kevinr8

Q: My display is black but all of the power is working and usb ports please help

I HAVE MY DISPLAY PLUGGED UP AND IT JUST HAS A BLACK SCREEN BUT EVERYTHING IS WORKING ON THE ACTUAL DISPLAY PLEASE HELP

THUNDERBOLT DISPLAY , OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on May 21, 2013 5:25 PM

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Q: My display is black but all of the power is working and usb ports please help

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  • by Gvozden,

    Gvozden Gvozden May 24, 2013 12:52 AM in response to kevinr8
    Level 1 (0 points)
    May 24, 2013 12:52 AM in response to kevinr8

    Have the same problem since yesterday. Tried to jumpstart it with the colleague's macbook, with no help.

     

    The "solution":

    After plugging other Thunderbolt display in my macbook just for second (that is third person's display ) and then mine, everything seems to work just fine. Only problem is that I have to repeat this every morning now? What gives?

     

    P.S. Neither my bacbook nor my display are Thunderbolt.

     

    reseting SMC did not help

     

    Message was edited by: Gvozden

  • by sterling r,

    sterling r sterling r May 24, 2013 6:15 AM in response to kevinr8
    Community Specialists
    May 24, 2013 6:15 AM in response to kevinr8

    Hello there Kevin,

     

    I was researching the issue you describe and found 2 resources that may help. First there is this section from Apple Cinema Display: Troubleshooting steps found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2810

     

     

    No image on the screen

    • Make sure the computer is turned on.
    • Make sure the power cord is plugged in properly.
    • Make sure the display cables are connected to your computer properly.
    • Make sure the DVI or Mini DisplayPort display cable is connected securely.
    • Make sure your computer is not in sleep mode.
    • Make sure the brightness is set properly. The brightness control is under the right front edge of the display.
    • Check for and install all available software updates. Software updates may provide solutions to many common issues.

    Note: If the display power cord is plugged into a grounded wall outlet or power strip, find out if power to the outlet has been interrupted. You can test the outlet by plugging in something that you know works, like a desk lamp or radio.

     

    If those steps don't get the display working then here is another article, with some pretty in depth troubleshooting for displays named Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays from http://http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573

     

    Cheers,

    Sterling

  • by This is the real me,

    This is the real me This is the real me Jun 21, 2013 1:55 AM in response to kevinr8
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Jun 21, 2013 1:55 AM in response to kevinr8

    I have been having a similar problem. The display is recognised by the Mac, but it is black. It started happening after a software update. Unplugging and replugging initially fixed it. Then problem returned. Tried reseting SMC; then zapping PRAM brought it back. Then after sleep, it stopped working again.

     

    I have just fixed it again. This time I returned to basics: historically, most problems on OS X are caused by 1. corrupt caches, 2. corrupt preferences, or 3. hardware faults. Since the problem affects both user accounts, I searched *all* the preferences and safe preferences and found all the instances with "displays" in the name and trashed them. On restart the monitor has come back again. Fingers crossed.

     

    FYI: you can clear your caches with a Safe Boot.

    1. Startup holding SHIFT key until you see progress bar. It will be a slow startup process.

    2. At login screen, click RESTART.

     

    Specs:

    3.4Ghz Intel Core i7 iMac (2012)

    Mac OS 10.8.4

    24" Cinema Display with Mini DisplayPort plugged into Thunderbolt port on iMac.