I have a Macbook running Snow Leopard 10.6.2 and an external display. I use the external display as the primary display, which works fine but I would like to be able to have the macbook become the primary display once I unplug it from the monitor.
I'm thinking about replacing my 24" iMac with a 15" MacBook Pro, however I'd like to keep my 20" dell monitor and use it as the primary display for the MacBook Pro, is that possible? By primary I mean having the dock and everything else on it, with the built-in display being like an external display that I can use for extra space. Also, would the same be possible at all with my iMac?
I have a fresh install of Windows XP, service pack 2 on a boot camp partition on my macbook (13" first gen aluminum case) and a Apple LED Cinema Display attached to the mini display port.
I can't seem to make the Cinema Display the primary display (the "Use this device as the primary monitor" checkbox is always greyed out in the Display Property Settings tab). I also can't shut the macbook lid and continue to use it closed (with kb, mouse and monitor attached) like I would when booting OSX.
Is there some other way to make the Cinema Display the primary monitor, so I can leave the macbook closed when booting into Windows?
My wife's macbook monitor is destroyed due to happy 2 year old. It won't be worthwhile to replace the monitor and it is not fixable without some expensive work being done on it, therefore I would like to use our TV as an external monitor and retire the macbook to being a mediia computer. I have connected it to the TV, and I see an empty desktop, as far as I can determine it looks like it is treating the TV as a secondary display - that the desktop is extended onto - so I cannot actually interact with the normal desktop. When I try to run things using keyboard shortcuts I hear some sounds of things starting, but I don't see anything on the TV. So what I need to do is to have some way to tell it to treat the secondary display as the primary display.
I have a Macbook Air, and i just picked up the new LED ACD from my local apple store. Since im new to mac, is there a way to either close my Air and not have it go to sleep? I want to use the external display as the primary display with my laptop closed, any ideas?
I'm trying to figure out how to make my external monitor primary in Boot Camp for my Windows XP SP 3 partition. The "Use this device as the primary monitor." button is blanked out, meaning I'm unable to click it. This was the same with my last laptop (Dell Inspiron 6400) but I solved that problem by closing the lid. With my MacBook, when I close the lid the screen does not transfer everything to the larger monitor but simply leaves the screen on.
I posted yesterday about my 1.83 17 inch first generation intel iMacs screen dying. If we get an external display, is there a way to make that the main screen?
Whenever I want to open an image or document on my external display, it is displayed on the primary display (the MBP one). It's annoying, the image or document should open on the display from where it was double-clicked.
we are trying to hook up our TV as a secondary monitor (for hulu, netflix, etc) but it defaults as the primary monitor. We would like to keep the imac as the primary monitor, and have the TV as a secondary, but cannot figure out how to do it! The only way we can get the imac back to primary status is if we use mirror mode. Once we take it off mirror mode, the TV becomes the primary monitor again, and there appears to be no way of switching it in OSX display preferences.
I've done similar hookups with my laptop, and the TV defaults as the secondary monitor. Why isn't this happening with our iMac? Any ideas?
As said, my current set up is an HDMI - DVI cable (HDMI to monitor and DVI to adapter) and my DVI - mini DisplayPort adapter, everything is connected fine but when I turn on the monitor, it says cable not found... and nothing is displayed on the screen but on the Macbook side of things, it sees the monitor is connected (I can extend the screen and leave the screen) but other than that, it appears I cannot get an image on the monitor, pressing every button on the monitor does not work either.
Any other information that may seem necessary, let me know. I tried clearing my PRAM and clearing the power and such but nothing seems to work.
I was surprised one day to find an inch of white line running from top to bottom on my screen. Then after a week it expanded to two inches white line, then suddenly it turned all black and I can't see two inches of my screen from the right edge. I was reading some forums and found out that I can use a dell monitor as a secondary monitor, but is it possible to use the dell monitor as the primary monitor in case the black line will spread throughout the entire iMac screen? so the iMac would serve as a stand alone processor like a regular desktop?
I have a Macbook Pro 2.16 Core Duo, and I'm wanting to install 10.6, but about a year ago, I cracked my screen to the point that I cannot make anything out on it, and haven't replaced it. Instead, I have just been using it in clamshell mode, which has worked out fine so far. My problem is that I cannot get the 10.6 install to show up on my external monitor.
I searched around, and could only find one other similar thread that just ended with the author putting it in clamshell and having it work fine. When I boot to the install and close the screen, I just get a grey box on my external display with a black bar on either side of it. I can't seem to find any other resources, so I'm not entirely sure what to do at this point. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Macbook with Snow Leopard and I plugged an auxiliary display on mini-dvi port. The display of the Macbook is my primary display and the other is the secondary. Is there any way to set the auxiliary display to be primary and the Macbook display to secondary?
I've got a 2.4 GHz unibody MacBook running boot camp, and I'd like to have my new 24" LED Cinema Display set as the primary display so that, when I play games, the system recognizes that the resolution can, indeed, go higher than 1280x800.
However, when I right click and hit Properties to see desktop settings and stuff, right clicking on the Cinema Display shows that "Primary" is grayed out; it seems that I can not set it as the primary display.
Does anybody have a solution to this? I'd rather not use the nVIDIA settings to turn off the MB display and only use the LED display, as I'd like to be able to have AIM and a web browser open on the MB screen while I game on the LED display. I suppose if this is not possible under Dual View atm, I'll make do, but I figured I'd check first.
I know that the web have a lot of tips similar to this that i will ask, but i couldn't find no one exactly with what i want
I bought a new monitor, and mini-dvi adapter, an external keyboard and mouse to plug on my macbook
I would like to know how to turn off the macbook display without having to close it. I want to know that because if i don't close the macbook, both displays are on. If i close the macbook, the computer goes to sleep and then i press some keys on keyboard and the mac wake. In that point, if i open my macbook the display is turned off like i want. But i don't want to have to close the macbook all the time, and i don't want to leave the macbook closed because closed the temperature goes high.
When I hook up an external monitor to the DVI output, and use both the macbook screen, and the external, the display on the external is blurry, and not very sharp. However, when I close the macbook, and run it in clamshell mode, the external becomes very clear, and crisp (like it should). I never use dual monitors, so this really isn't a problem, but want to know if its normal. 2007 Macbook Pro, 2.4, 4 gig ram. Gforce 8600M GT
The text looks a lot different from the Macbook's display. I got it to 1080p and stuff - and yes, it's showing the full 1080p. But how do I get the text to look more like the Mac's text? My Macbook display looks so much sharper. The text on the Dell looks very not anti-aliased...it isn't thick, etc.
Is there a tweak out there that will disable the internal display while using an external monitor WITHOUT having to first close the lid on my macbook because I just leave my macbook plugged in for weeks a couple feet away from my desk and it's become a hassle to first close the lid, then move my mouse, then open the lid for better ventilation. I just want to leave it open and disable the display!
I plan to get a 13" 2.26ghz Macbook Pro, and I have a 20" external monitor with a 1680, 1050 resolution.
First thing, I've barely used OS X, let alone with an external monitor. How well does OS X handle it? Is it pretty simple, and can I set separate backgrounds for each display?
Secondly, will the GPU handle it alright, or will it be sluggish when I hook up the external? I'll mostly be using the 20" to do Photoshop work, with occasional video editing (though I have other computers available to do rendering on.)
I typed Mac Help about "to operate the portable computer with an external monitor attached and the display closed. When I close the display of my Mac Book or MacBookPro, the external monitor such as my 50" Plasma monitor or video projector would go black. I read the Help and it said and required the USB Mouse and Keyboard to close the Macbook display and put computer sleep. My question is will the Apple blue tooth or wireless keyboard and mice will work with out using the USB? Has any one try that? I am not sure if I should buy wired or wireless to operate this.
I finally did it... After a lifetime of Windows I've leapt from the Dark Side and am LOVING OSX... the combination of Spaces and Expose alone will save me countless hours!
I just got the VGA adapter to connect my spangly new MBP to the large monitor I used to use for my PC (no DVI capability on the large monitor, Acer x223w). Now however, I'm getting a strange and inconsistent problem:
If I connect all the cables and then power up, both my large monitor and the MBP screen appear slightly but infuriatingly blurry (see screenshot, left-hand side). If I power up MBP without connecting my large monitor and then 'hotplug' it (connecting the cable while everything is turned on), the blurryness is mostly cured - see screenshot right-hand side. The screenshot is from the same monitor in the two different states.
I'm looking to have a display hookup in my room for my Macbook Pro 15". I can't decide if i should get a 26" 720p HDTV with a pc input or a large lcd desktop display with a cable input to watch tv.
What are the pros/cons? Has anyone tried/preferred either? Any recommended monitors or hdtvs?
I have got my new uMBP i7. It is gorgeous, super happy with it . Because I need to run several programs under Windows XP, I have installed Windows XP under Bootcamp. I used Winclone to migrate bootcamp partition from my old MBP to the i7.My problem is that when I linked my external monitor (20 inch ViewSonic) to uMBP using the Minidisplay-to-DIV adaptor from Apple, there is no display on my external monitor. I can set the external monitor as extension of main monitor under "Setting", but after the windows Ding/Done sound, there is nothing on my external monitor. Does anyone have experiences about fixing this problem?
I am attempting to use an external DVI monitor using the mini port port and the mini port DVI adapter sold by apple. However the screen display on the external monitor does not match the Mac book display. All I get is a color Mac opening screen with no icons.apparently there is more to getting an external monitor going then just plugging it in.
WITHOUT closing the lid, because i like using the touchpad. i know that you can turn the brightness all the way down, but sometimes windows from the main screen randomly open on the other display. and it also slows down performance. i want to turn off the 13" screen as if the lid was closed. that way, the mac doesn't even see it.
I have a 14'' iBook and recently bought an LG 19'' Widescreen monitor. I am testing a Dell 17'' on it right now before I open the LG one, but my problem is that the same screen shows on my ibook and the external. This isn't what I want. I have read you are supposed to be able to close the laptop and then it shifts to the external display but this is not working for me.
This is my goal: Use my bluetooth keyboard full time Have my ibook closed at all times Have my external as my main display How do I make this work?
My friend has a PowerBook G4 and he wants to connect it with an external 20" Apple Cinema display. His friend told him it was not possible to connect it, but I am not certain if this information is correct. He asked me to help advise him on this, but unfortunately I don't know enough about Apple hardware to give him the information he is looking for. I am wondering if anyone happens to know the answer on this.
irst off, according to mac tracker the Powerbook I have is the Powerbook G4 15 inch FW-800. I am running Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.6
Alright. About one week ago, I hooked up the powerbook to a 19 inch external LCD monitor with a DVI to VGA convertor, and all was well. It found my supported resolution and everything, worked straight away, etc.
Fast forward to today, at about 2pm (4 hours ago) I was using the computer and everything was working fine, but I had left it on for a few days so I shut it off when I was about to take a nap. I wake up from said nap about 20 minutes ago, turn on my Mac and my external display is only showing up at 800x600. I have no idea how this could have happened. This would not be an issue if my monitor's native resolution of 1440x900 were on the massive list of resolutions to chose from, but alas it is not.