then load automatically?
2. You're also running dual 17-inch monitors, correct? Did you calibrate both monitors?
3. Is the Huey a new addition, or have you been using it for awhile and this problem just arose? If the latter, what changes, if any, did you make to your Mac before this problem arose?
4. If you had to install software on your Mac to use the Huey, do you have the latest software download from Pantone?
5. This makes me wonder if the Pantone software, if any, should also be launching a Startup or Login item to load the calibrations as part of startup or login. Have you checked the Huey's documentation?
6. You wrote: "Can't fit everything in the "Other Details" section.
G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) G4 733MHz, 1GB ram, ATI VGA & NVIDIA GeFOrce2 MX w/ 2-17", 1TB Hard Drive space, USB2 card"This should fit on the two lines and you can still select Mac OS X 10.4.6 in the OS field:
PM G4 G4 733MHz, 1GB RAM, ATI VGA & GeForce2 MX, 2x17" displays, 1 TB HDD, USB2 card, Huey
If the displays are LCDs, substitute "LCDs" for "displays" in the above.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X

Display Preferences lost upon sleep

Every time my new Mini goes to sleep and returns back, it loses the custom calibrated display profile setting in System Preferences/Displays/Color. (Loading the System Preferences manually and clicking on "Displays" will reset it back correctly without having to go into the Color menu.)
My display is a Dell 2408WFP - which also goes to sleep when the Mini sleeps. It's entirely possible that it's the monitor that's resetting itself.
Is there any way to force the Mini to automatically return to the custom Display Profile upon waking? Or perhaps, run a little script routine that sets it back once both the monitor and Mini have returned to the living?

I am having the same problem with my 17" MacBook Pro (and I think it happened with my old 17' Powerbook too). I have an external 23" Cinema Display and whenever the computer wakes from sleep (I think I mean display sleep actually as I don't think the laptop is set to sleep) the laptop display has lost its display preference.

My monitor's resolution not available in display preferences

Hi:
I upgraded our Dual 1.0 Ghz G4 to OS 10.4.8 this afternoon. We use a ViewSonic VG150 LCD monitor on this computer, and the native resolution of the monitor is 1024x768.
Unfortunately, after updating, the only resolution available in the display preferences is 1280x768, so everything is tall and squished.
Is there any way to make that correct resolution available in the Display preferences panel?
I used to have some problems with this monitor while running OS 10.3.7. When first starting the computer the monitor would look like it was at the wrong resolution, even though the resolution was set to 1024x768 in the menu bar. I'd have to switch it to a wrong resolution, then back to 1024x768 to get the monitor to look right.
Thank you.
Shawn Marshall
Portland, Oregon

Hi:
Thanks for the info. It looks like either of those apps should fix the problem, though I was hoping there was a solution within the OS which would fix it (without having to buy something). I'm not trying to do anything out of the ordinary, just trying to get the monitor to run at the resolution it was designed for.
Shawn

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

Set Time Zone automatically doesn't work?

Just returned from a trip to Greece (back home now in Phoenix). Noticed that even connected to wifi in different locations, when "set time zone automatically" was clicked on in general settings, time displayed on iPad seemed stuck in EST. (I made a stop in Philly on way to trip, not sure if that has to do with anything.)
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Ok thanks. Yeah, I ended up using the World Clocks.
Where it gets interested is, iCal. If you're in a foreign country that's, say, 4 hours ahead, and you add iCal entries to your Calendar while you're out there, should those entries reflect the local time or the home time?
Also, if you're set the Alarm to wake you up at 8:00am, and you're away on holiday, surely it will go off at home time, not local time, thus going off at the WRONG time.

Messed up display preferences

I'm trying to use my LG LCD tv as the monitor for the Mac mini, to be the hub of my media center. I hooked it up using the DVI to VGA cable, started it up and it worked fine, but I was losing the edge of the screen because of the overscan. I tried changing the display preference, and the display went black, with a "Invalid format" message on the screen. I didn't have a monitor, so I had to wait til the next day to get one, then tried changing it back. It works fine on the monitor, but the TV screen still shows the "Invalid format" message when I hook it back up to the TV. Any ideas, anyone? Will it work if I get a DVI to HDMI cable?

With the LG attached to the mini, start up in Safe mode. That should give you a useable screen. Then go into Displays preferences and set the resolution where it was before the trouble started. Then restart normally and the setting should persist through the restart and you should be back where you began.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455?viewlocale=en_US
As for overscan, check you TV's user guide to see if there is a setting to eliminate it. It's best to fix overscan from the display side rather than trying to do it from the mini's side, which may not be possible.

Remove or Delete monitor display preferences as defined by the User -

The clarity and resolution of my display seems to have disappeared. It is currently set at 1440 x 900 which is usually fine except when I start-up, my screen loads what must initially be the default settings - which are perfect - then after a couple of seconds changes to a dark/grainy image.
When I log in to another user account, the image is fine which indicates that it is must be display preferences for the user which has changed (although I don't recall ever doing this). Does anyone know how to reset defaults or remove delete user defined profile?
Thank you.

DearJane
As Limnos points out my suggestion takes a rather blanket approach which may not suit you? However it's also fair to say that problems potentially caused due to damaged and/or corrupted .plists are not exclusive to a single .plist. Occasionally its a combination of 2, 3 or 4 or possibly more that causes the problem.
Hence my suggestion to create a folder on the desktop first. That way if the problem goes away you can introduce desired .plist files later on once you test everything else. It's also my experience that most mac users can benefit from having a major clearout. Couple this with clearing out the contents of /Users/Home/Library/Caches and overall performance can seem quite marked.
A lot does depend on how many 3rd-Party applications/utilities you've added. I have lots of added extras and it does not cause me any problems whenever I clear them all out.
The choice is yours.
HTH?
Tony

Set display preferences automatically

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