MBP13‘3 and External Monitor Problem (screen goes pink/ laptop hangs)

... or it might be the MBP 13" firmware update alone? Hard to say. My RAM was replaced before the firmware update even appeared. The MBP 13" ran continuously without a problem for more than one week. Then, one day, it seemed to have the same problem, and I had to "kill" it with the power button. Unlike previously, however, there was a Safari error message on the Console shortly before the problem occurred, so I can't be sure it was the same problem. Since then, I have installed the latest Safari and firmware updates, and have encountered no problems. Whether replacing the RAM really did solve the problem, and if not, and if it is now solved, what solved it, I can no longer say.

Update didn't solve the problem for me. Worked 10 minutes before the MBP crashed.
Apple read your own forums, make an update and solve this matter!! Your products are highly priced, so your customers expects service!! and solutions! every cheap netbook in the world works with an external mirror. SOLVE!!!! THIS

@Marco Eelman
Not sure to which update you refer: OS X 10.6.5 or the firmware update for the MacBook Pro 13".

Hi Richard, I refer to the last firmware update for MPB. Apple says this update have to solve external display issues.

I now have the MBP back from Apple. They ran it for 10 days with a 24" Samsung monitor and an Apple display port to DVI adapter. The problem did not occur once while they had it. I've never had it go for so long without it hanging. Oh well, I've got it back now, so lets see how long it lasts before it hangs again. I've done the latest OSX and firmware updates, so perhaps I'll be lucky and that's the end of it? I'll let you know.

Hey folks,

My 13" MBP was having the same issues others are reporting: random freeze w/ various colors on both displays. A motherboard replacement did not do the trick, so I recently had the system RAM replaced. I've now had my MBP attached to my 23" Samsung external display for 5 days without any issues *crosses fingers*. The memory replacement seems our best bet so far.

I have not run the EFI firmware update yet ( http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1331). I'm skeptical of the efficacy of this fix, as the description of the issues the new firmware is supposed to address doesn't seem to jive with our main problem.

"The update resolves an issue where an attached external display may occasionally incorrectly show a purple coloration" Hah. A bit of an understatement there, Apple.

But if the firmware works for you, then great. I would just be wary about considering the issue fixed after only a few days. Previously, my machine could go as many as 7-10 days w/o issue, only to freeze 3 times in one day.

My advice: take a picture of it when it locks or bring it into the store while it is locked up (careful, it gets hot) and kindly request new RAM. You may even get it back the same day.

Time to check in here with an update. My RAM was changed at the Apple Store in Zurich on 2010-10-27. The MBP 13" hung once after that, on 2010-11-09. I cannot be sure it was not caused by Safari, as I found an entry in the console log from Safari just before the hang. In the meantime I have had no further problems at all. Since recovering on 2010-11-09 the machine has been connected to a DELL 2405FPW in extended desktop mode, as previously. I have updated to OS X 10.6.5 and have also updated the MBP 13" firmware.

same problem here, but with an imac i3 17", and Syncmaster 2343w Samsung, after installing everything from scratch, the system suddenly freezes and the only thing to do is to force a total shut down. As soon as I disconnect the monitor it works smoothly.... the question is that the same monitor use to work with my other imac 2,4Ghz with no problems! some help please!

Is there anybody who solved this matter so far? By repair or something?

My 15" MBP had random crashing that was occuring mainly when hooked up with an external display. Apple replaced the ram as a first test...But then it seemed like was happening just as often when NOT connected to a display. They replaced the Logic board and it hasn't crashed since. I haven't had time to hook up to an external display yet but will try that tonight. But its looking promising.

As for me, I didn't change my hardware but since the last different updates (Mac OS 10.6.5 and the EFI firmware update 2.0), I have no problem at all, although I'm connected to an external monitor all day!

Yes!

My 13" MBP is now running without a single crash since the EFI 2.0 update (yes, running with extended desktop via DealXtreme MDP->DVI adapter).

No parts were replaced. I didn't even go to apple store. It was just because EFI 2.0.

It is working fine for me as well after the EFI update.

I have been working for almost a month with external monitors (at home and work, so almost all day) without problems.

So for me the EFI update worked, but i also had my memory upgraded to non-apple memory.

What did the trick is unknown to me, but im glad with it!

I have upgraded my ram modules to 8GB (non apple) and that was before the new update and i hadn't any crash since then and still no crashes with the update (1 month with no crash and my laptop is most of the time plugged to an external monitor)