Desktop icons after screen change

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Level 1

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Desktop icons after screen change

Hi,

I use my macbook pro every day at work with a 24" apple display (the one w/the bundle of plugs that includes usb/mini display/power). I take my macbook out of my bag, then plug in the screen, click my mouse, and the computer wakes up. When I go home I just unplug everything and put the computer back in my bag.

When I get my computer home and turn it on, my desktop is normally very screwed up. The icons are not on the screen, or the resolution is normally off. To put it back I just have to change the screen resolution to a lower one, then put it back on 1440x1200 (or whatever the macbook pro 15" display is at maximum). Then my icons go back to normal etc.

Sometimes this happens in reverse - when I plug in my display to the macbook pro I have to change the resolution twice (lower then back to normal) to get the icons right.

This whole thing seems quite wrong - does anyone know of a setting I can change to fix this or if I can do something else?

MacbookPro, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Feb 11, 2010 7:23 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 11, 2010 11:53 PM in response to cornelius

I have the exact same problem, MacBook Pro 15" 2.33 GHz and the same type of Apple display. I use the display at the office, disconnect, bring my PB home, and when I wake it up the PB acts like the display is till connected - no desktop icons visible (although strangely, it shows the Dock and the Finder Menu) until after I restart.

Clicking "detect displays" doesn't work, neither does clicking the highlighted configuration.

My daughter also has a problem with her MacBook and her Apple Cinema display, which has to be set as mirrored or it won't display anything, it somehow isn't detected the way it used to be. Why I mentioned this is because I never had this problem before, and neither did my daughter. It started quite recently, so I guess it is related to a system software update.

Message was edited by: John Simon Beverly

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Answer 2

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Feb 11, 2010 7:30 AM in response to atticus_pf

atticus_pf:

Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Displays and click the button to Detect Displays. That should revert to the default for your current setup whether the computer display or an external display. Sometimes it reverts automatically, and sometimes you need to click that button.

😉 cornelius

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Answer 3

atticus_pf Author

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Feb 11, 2010 7:32 AM in response to cornelius

Thanks for your note - that doesn't work though. The laptop thinks it has correctly detected the displays once I disconnect everything. I always have to change the resolution twice in order to do it...

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Answer 4

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Feb 11, 2010 7:41 AM in response to atticus_pf

The laptop thinks it has correctly detected the displays once I disconnect everything.

How do you figure that?

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Answer 5

atticus_pf Author

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Feb 11, 2010 7:42 AM in response to cornelius

Because after I disconnect everything and start using the laptop when I click "detect displays" nothing happens. Therefore I assume that because nothing has happened when I click "detect displays" that the macbook thinks it has correctly detected the displays...

thanks!

Jim

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Answer 6

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Feb 11, 2010 8:21 AM in response to atticus_pf

Then it probably has detected the current display. Look for the highlighted configuration, select it and it should be set.

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Answer 7

cornelius

Level 6

17,826 points

Feb 12, 2010 6:49 AM in response to John Simon Beverly

John:

Thanks for sharing your experience. This thread is the first I am hearing of this issue. I do not use an external display as such, although I do connect to TV via a DVI-HDMI connection from time to time. I find my computer detects the display almost automatically, although I sometimes have to prompt it. I will check to see whether anyone else is aware of this issue.

😉 cornelius

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