colour cast when external monitor unplugged

I usually run my 12" PowerBook G4 connected to an LCD Apple Studio Display monitor, with the PB lid closed and a keyboard connected. When I shutdown and disconnect the PB to go mobile, I get a horrible colour cast on the PB screen.

It's driving me mad! I've got a neutral grey desktop (a Solid Colour) so it's really obvious; it looks sickly pale mustard. The dock and desktop items are the correct colour, but the desktop background, certain menubar items (like quicksilver) and images opened in preview show the colour cast.

I'm pretty sure it's not to do with the display profile calibration: I have two calibrated profiles, one for the PB LCD screen and one for the Apple Studio Display screen. When disconnected, the PB shows the appropriate calibrated display, and recalibrating or selecting the default doesn't help.

Any ideas what preference to trash to reset the colour?
I've tried the com.apple.windowserver.plist, but no change.
I'm loath to trash the com.apple.systempreferences.plist in case I lose all my other settings.

The weird thing is that sometimes I can correct it by an elaborate process of restarting with certain monitor configurations and toggling the desktop background in System Preferences/Desktop and Screen Saver tab, as follows:

I have to restart with the external monitor plugged in and the PB closed. Then sleep the computer and open the PB lid. Now in System Preferences I get two window for Desktop and Screen Saver, one for each screen. Sometimes the PB screen will now be correct and sometimes not. If not, I can toggle the Desktop colour, and hopefully it is corrected (but sometimes I get a choice of various shades of mustard instead of the Solid Colours!!). Then if I shutdown, disconnect the external monitor and restart, the PB LCD screen is correct. BUT sometimes the PB desktop is the correct shade of grey, but System Preferences only gives me a choice of mustard Solid Colours, and if I'm foolish enough to select one, I can't get it back!

Sorry if that's difficult to follow... the point is, it's a pain in the neck, and it doesn't always work!!

Any info and suggestions will be very much appreciated.
Thanks.

PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Jun 20, 2008 6:47 AM

Reply
1 reply

Sep 1, 2008 11:28 PM in response to dewshi

Hoi, I have an macbook pro, just 2 days ago I got this "darker" crushed blacks (look) on my screen.
Also my picture background sometimes had like that "colorcast" as you call it.
And yes sometimes it would come good when I toggle , like you did.

I can get my problem fixed by just connecting up a dvi to vga adaptor, then taking it out again.
The problem I have started the moment I used an external monitor.
I also made an other " account " on my mac.
And the funny thing is that this "fresh" account has non of these problems.

You should give that a try, making an "new" account.
I know its not the fix but if it works...

Does your screen come back when hooking up your external screen, then thereafter unplugging your external screen?

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colour cast when external monitor unplugged

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