Mac Mini not connecting to 1680 x 1050 display

Hi, the matter is resolved but not solved.

I went to the Apple Store today with my Mini and monitor, and after setting up and seeing that the problem was still recurring, the technician, without any deep intention (on his own admission), unplugged the cable from the HDMI outlet and re-plugged it, and it started up from there. We tested it a couple more times, and no problems, same thing.

He said he was mystified, but just discussing briefly he said:

• He confirmed it looked like the problem occurred when the BIOS handed over the the OS.
• It didn't look like a monitor or cable problem because both worked when the BIOS was kicking in.
• It didn't look like an OS problem because it occurred under 3 different OS versions.

Therefore his guess was that the security hardware in the Mini was in some state that didn't allow the monitor connection, but when unplugged and re-plugged, the state changed and it was now OK to send to the monitor. But that was only a guess. The big difficulty with this hypothesis is that you'd think many other users would have reported the same problem.

Discussion at home with my IT-aware son suggested an explanation. The monitor is old and I've already experienced one problem with it - my initial connection from my Macbook was via the monitor's Displayport input, but some time ago it stopped working and I changed to the DVI-D input. Perhaps the Displayport failure was caused by something failing in the monitor that now also affects the Mini's ability to send to it in some states, a situation that may not have arisen often (or at all) with other users.

But I'm OK about the end result. I don't have to buy a new cable or monitor, and can either leave it on overnight or unplug and re-plug each time I start up until the monitor finally fails and I get a new one. Satisfactory for me, but no explanation for us all.

Thanks for your help along the way.

Thanks for those thoughts.

I know DVI-D is old and the monitor is old, but I'm not willing to waste a perfectly good monitor. I am currently using it with my old Macbook via a MiniDisplayport to DVI-D cable, and that works fine, so it is hard to see why DVI-D shouldn't work with the Mini. Do you know what the causes have been of the issues that you mention? Does this mean you think the problem is the Mini-DVI-D combination and not the screen resolution?

I'm not sure what the Apple technician used. I'm pretty sure it was HDMI out and the monitor was an LG, but I don't know what input it had - my guess would be also HDMI. I haven't tried other cables because I don't have them, and I want to work out what is the best option before I spend more. I think the Displayport Input on the monitor is defective - I used to connect my Macbook vis that, but it stopped working and I have used DVI-D ever since.

But it sounds like you both think it is more likely a cable/adaptor issue rather than a monitor resolution issue? The HDMI to DVI-D cable is new, and if it is defective it is hard to see why ir would work when driven by the BIOS but not when driven by the OS. Does that make any sense to you?

Perhaps I should go back to the Apple store with my monitor and cable and the Mini and see if we can work out what combinations work before I spend any more.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks again for advice. It is worth noting that my Macbook originally came with Snow Leopard and I still have a bootable version of it, so I tried it, and it wouldn't work with the Mini either. Whereas the Macbook has driven the screen fine through successive OS - Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion, Yosemite, El Capitan and High Sierra - but with a different cable of course.

I don't expect the store staff to totally solve my issue, but they were helpful last time and I think I can expect them to be willing to see if they have a cable that works with my monitor, or at least identify that nothing will work. I guess we;ll see, as I don't feel like forking out $A250 for a new monitor just yet.

Thanks again.

I certainly will. I am booked in to see a support person at my local Apple store on Monday, so hopefully I get some sort of answer.

My current cable is only 1m long, but I don't know anything about "thick cables and outsized connectors", I just assumed all connectors would be the same. Anyway, hopefully on Monday I can try different cable with my monitor and different monitor with my cable and isolate where the problem is, even if not why.

The intriguing this is, if my monitor is faulty, why is it working with my Macbook, but if the cable is faulty this is strange for a brand new product. But I hope it is the second.

It is interesting and curious to me that connecting a Mac to a monitor could be such an arcane art, perhaps we need Apple witchdoctors or magicians to make these things work!? :)

Anyway, I accept the truth of what you and others have said, and have therefore learned something new through this. Thanks again. Over and out!