ejkitchen

Q: Macbook Pro and Thunderbolt USB problem

I have read a few threads regarding problems with the Thunderbolt displays and Macbook Airs. None of the suggestions in there work for me including doing an SMC Reset.

 

Here is my problem. I have a brand new Macbook Pro 17", 2.5Ghz Core i7,  8gb ram, 750Gb HD etc., new Thunderbolt display. Running OS X Lion 10.7.3.

 

In the back of my display I have plugged in a USB mouse from Logitech, an Apple full size keyboard and my wired ethernet connection. The monitor and peripherals stay at work and I take the Macbook Pro home every night. If I do not follow a certain sequence every morning, my computer freezes. I put the power connector in first, open the lid, wait for the screen on the laptop to show the login prompt, login and then and only then can I plug in my Thunderbolt connector. Once I do this, my second screen lights up and my mouse, keyboard and ethernet connection works. But if I plug in the Thunderbolt first before power up or if I plug it in before logging in, then I have a high probabilty that the USB hub on the back of the monitor will stop working altogether. Then I have to move my mouse and keyboard over to the laptop and everything works great (my ethernet keeps working fine though). My mouse scroll for whatever reason goes into high gear and starts scrolling much faster and I have to slow it down.

 

Now, this works 90% of the time. But there are days, like today, where this process does not work. And when it doesn't, either I have to move the USB devices over or like today, the machine freezes and no longer responds to any input. It appears to still be working as the screen updates but I can never regain control of it via any keyboard or mouse.

 

My co-worker has the exact same setup and exact same problem. We also have 10 Thunderbolt displays here (all new) and same problem with ANY I choose. So this is not a hardware issue. Something is wrong with the driver code for some device. And my co-worker has an Apple mouse so that's not the issue either. If this can help Apple with debugging, here is another interesting tid bit. 3 weeks ago, I had a non Thunderbolt display. And for 6 months with an older laptop, I had issues with it's USB hub. Same kind of problem. Some days, the USB hub in the monitor would work and others it would go dead until a reboot was performed.

 

I think a driver needs some fixing somewhere.

 

Thanks,

EJK

Posted on Apr 24, 2012 7:03 AM

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Q: Macbook Pro and Thunderbolt USB problem

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  • by Nicolas Horvat,

    Nicolas Horvat Nicolas Horvat Feb 10, 2013 6:24 AM in response to LAStory2011
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Feb 10, 2013 6:24 AM in response to LAStory2011

    No, Reset PVRAM and PRAM doesn't Fix anything.

     

    I Thinks is like Barry Breen Said, some TD the first ones Have this problem. So I will send my TD to Apple Support .

  • by LAStory2011,

    LAStory2011 LAStory2011 Feb 11, 2013 5:06 PM in response to ejkitchen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 11, 2013 5:06 PM in response to ejkitchen

    My crashed again.  I took it into Apple and they are replacing the logic board and the all in one cable.

  • by Feinstruktur,

    Feinstruktur Feinstruktur Feb 16, 2013 2:52 PM in response to ejkitchen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 16, 2013 2:52 PM in response to ejkitchen

    This is crazy. So much troubles with TBD and MacBooks. Apple makes Software and builds Hardware for their own and it does not work at all. I have the same issues. First of all I had to wait 4 weeks to get my Display. I purchased in January.

     

    1o days ago, i got my TDB. Yes. I was so happy. But now after 5 days of daily use, I have so much troubles.... The Display and my MacBook Pro 13", 1 Month old, couldn't be waked up. I operate in Clamshell mode as well... When I got it on, The TBD goes on and off, and the screen is very noisy. The MBP is getting really hot. I have to shut the system down and restart several times, connecting the Thunderbolt plug several times. Then, so god will, the system works. Until I set it into sleep mode in the evening or in the morning. Restart isn't possible!

     

    Other issues: When it runs (the screen does not switch on/off), the Display-Sound does not work. So plug TBD out and in, then it works sometimes.

     

    Has anybody encoutered the same temperature problems?

     

    Apple now will take the TBD and send it to a repair center. I will report the next steps...

     

    Cheers,

    Rick

  • by Barry Breen,

    Barry Breen Barry Breen Feb 16, 2013 3:48 PM in response to Feinstruktur
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Feb 16, 2013 3:48 PM in response to Feinstruktur

    I have a MBP 15" and have no temperature issues. I mean sometimes it runs a little warm, but it is to be expected (nothing too warm to be out of spec). So, I can't address your temperature issue on the MBP 13".

     

    However, on the TBD, your issues are identical to many messages posted in this thread. The symptom of the display working but sound and/or camera not working from display is a display problem (not computer problem). And, you will see that when this occurs, if you open "System Information" and look under USB (not "Thunderbolt") you wll notice that the USB for sound and camera is present for the computer only, and not the TBD USB. In other words, the TBD USB is not being recognized due to a fault in the cable or electronics of the Display. When this occurs, the video can still be seen, but if you had a mouse or keyboard plugged into the USB of the display, they would not work (they would work while plugged into the computer but not the display). That is all a Display problem.

     

    In fact to demonstrate to yourself this is true, you could take a spare Thunderbolt cable, and after disconnecting the built in Thunderbolt cable from the display which goes to the computer, plug the spare cable into the Thunderbolt port on the display and the Thunderbolt port on the computer and all should work fine. This is merely to demonstrate the display issue. Apple fixed my TBD by either replacing the all-in-one cable and/or the electronic interface card in the display.

     

    If you don't have an extra Thunderbolt cable and don't want to pay $49 to get one, then you'll just have to trust me on this.

     

    You can monkey around with connections, on/off sequences, ad infinitum, and it will work a while (or not) and then not work. Just read through about 2 hours of this thread to prove that.

     

    Hopefully, Apple will get your TBD working correctly. Sorry I can't lend a hand regarding the temperature in your MBP.

  • by Feinstruktur,

    Feinstruktur Feinstruktur Feb 17, 2013 6:44 AM in response to Barry Breen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 17, 2013 6:44 AM in response to Barry Breen

    Hey Barry,

     

    so this is all a cable problem... I wonder why Apple ships Displays not tested for this issue. Looking at the date when first reported this issue and indeed reported a solution... Enough time to implement in quality supervision. anyway.

     

    I will buy a cable on monday to check if the cable is the bad guy.

     

    I observed an increasing temperature when coming into trouble with the display. This is all in the Specs. But nevertheless unusual. And for describing the issue I think every bit is important.

     

    So what to do? Check with cable, see if USB Ports are disabled, wait for Apple repair....

     

    Keep you updated.

     

    All the best and enjoy your Mac's.

     

    Rick

  • by Barry Breen,

    Barry Breen Barry Breen Feb 17, 2013 12:00 PM in response to Feinstruktur
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Feb 17, 2013 12:00 PM in response to Feinstruktur

    Glad to try to help, Rick.

     

    The only reason for specifically isolating what is wrong is so that the Apple Store repair folks can be shown:  "Hey, here is what is wrong. It's something in the display. When I bypass the all-in-one cable (OR cable interface) in the display, it works. So fix it." As to why they haven't done something about this, I think it is gradually going away in that there may be only a few displays left with the issue that are in stock. Certainly an odd problem.

     

    Barry

  • by LAStory2011,

    LAStory2011 LAStory2011 Feb 26, 2013 5:04 PM in response to ejkitchen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 26, 2013 5:04 PM in response to ejkitchen

    I brought my monitor in and they replace the board and the all in one cable and I am still having the problem.

  • by Barry Breen,

    Barry Breen Barry Breen Feb 26, 2013 6:18 PM in response to LAStory2011
    Level 1 (70 points)
    Feb 26, 2013 6:18 PM in response to LAStory2011

    Did you confirm you had the same problem by using another Thunderbolt cable and operate without the All-in-One cable prior to going to the Apple Store (to ensure you had the same problem)? That's what I did before taking mine in (mine worked for about 30 days with no issues when I did it; so, THEN, I went to Apple.

     

    Sorry you are having so much difficulty. It is too bad Apple doesn't monitor any of the forums.

  • by LAStory2011,

    LAStory2011 LAStory2011 Feb 26, 2013 6:23 PM in response to Barry Breen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 26, 2013 6:23 PM in response to Barry Breen

    I didn't because I don't want to pay $50 for a cable I shouldn't need.  First they replaced the board and I still had the problem and then they placed the cable and I still have the problem. So now they want my TB and my Macbook Pro which I can't afford to give up right now.

  • by Feinstruktur,

    Feinstruktur Feinstruktur Mar 6, 2013 10:15 PM in response to Barry Breen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 6, 2013 10:15 PM in response to Barry Breen

    Hello guys,

     

    yesterday I got my TBD back. Apple picked it up some days before and sent it to an authorized service provider. The TBD is in use for one day now. Wake up in clamshell works fine. No malfunction.

     

    From the servicereport I can see they found out that display and display cabel is not working properly. And very important: They could reproduce the errors. They changed the parts. Evrything works fine. So worth contacting apple support and ask them to fix the problem.

     

    Ten points for Apple....

     

    Hope, this is long-term fixed

     

    Cheers,

     

    Rick

  • by David at Kamala,

    David at Kamala David at Kamala Mar 6, 2013 10:44 PM in response to ejkitchen
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 6, 2013 10:44 PM in response to ejkitchen

    I've had two problems with my THB during the past year. Firstly, a few months ago, the display went fuzzy as if the layers under the glass were separating. Frightening. But I live in Phuket, Thailand, where the humidity can be high. So I turned on the air con and a dehumidifier, and  within an hour the fuzziness started to reduce. After two hours, it had gone and so far hasn't returned.

    Then yesterday, the screen suddenly went black while in use. No green/orange light on the mag connector, no response. On checking the display settings in system preferences, no THB recognised. Basically there were all the symptoms of a power supply failure. On reading the little white book, I noted that the humidity range is 10-80%. Now 80% is not high is many parts of the world. Maybe it is in California in the Apple ivory tower, but not in the real world. So I repeated my solution of months ago - turn on a/c and dehumidifier. This morning, bingo, it was all working again.

    So it could be that many of the problems I've read about on these forums are environmental. Worth a try, anyway before lugging your THB to the Apple store.

    Come on, Apple, if you are going to sell your products in places where the climate can be a challenge, make them a bit more robust. It shouldn't be too difficult.

    Hope that more prosaic solution helps someone out there.

  • by Justin Creveling,

    Justin Creveling Justin Creveling Mar 14, 2013 8:55 AM in response to hotuan87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 14, 2013 8:55 AM in response to hotuan87

    exact same setup, exact same problem.

     

    Logitech mouse w/ usb dongle plugged in to display, keyboard plugged in to display, and my iPhone lightning cable.

     

    if i unplug the display (to bring my laptop somewhere) and come back, plug it in, USB isn't recognized at all, but display will flicker. after a second of trying, it actually freezes up the entire system, and forcing a reboot is necessary. when it boots up, usb works again. I swapped my computer with another (this is at work, we've got a bunch of retina mbp and thunderbolt displays around) and the issue seems to not be happening now with this one.

     

    the president of the company i work for emailed me last night, saying she too was having usb/ethernet problems when plugged in to the display. i swapped the display this morning (after it tested ok for me) and she called me up 2 hours later after she got in to the office to show me that in fact, her USB was not working again. i unplugged and plugged in the display again, and it started working again.

     

    what a frustrating problem. especially when i am dealing with the possibility of 80 users all experiencing the same problem. so far it's not been that way, but the potential is there.

     

    basically its as if the computer isn't acknowledging that the display is hooked up, and to pass through the USB.

  • by Barbara Passman3,

    Barbara Passman3 Barbara Passman3 Mar 14, 2013 7:41 PM in response to Justin Creveling
    Level 2 (180 points)
    Mar 14, 2013 7:41 PM in response to Justin Creveling

    This is an established issue with the Thunderbolt displays. Documented months ago on this thread .

    I worked with Level 2 Apple tech months ago  and learned this.

    I had similar issues- especially Logitech

     

    The solution thus far:

    remove the Logitech dongle from the TD before you take your Laptop elsewhere and do not plug in again until you have re connected your laptop to the TD.

    Or,better yet, leave the dongle in the USB port on the laptop.

     

    If you leave a USB dongle, especially Logitech, in the TD , disconnect and then re connect your Laptop to the TD, you WILL have trouble

    Don't do it this way.

  • by Justin Creveling,

    Justin Creveling Justin Creveling Mar 15, 2013 6:29 AM in response to Barbara Passman3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2013 6:29 AM in response to Barbara Passman3

    i've done all that troubleshooting already... it's not simply an issue with logitech mice tho, and unplugging things, plugging them in a certain order, etc. etc. isn't a solution, it's a work around..one that would be okay for me, not the president of the company who has more important things to do than troubleshoot usb and remember to plug things in certain order. another user here having the same issue is using nothing but an apple keyboard, and a printer on her display USB. i tested it, worked fine. i replaced her display anyway, and she came in to the office after i left, tested it, didn't work at all. couldn't log in at the login window, nothing..so i feel like the liklihood that it was just the display is low. unplugging and plugging in the thunderbolt port again kicked it back on, but again, this isn't a solution. I've been using Apple products since the mid 90s (when i could afford to buy myself a computer) and up until recently, my reason for using Apple products is "because it just works." - which more and more is happening less and less.

     

    i guess the reason im posting here is the off chance someone at apple will see it and do something about it.

  • by Feinstruktur,

    Feinstruktur Feinstruktur Mar 15, 2013 1:45 PM in response to Justin Creveling
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2013 1:45 PM in response to Justin Creveling

    My TBD came about two week ago from Repaiur sewrvice. They changed the Display and the complete cables like power and TB. The major problems are solved: Like black screen, noise display and jittering screen.

     

    Yesterday, I had the same problems you reported: Disconnecting MBPro and when re-connected, no USB alive on TBD. My setup: Dock for iPad 2 and charging wiring for iPhone. Plus one BassJump. I recognized the problems when iPhone and iPad were fully discharged.

     

    A restart solved the problem. Restart when TBD is connected. I am with you: This is not problem solving. This is a workaround. And for this class of display not acceptable. I wonder if Apple reads these kind of threads.

     

    In my opinion, this is a software related problem considering the past repair of my TBD (everything new).

     

    I will get in contact with Apple. I also have an APP now and hope this issue will be solved soon.

     

    Btw: The Display is amazing besides this USB-Problem. I Like it very much and can't imagine to work without it.

     

    Cheers,

    Rick

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