Thunderbolt ports bad?

So, I thought I had an external drive problem. My drive wouldn't work on either of my Thunderbolt ports on my 2011 Imac. Then I connected the same thunderbolt drive and adapter to my Mac Air, and it worked.
It's a 2011 Imac, Intel core i7, lots of memory, everything works BUT both of my Thunderbolt ports. In system info, they both show up. And, they do supply power, as the drives spins up, but is never seen within the OS. Disk utility doesn't see it either. So, while the ports are supplying power, something else isn't right. After all, the drive does mount via Thunderbolt on my Mac Air.
This *****, but I need some help. Any thoughts out there? Any debug troubleshooting masters out there? To any Apple employees, what's the nearest repair facility to 94595?
Thanks in advance............

Try an NVRAM/PRAM reset.
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.
After resetting NVRAM or PRAM, you may need to reconfigure your settings for speaker volume, screen resolution, startup disk and date and time settings once you do this.

Similar Messages

2011 mini-thunderbolt port to monitor not working

I have a 2011 i5 Mini which I am using as a media server - hdmi port to my tv and the Thunderbolt port to my 1920x1080 monitor. The problem is with the Thunderbolt port.
I understood that I could use a Mini Displayport (MDP) adapter and go to the monitor either as VGA or DVI. Hooked up the MDP-VGA adapter and all was good for the last couple of weeks: both the monitor and the TV works and the monitor also worked fine with the TV off.
However, today, the monitor wouldn't show a signal. Figuring it was the cheap monitor, it pulled it and hooked it to a 2010 mini and it worked correctly with dvi and vga. Put it back on the 2011 Mini and tried a MDP-DVI adapter, but no joy. Image came on the monitor for perhaps 2 seconds and then disolved to just white noise. Re-booted with same result.
Pulled the HDMI cable that was going to the TV and used the supplied HDMI to DVI adapter to the monitor and it now works, but now I can't use the TV.
I am assuming that this is a trip to the Apple store for warranty work unless anyone has an idea to try. BTW, the 2011 MIni is fully up to date according to Software Update.
Thanks, all.
Peter

Solved the problem with a new dvi to mini-display port cable from amazon. My 2 adapters must be bad.
Peter

2011 Macbook Pro 17" Thunderbolt port "No Device Connected"

Please help!
I have a 2011 (early) 17" Macbook Pro (8,3)
Core i7 - 2.2
Boot Rom: MBP81.0047.B27
SMC: 1.70f6
Running Yosemite 10.10
I recently purchased a Akitio Thunderdock.
***It does not mount and when I check the system report, the thunderbolt bus shows "No Device Connected."
I reset the PRAM numerous times.
Reset the SMC.
Everything is plugged in correctly, with a proper thunderbolt cable.
When I attach the thunderbolt cable to the MBP, the blue LED on the on the dock lights up. (meaning link connected)
But the thunder dock will not mount.
Thunderbolt specs:
Route String: 0
Link Status: 0x101
Firmware Version: 20080d.0
Status: No device connected
Port Micro Firmware Version: 1.2.1
Before I got the dock I used (and still do) use the thunderbolt port with a mini display adapter to connect a 2nd display.
(works fine for this function.)
Thank you for your help.
J.
***Before suggesting it's the dock/power/bad cable:
I tested the Thunderdock with my GF's Macbook Air (2013) it mounts fine and sees every port on the dock (USB3, eSATA, FW800).

Same here.
Did anyone try to downgrade to Mavericks?

Thunderbolt port failure on Late 2011 Macbook Pro?

On a daily basis, I use a 1TB Seagate GoFlex external HDD that was originally a USB 3.0 interface until I bought the Thunderbolt sled (replacing the USB 3.0 interface) for things like Time Machine backups, photo management in Aperture and the like. Last night, I was on my Late 2011 15in Macbook Pro running a Time Machine backup and working in Aperture via Thunderbolt while charging the laptop when suddenly the drive was improperly ejected and the LED on the Seagate shut off as if no connection was made. I unplugged the Thunderbolt connections and tried again and the Seagate LED remained off and no drives showed up in Disk Utility. So I tried taking that Seagate and Thunderbolt cable and used it on another Mac, everything worked properly and as expected. So to further drive home the theory that maybe the Thunderbolt port on the laptop was bad, I tried using another Thunderbolt drive/cable on the Macbook Pro and sure enough, nothing happened. To me, this sounds like a bad port.
The reason for this post is that I've not yet seen anything on the interwebz regarding Thunderbolt port failures aside from a few estranged "display issues" via Thunderbolt. Has anyone else heard of this kind of thing happening? I find it a bit odd that with modern technology that tends to prevent overheating issues, this was able to happen. It almost seems like maybe a piece of solder broke off or something? Any thoughts?

Have you rebooted the system? Have you tried a SMC and PRAM reset?
If not do all three of those things.
If you still have a problem hopefully you have Applecare as if you don't the fix will be expensive. You will need to have the logic board changed to fix a bad, broken, TB port.

IMac: USB and Thunderbolt ports seems loose

I'm not sure if this is really a question other than wondering if other people experience it.
I have a 14.2 27" iMac. The thunderbolt port is used to connect to a second display, and the USB ports are primarily used for external drives.
In all cases, I find that even the slightest movement of the USB or Thundebolt cable will result in the device being momentarily physically disconnected. I have tried to reproduce this on my gaming PC with the USB drives and I can wiggle the cable all I want without the drive disconnecting.
Since all of the USB ports on the iMac do this, and none of the ports on the PC do, I can only assume there is some sort of design flaw or manufacturing defect.
Any thoughts?
-Doc

Yep, same here, my relatively new, very expensive, souped up 27 iMac keeps on dropping the drive connected to the Thunderbolt port whenever I unplug something from a neighbouring USB port.
And no, Apple I am not lugging a huge 27 inch iMac back to the store for you to fix something that is your fault, which you don't admit is happening to many iMacs and which you apparently don't know how to fix. And apparently in Australia we don't have site visits for Apple Care....
I am a weak older person who can't lift the thing (and who waited a very long time to be able to afford this machine) - but you see I never expected my iMac and Mavericks to be so darn dodgy - I trusted you Apple.. as I have for the last 30 years of using an Apple.
Mavericks probs were bad enough, but it was a software prob which eventually (hopefully I thought they'll fix) - it does make my heart bleed however to realise that Apple with its billions of cash in the bank can't afford to hire some decent coders to fix multiple probs with Mavericks in a timely fashion....
But now?????
- now I realise I actually have a computer with a faulty thunderbolt port....and that Apple does not seem to be acknowledging this fault....Apple had better find a solution that does not give me a hernia....
Thanks for your input folks in this forum.....sorry for sounding so annoyed - that's cos I am:-)
( and yes I am going to put this in feedback somewhere so the robot who reads can bin it more easily)

MBPro 17" Thunderbolt Port Failure

It seems my Thunderbolt port on my 17" MBPro (Feb2011 I think) has died. After working for two years, yesterday, my TB Display started not waking up and just the MBPro screen would come on. Display Prefs showed now sign of external display available. If I unplugged the TB cable and re-plugged, it would come back... Then as of last night, that stopped working too. No TB drives are recognized by the port either. (Back story... Anytime I touched or applied any pressure on the speaker above the port on that upper left side by the [ESC] key, the turbo fans would kick in. Not sure if it's related to something overheating in that corner of the board or not, but thought I'd mention.) Anything I can do to fix it?

Have you rebooted the system? Have you tried a SMC and PRAM reset?
If not do all three of those things.
If you still have a problem hopefully you have Applecare as if you don't the fix will be expensive. You will need to have the logic board changed to fix a bad, broken, TB port.

I have a MBPro mid 2013 with 1 Thunderbolt port. Just bought a Mac monitor and want to daisy chain a PC monitor to it. Use a Mini DVI to VGA adapter from MBP to PC monitor. How do I daisy chain the 2 monitors?

I have a MBPro mid 2013 with 1 Thunderbolt port. Just bought a Mac monitor and want to daisy chain a PC monitor to it. Use a Mini DVI to VGA adapter from MBP to PC monitor. How do I daisy chain the 2 monitors?

Hall Palm Desert,
if your Mac monitor has Thunderbolt ports, and the PC monitor is on the end of the daisy chain, then you might be able to do it by connecting your PC monitor’s VGA cable to a Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter (e.g. Apple, NewerTech), connecting that cable’s Mini DisplayPort end to one of the Mac monitor’s Thunderbolt ports, and then connecting a Thunderbolt cable between the other port on the Mac monitor and your MacBook Pro.

I have a Macbook Pro 13.3 i5 w/ no hdmi port. How can I connect my Mac to TV to watch video, photo ? Is the Thunderbolt port a mini display port where I can use a mini display port to HDMI cable? If not, what are my options??

I have a Macbook pro 13.3 w/ i5 that has no hdmi port. I want to be able to connect the Mac to my TV set to watch Video, Photos and files from Mac to TV.
Is the Thunderbolt port similar to a display port or mini display port? Can I use thunderbolt port to connect thru a mini displayport to HDMI cable or converter?
Been trying to locate a USB to HDMI cable or converter (at a reasonable price) but all I found is a displayport or mini displayport to HDMI cable/converter.
What other options are available ?
Thanks a lot for your assistance.

Thunderbolt uses a Mini DisplayPort adapter to send video and audio to HDMI. Here's some on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_8?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-ke ywords=mini+displayport+to+hdmi&sprefix=mini+dis%2Caps%2C249#/ref=nb_sb_noss?ur l =search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=mini+displayport+to+hdmi+with+audio&rh = n%3A172282%2Cn%3A!493964%2Cn%3A541966%2Ck%3Amini+displayport+to+hdmi+with+audio

Thunderbolt port to Mini Display Port to HDMI problem

Ok.. I figured it out (after reading another post of 44 pages of solutions/non-solutions and complaints starting back to 2009 and trying some) It seems as though a simple fix was missing.... I did this and it works just fine...
I have a 27' imac. I used the Thunderbolt port on the back to a MDP to a HDMI to my 55" Vizio HD 1080p TV. It didn't work until......
I called my Boeing engineer son-in-law (who is a very part time mac person (but very smart!) and he had me go to (SEE steps below!)........
I did this and it works just fine...
HERE IT IS STEP BY STEP!!!
1.Open SYSTEM PREFFERRENCES click DISPLAYS. A window opens that will say your mac on the top of the window (mine said- iMac).
2.Then....click ARRANGEMENT (there will be 2 little blue screens inside--1 portrait and 1 landscape view) and check MIRROR DISPLAYS.
3.Now a second window opens with the name of your other display (mine said- VZ55.....which is my TV) (the two little blue screens will now be overlapping).
4.Then go to DISPLAYS on same window and choose your RESOLUTION.
5.Now arrow pack on window to SYSTEM PREFFERRENCES
6.Click SOUND and click on whatever your other display is (mine was VZ55....).
7.Choose your resolution (mine was 1080p) and ****POOF**** there it was.... my computer on my TV!!!
WALLA!
I hope this will help a lot of you! Good Luck All!

Shoudl try deactivating "Automatic graphic switching" from "Energy" pane of system preferences ...
As said on the following : http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1297176

How to connect two DVI screens to Thunderbolt Display's Thunderbolt Port?

Hi everyone,
I have a new MBP and an external Thunderbolt Display. The Thunderbolt Display itself has a Thunderbolt port, and I was wondering if there is anyway to connect to DVI screens to that. My goal is to have the Thunderbolt Display and 2 x 24" Samsung DVI screens connected to my MBP.
Alternatively, has anyone had success using a third party device like the Matrox 2 go to drive multiple monitors from the usb port?
Thanks,
Dave.

You could try a TB>DVI adapter (here's one from Monoprice) but I don't know that it will work - I'm thinking that you could have at least one of your Samsung displays use it. You may also want to see if you can find a HDMI>DVI adapter for your second Samsung display - something like this?
I know that I've seen three monitor set-ups on YouTube - but I'm not sure what was connected to what. Easy enough to daisy-chain ATDs but it gets a bit tougher when utilizing HDMI ports, etc., and I'm not sure about the GPUs ability to drive all three displays.
Oops - sorry - strike that second paragraph - I thought that you were running a Retina display MBP...
Clinton
Message was edited by: clintonfrombirmingham

How to connect iMAC thunderbolt port to a cable TV set top box?

I am moving to a house that will have combination TV-phone-Internet services delivered via cable (Optimum is the provider). I understand that with my new iMac which has a "thunderbolt" port that I can use the iMac as a tv monitor and DVR (recorder) and watch live TV or recorded TV. I think it is possible to record TV shows either on the iMac's hard drive or the Optimum DVR. Beyond that, I get confused because I do not understand the details of RCA cables, coaxial cables, HDMI connectors, etc. Apple does not provide support for set top boxes (I called Apple), and Optimum does not provide support for Macs (I called them too). Since Apple is the party advertising the capability of watching TV on a Mac, I would think the burden is more on them to explain how that works, and maybe they have done so on their web sites, but I cannot find it so far. I can understand that the cable company does not want to tell people how to bypass the need for their DVR equipment. Before I go out and hire a consultant for a few hundred dollars to explain it, I was hoping I might find online some tips on how to set up a system at home. No luck so far.
Am I correct in assuming that wireless connections are NOT an option because a TV signal has too much bandwidth to work wirelessly? (I do have a wireless router already.)
If so and if I am using wires to connect the iMac, am I correct to think I want to use the thunderbolt port for best results?
If so, what next? What exactly is the adapter or cable I need and how do I plug it into the set top box? There are several people in the household, and so I would want the flat screen TV monitor to work normally at times rather than only use the iMac. Does that require several set top boxes? I would think that this would be an issue for many people, and it seems to me that this forum would be an ideal place to get help. So far the people I have spoken with say "well it depends on what you want to do and what your equipment is and for that you have to go ask ___________[someone else]"

I do not understand what Apple TV is. I have TV already. When I look up "Apple TV" on the Apple website I see that is has been redesigned to be small in size but big in entertainment. Since I did not know what it was BEFORE it was redesigned, knowing that is has been redesigned does not help me understand it. Now it is smaller? So it was too big before? "Watch Netflix titles instantly." But I can do that with my mac and an internet connection now. So what is Apple TV that makes it a better or different way to watch Netflix movies? "Best of all, Apple TV is just $99" Sorry, but how is that the Best of All part? My Optimum Cable is charging me $30 a month for TV. But Apple TV's best part is it costs $99? Is that per month too? I also see that everything streams wirelessly to Apple TV, and all I need it so connect apple tv to my widescreen TV using an HDMI cable sold separately. Now I am really confused. I plug in a cable to get wireless streaming? If it is wireless, why does it need a cable? If there is a cable involved, how is it wireless? Color me clueless. I cannot find a straight forward description of what Apple TV is. And so I don't get how that is the answer to my question. Sorry for being so simple-minded. Thanks for the suggestion and I will go research further to learn what is an Apple TV.

Mini Display port DVI adapter not working on Thunderbolt Port

For some time I've been using a mini display port to DVI adapter on an slightly older MBP to connect to my HD TV. I recently purchased a MBP with a Thunderbolt port and when I try to connect it to my TV via my mini-display-port-DVI adapter things are not working properly. The MBP is seeing the Philips TV but it isn't listing all the display modes and I'm not able to send any video to it. Does the Thunderbolt port require a new display port to DVI adapter?

Let me be clearer; I've got the MDP-DVI adapter connected to a cable that is DVI on one end and HDMI on the other. I've got both laptops so I can compare side by side. I plug in the MDP-DVI adapter to the old laptop and all works well; I plug it into the new laptop and while the laptop does see the TV, the display modes for it are all 1080p which is wrong I don't see any desktop image on the TV unlike when I plug it into the older laptop. This is very disappointing as I expect things to just work with Apple products.

I want to Connect my Mac Mini as a Slave to a Mac pro Server while at the same time using the Mac mini's thunderbolt ports peripherals ( ie monitor, Sound Card, Hard drives) Creating a poor man's new mac Pro. Can this be Done?

I want to Connect my Mac Mini as a Slave to a Mac pro Server while at the same time using the Mac mini's thunderbolt ports peripherals ( ie monitor, Sound Card, Hard drives) Creating a poor man's new mac Pro. Can this be Done?

Well, I really would love the new unreleased mac pro however , I'm not sure of the expected cost , Everyone speculates from $3,000 to $8,000, in which I may have to wait a while to purchase.
To the point .... I want fully functional thunderbolt ports to be on the current mac pro's .... wonder if anyone had workarounds yet?... or could I chain the the current mac pro to a mac mini to make that happen?

Connecting Cinema Display with mini display port to macbook pro with thunderbolt port

I am trying to connect a 27" cinema display (2010) that has a mini display port cable out of the back, into my macbook pro (2013) with thunderbolt ports. The mini display port cord fits into the thunderbolt port on the Macbook Pro, however the macbook pro does not detect the cinema display and the cinema display does not have any picture on the screen. The USB plugs in fine and sound comes out, and I have the adapter for the magsafe to magsafe 2 and that works fine, it just the actual display. Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks!

Hello mmholt,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
It sounds like there’s no video on an Apple Cinema Display that’s connected to your MacBook Pro, and you’re wondering if the configuration is supported. It is supported, take a look at the article linked below for more information.
Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) - Apple Support
1. Can I connect a Mini DisplayPort monitor or monitor using a Mini DisplayPort adapter to a Thunderbolt port on my Thunderbolt-equipped Mac?
Yes. A Mini DisplayPort display or a display connecting with a Mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, or HDMI adapter will work just like it was connecting to a Mini DisplayPort connector when plugging in directly to the Thunderbolt connector on your Apple computer. Click here for more information on Mini DisplayPort connections and adapters.
Also, this article provides a lot of great information and troubleshooting tips that will resolve most issues related to video external displays.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays - Apple Support
So long,
-Jason

What do i need to connect my mbp to a tv with a thunderbolt port?

I have an HDMI compatible (?) tv and my macbook pro has a thunderbolt port (instead of the minidisplay port) and i want to hook it up to my tv but i don't know how or what cables i need. thanks in advance!

Mini DisplayPort is the same as Thunderbolt, the two connectors are identical physically but the capabilities are different. Sellers typically have the Mini DisplayPort connector listed as such, so it is hard to find a Thunderbolt connector. But all you need is a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter. You also need the long HDMI cable, which you probably already have.

Thunderbolt ports bad?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for