Macbook Pro not detecting external monitor

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I just bought my macbook pro 13in 2.53GHz about a week ago with the minidisplay to dvi adapter. Today my dvi-d cable came in and I connected my monitor to the dvi cable, the cable to the adapter, and then the adapter to the MBP. Before plugging the dvi cable into the adapter, my monitor says no DVI signal (expected), when I plug the cable into the adapter, that message goes away and then it goes into power saver mode. When I plug the adapter into the MBP, nothing happens... The screen stays black. Going into system preferences and clicking "detect displays" also does nothing. I'm running OS X 10.5.8. I'm using the Apple DVI adapter and a Monster DVI-D cable. My monitor is a Megavision hyvision 22in and works fine via vga on my xbox. I tried resetting the pram, reconnecting cables, etc. The MBP IS connected to power so that is not the issue. I have no clue what to do now and I'm pretty upset to tell you the truth... If anyone can help me it would be appreciated. FIRST POST! YAY!
 
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New Macbook Pro not detecting external monitor

I just bought my macbook pro 13in 2.53GHz about a week ago with the minidisplay to dvi adapter. Today my dvi-d cable came in and I connected my monitor to the dvi cable, the cable to the adapter, and then the adapter to the MBP. Before plugging the dvi cable into the adapter, my monitor says no DVI signal (expected), when I plug the cable into the adapter, that message goes away and then it goes into power saver mode. When I plug the adapter into the MBP, nothing happens... The screen stays black. Going into system preferences and clicking "detect displays" also does nothing. I'm running OS X 10.5.8. I'm using the Apple DVI adapter and a Monster DVI-D cable. My monitor is a Megavision hyvision 22in and works fine via vga on my xbox. I tried resetting the pram, reconnecting cables, connecting cables when MBP is powered off then rebooting, etc. The MBP IS connected to power so that is not the issue. I have no clue what to do now and I'm pretty frustrated... If anyone can help me it would be appreciated. I posted this on another thread, but that may have not been the right category...
 

chscag

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Well, you have the correct mini display port adapter from Apple and your MBP is new, so we can eliminate both of them. That leaves us with the DVI-D cable and the monitor.... And it appears your monitor works when hooked via VGA to your X-BOX. You could have a bad DVD-D cable but that's unlikely especially if you bought it new.

Try this: If your external monitor has a "reset to factory default settings" option, go ahead and do that. Then power everything off for awhile. Afterward, hook everything up again. While your MBP is off, turn on the external monitor first, turn on your MBP (make sure it's on AC power not battery) and see what happens. Both screens should light. Also - make sure when you adjust the settings on your external monitor, that you set it to detect both VGA and DVI. You might just have it set for VGA only.

If that works, you can go ahead and select "detect displays", make adjustments for resolution and so forth, set the external for "mirror".

Note: Some external monitors have "memory" built in and stubbornly refuse to change settings if they've been used one way (VGA) and then switch to another mode (DVI). Doing a factory default reset usually cures that. I've had the same thing occur with my Samsung external monitor.

Post back and let us know.

Regards.
 
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Well, you have the correct mini display port adapter from Apple and your MBP is new, so we can eliminate both of them. That leaves us with the DVI-D cable and the monitor.... And it appears your monitor works when hooked via VGA to your X-BOX. You could have a bad DVD-D cable but that's unlikely especially if you bought it new.

Try this: If your external monitor has a "reset to factory default settings" option, go ahead and do that. Then power everything off for awhile. Afterward, hook everything up again. While your MBP is off, turn on the external monitor first, turn on your MBP (make sure it's on AC power not battery) and see what happens. Both screens should light. Also - make sure when you adjust the settings on your external monitor, that you set it to detect both VGA and DVI. You might just have it set for VGA only.

If that works, you can go ahead and select "detect displays", make adjustments for resolution and so forth, set the external for "mirror".

Note: Some external monitors have "memory" built in and stubbornly refuse to change settings if they've been used one way (VGA) and then switch to another mode (DVI). Doing a factory default reset usually cures that. I've had the same thing occur with my Samsung external monitor.

Post back and let us know.

Regards.

Yea I'm still not getting a result. There is a mode button on the monitor that allows u to switch b/t dvi/component/vga. Maybe it's the monitor? Idk, I read a review from the site I bought it from and one said that it was working fine on a macbook so I'm not sure what to do. Dell just released some pretty nice AND cheap monitors 23in 1080p for about $230... I don't really have the money right now to buy a new monitor when the one I have might work fine if I can find a way to fix it...Thanks for ur help.
 

bobtomay

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Another thing to try is to turn off the TV and turn it back on.

I've seen a few that will not work unless the computer is on and connected first and then power on the TV.

(first post from my new HTPC on the 65" - still have to open it up today and add another 4GB RAM and install the combo HD-DVD and B-R player)
 
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Another thing to try is to turn off the TV and turn it back on.

I've seen a few that will not work unless the computer is on and connected first and then power on the TV.

(first post from my new HTPC on the 65" - still have to open it up today and add another 4GB RAM and install the combo HD-DVD and B-R player)

yea still not getting anything. The monitor is a Megavision hyvision. Maybe getting a dell/hp/samsung monitor would be best. I see that dell has a sale on their full HD 23in monitors for just $169, but I want a monitor that is comparable to my unibody MBP screen. I was thinking HP because they use glossy displays and those seem to have better color. My budget is around $230
 
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Just tested my mbp on a gateway monitor and it works... looks like i do need a new monitor. How are HPs?
 

bobtomay

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I've only had one HP - kept it 2 months and sold it to my boss and went back to my Dell. At the cheaper end of monitors, I've been a fan of Dell for a long time. They're always rated at or close to the top of the heap at their price points.
 

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