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Bigman1
Level 1 (10 points)

Q: Display and Waking From Sleep for External Display

I am using my computer with an external display and I close the macbook screen and then wake it from sleep using a usb mouse or my bluetooth. This makes the external display go on while my macbook is closed. When I open the macbook again the screen is black, but the computer is still on. The external display is the only way that I can see what is going on. My question is how to turn my macbook display back on.It doesnt work pulling out the cord or adjusting settings in the disply that I know of. Thanks

Message was edited by: Bigman1

Message was edited by: Bigman1

Mac, Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Posted on Sep 17, 2007 10:48 AM

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Bigman1

Q: Display and Waking From Sleep for External Display

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  • by First Magus,

    First Magus First Magus Sep 17, 2007 12:59 PM in response to Bigman1
    Level 6 (15,868 points)
    Sep 17, 2007 12:59 PM in response to Bigman1
    Open *System Preferences* now choose Displays. At this point you choose detect displays and it will wake you MacBook display. I also chose *Show displays in menu bar*. This puts a display control icon in the menu bar and you can then do the same thing from there. Much easier than opening*System Preferences* every time.

    Mort

  • by Michael Eisenman,

    Michael Eisenman Michael Eisenman Dec 10, 2007 10:48 PM in response to Bigman1
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Dec 10, 2007 10:48 PM in response to Bigman1
    I have a similar problem, but I wake my Mac by opening the screen. Sometimes when I open it up, the MacBook display is off and everything has moved to the external display (the menu bar and any windows that were open on the MacBook display). I know how to fix it by clicking Detect Displays, and everything that should be on the MacBook display goes back there.

    What I don't understand is what causes this to happen. It's very annoying. To try to prevent it from happening, I've removed all windows from the external display before closing the MacBook display. I've also clicked on the MacBook display to move the focus there, and then put it to sleep, but it still happens occasionally. What's going on here?

  • by First Magus,

    First Magus First Magus Dec 11, 2007 2:34 AM in response to Michael Eisenman
    Level 6 (15,868 points)
    Dec 11, 2007 2:34 AM in response to Michael Eisenman
    When everything has transfered to the external like you're describing it means that your MacBook woke up from it's sleep for some reason and used the external display for it's main screen. If the external monitor is off you don't notice this happening. It could have happened because of one of the maintenance routines that are set to run automatically once a week. If the MacBook is on , even asleep, it will run them at certain times. There is a daily, weekly, and a monthly. Other than that depending on your setting's other things could wake it.

    Mort