External display settings Macbook...can't do 1680 x 1050, it's frustrating!

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Macbook 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo, 2 GB 667 MHz SDRAM, OS X Leopard 10.5.4.
So I have been using an external display with my Macbook, a Dell E207WFP. This has worked great for a while now; usually, I would just power up the laptop with the monitor connected and just hit "Detect Displays" from the menu bar icon. My monitor and Macbook screens would automatically adjust to the highest resolutions possible, and my resolution on the Dell would always register at 1680 x 1050.

All of a sudden, this seamless integration of external displays stopped working and every time I clicked on "Detect Displays", the Dell monitor registers at a default of 800 x 600. Worst of all, the option to display at 1680 x 1050 has disappeared and the highest resolution I can work with is 1400 x 1050. Does anybody know what's going on? Any possible solutions? I want to be able to return to the beautiful 1680 x 1050 resolution if possible. Thanks.

Specifications: Macbook 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo, 2 GB 667 MHz SDRAM, OS X Leopard 10.5.4.
 

chscag

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Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
It's very unlikely the monitor has suddenly changed resolutions. It's possible your display preference file(s) have become corrupt. You can try deleting them. (But first before deleting any preference files, make a backup by copying them to another location you can easily recover them from.)

Go to:

/System/Library/PreferencePanes/Displays.prefPane/Contents/

and delete these two files:

info.plist
version.plist

Note that both files are read only. You'll have to change permissions on them first before the deletion will be allowed. After the files have been deleted restart your MacBook and allow the Dell to be detected again. It should give you the correct resolution. Don't worry about the deleted files as OS X will create new ones.

Regards.
 
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zcamel
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Hi chscag, thanks for your reply. I deleted those files and restarted the Macbook. However, OS X didn't generate new ones; instead, now when I clicked on Display Preferences, there weren't any options available anymore because those two files were deleted.

Luckily, using your suggestion, I had made copies of them on the desktop, so I just restored the two files back to their proper location and I got my Display Preferences to show up again. However, the problem still persists...no resolution option of 1680 x 1050. I had read somewhere on these forums that this was a problem for some people after upgrading to Leopard. The only thing is I upgraded to Leopard months ago, and this was working fine. When I unplugged the laptop from the external display to use it portably, then plugged it back into the display, that's when all this happened. Any other suggestions? Your help is appreciated...thank you.
 
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zcamel
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Oh yeah, and I plugged in my Windows laptop just to make sure it wasn't the monitor, and I got my 1680 x 1050 setting just fine, so it's not the monitor.
 
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i am sort of having the same issue. i connected a 19" display to my macbook and according to my monitor, the ideal settings are 1440 x 900. when i first connected my display, i was able to get this resolution. then i shutdown and the next day when i switched on my mac and display, that resolution was no longer available. instead i get a variety of other resolutions that don't quite work because the images displayed are slightly distorted. anyone know why one instance i can get that resolution and then the next i can't?
 
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Hello guys, I'm having a lot of trouble. I deleted those files without backing them up (Info.plist and version.plist) and now I can't load display preferences at all. I'm screwed. I need someone to send me those files, please!!!
 
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Hello, I have exactly the same problem. My monitor used to work perfectly fine until two days ago. and now I have no 1680 x 1050 option on the list, very frustrating indeed!
 

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