MacBook won't display on projector or external monitor

Question

MacBook won't display on projector or external monitor

I have a Macbook 3,1 which I frequently use connected to a VGA projector or an External monitor. One day I tried to display something on a projector and it would not connect. It had worked without a problem prior to this day. I always get stuck at the light blue screen that the Mac shows when it is connecting to the monitors. I have tried using different Mini-DVI to VGA adapters, different VGA cables and different monitors. Safe mode yields the same results. The Apple Diagnostics Tool from the installation cd didn't find any errors. I have also tried booting into a Leopard partition, but it still would not work. My sister's MacBook 5,2 works just fine with the same set-up.

Macbook 3,1, Mac OS X (10.6.2), Mini-DVI to VGA adapter used

Posted on Nov 29, 2009 11:51 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 30, 2009 7:09 PM in response to rbennett71593

anyone have any ideas?

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Answer 2

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Dec 1, 2009 8:13 AM in response to rbennett71593

Maybe try resetting NVRAM.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379

And if that doesn't work, try resetting the System Management Controller as a last resort.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411

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Answer 3

pjmama

Level 1

0 points

Dec 1, 2009 3:37 PM in response to BSteely

Resetting the PRAM and NVRAM did not make a difference.

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Answer 4

Dec 28, 2009 9:01 AM in response to rbennett71593

I have exactly the same problem although the MacBook will show images on my television. System displays show both MacBook and projector displays. Have you found a solution yet?

Many thanks, John Snoad in U.K.

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Answer 5

Ranny44

Level 1

5 points

Mar 20, 2010 6:55 PM in response to rbennett71593

I have the same problem: I hooked my macbook pro up to a projector in a classroom using a VGA cable & Apple adapter. It worked fine the first 6-8 times. The last time all I got was the background aurora borealis. Same thing regardless of input (Keynote, Safari, DVD, Pages). Any ideas?

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Answer 6

eMeJotaO

Level 1

20 points

Mar 21, 2010 8:17 AM in response to Ranny44

Hi Ranny44. Check your display preferences, it is probably showing an extended desktop (the image you see on the projector is to the right of your computer screen). If you want the same image on both screens, you need duplicate displays.

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