External Monitor keeps entering "power save"

Does the monitor have an electronic setup? What I mean is, buttons on it with a setup option that you can disable some sort of built-in power save mode? I have a Gatwaste monitor that does something like this, but I just disabled the power save and all was good.

I did a search for power save mode with Dell monitors, and you aren't the only one experiencing issues with it. Why it suddenly does it with your new MBP when your other one was fine I can't explain.

What if you change your Energy Saver preferences to Display Sleep --> never? Does that "fix" the problem at all?

Is your monitor going to sleep even when you use it, or just after no use for a while?

Try downloading and installing the Late 2008 macbook pro update installer and applying it. I installed it through software update to no effect, but when I downloaded it separately and installed it explicitly, it resolved a bunch of issues I had with my external Dell screen.

I have exactly the same problem on my newly purchased MPB 15" with VGA adapter.
can I also ask where you found the MBP 15" update installer.

thanks and regards

I am seeing a similar issue. I have a late 2008 Mac Book Pro with a 22" Dell Crystal monitor. The montor is connected to my MBP via an Apple Mini Display port to DVI adaptor. When I set powersave and sleep on the MBP to on (e.g. 60mins), the monitor goes into powersave mode but the MBP never goes to sleep. Subsequently when I try to deactivate the monitor powersave by using the bluettoth mouse/keyboard, the monitor does not respond. When I turn the monitor off and then on, it displays a message stating that its going back into powersave mode, and then turns off accordingly.

To resolve I need to unplug my monitor, open the lid of my MBP (display is still off but keyboard is lit), shutdown the MBP by depressing the on/off button, power on the MBP by briefly pressing the on button, put the MBP into sleep mode manually via menu, close th lid, plug the monitor back into the mini display port, and then use the bluetooth keyboard/mourse to wake the MBP from sleep mode.

I also have this exact same problem, when I have the MBP connected to my acer P243w via the new monitor port ot DVI connector, once the MBP goes to sleep I cannot wake it, just get a black screen on both the external and laptop display with the mouse but no desktop or even a login screen. I called apple support but I guess the lady I talked to wasn't a very proficient googler as she just had me do the Pram reset etc. No go, still not happy with the external monitor problems I am having.

Wade Schulz wrote:
I also have this exact same problem, when I have the MBP connected to my acer P243w via the new monitor port ot DVI connector, once the MBP goes to sleep I cannot wake it, just get a black screen on both the external and laptop display with the mouse but no desktop or even a login screen. I called apple support but I guess the lady I talked to wasn't a very proficient googler as she just had me do the Pram reset etc. No go, still not happy with the external monitor problems I am having.

I posted in another thread, but this is exactly what I am experiencing with an HP LP2465. I still see my MBP display (I have it set for dual monitors), but the HP remains dark. Hopefully they fix these issues in an update.

This worked for me. Let us know your experience.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1803712

Changing to the advanced graphics card by selecting Higher Performance in the Energy Saver pref pane is a workaround. I got this from a call into Apple a coulpe days ago.

Then yesterdays firmware updates were supposed to (or at least we all expected to) fix it for good, my experience is that after changing Energy Saver bacl to Better Bttery Life it took alot longer for the roblem to manifest (before it was like 4 minutes) about 10 minutes, but it still did it, my external monitor still went to power save and back.

So for now I'm using again the Higher Performance video card.

Hey, I know you posted this a few months ago but I was just having a similar problem with my Samsung 216bw monitor.

I found out that the issue was that the mbp doesn't let you just use your external monitor if its running on battery power. Once I plugged it in the monitor stopped going into power save mode and the MBP stopped going to sleep when i would try and wake it.