"No Signal" message on ViewSonic monitor

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"No Signal" message on ViewSonic monitor

Hey all

My stepdad had a Mac Mini that was connected to a ViewSonic monitor using a VGA cable and VGA to USB-C adaptor. In the process of moving him from assisted living to a nursing home and then bringing the computer/monitor/cables back home, so my mom can use it we lost the adaptor. In any event, I bought a DVI to HDMI cable to connect the computer to the monitor. That worked once, but never again and all I would get is a "no signal" message. I checked the cables and everything looked good. I then cleaned out the ports and that still did not help. I then decided to try another cable and got a VGA to USB-C cable and still get the same message. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I am wondering if there is a way to connect to my iMac to see if it is the computer or the monitor.

Mac mini (2018)

Posted on Jul 6, 2023 4:36 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 25, 2023 11:29 AM in response to michaelgraham2

I am just posting a reply, as I could not get the VGA to USB-C adaptor, as they were out. Also got busy and my mom had not mentioned being able to use the computer, so I had not got around to trying anything else with it until today. In any event I took and connected the monitor to my iMac using the VGA to USB-C cable and that seems to work. I am just wondering if that means there is problem with the Mac Mini. Not sure where to go from here, other than buying my mom a new computer or taking the taking the Mini into be fixed, but really not sure how much she would use it. Any suggestions?

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Answer 2

Johnb-one

Level 6

9,180 points

Aug 27, 2023 1:38 PM in response to michaelgraham2

Hi michaelgraham2, my bet’s/guess on a bad/flaky VGA to USB-C adapter/cable.. and you found/used another one and it works, so there you… as for fixing/repairing the Mac Mini you have, that may not be necessary. Try connecting a standard usb wired or usb-c wired keyboard + mouse to it while it is turned off/shut down… you can get USB-A to USB-C adapters cheaply ( about $10 each) so you could use a standard wired usb-A keyboard + mouse with your Mac Mini.. pretty much any kind/brand of USB wired keyboard and mouse will work’”Mac” or “PC” doesn’t matter as long as it’s usb-A and wired… do a reset smc/pmu and zap pram3-4 times on startup, per this link: https://www.macworld.com/article/224955/how-to-reset-a-macs-nvram-pram-and-smc.html.. that should do it… if you have an M1/M2 mac( Apple silicon) that stuff will not work on M1/M2 ( Apple Silicon Macs) … you can also try booting up in “”Safe Mode” by holding down the Shift key on your keyboard during startup( be patient) let go of key when you see “Safe Mode” on your screen/monitor… of course, don’t change, make or break any video connections on your Mac mini while it’s started up/running.. those are not hot-swappable… as well you can use any HDMI 2.0 equipped tv as a monitor/screen as well…hdmi 1.4 will work but is limited to 720/1080 resolution Max…cable/adapter must support HDCP 2.2 also . VGA is Mighty old… I don’t know the brand/maker+ model of your VGA monitor… you can also get usb-c ( Thunderbolt 3 monitors ) as well

hope this helps

John B

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Answer 3

Jul 6, 2023 9:50 PM in response to michaelgraham2

If it had a VGA cable and a VGA to USB-C, then why not buy a VGA to USB-C connector to replace what you lost. They are only around $10 on Amazon. The VGA cable has a male connection on both ends and the VGA to USB-C cable has a VGA female connector on one end and USB-C connector on the other. That would give you the original connection and hopefully no more problems

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Answer 4

Jul 13, 2023 12:48 PM in response to garyfromrio linda

Thought having not to use an adaptor would be better, but now I am not sure. So I just ordered the same VGA to USB-C adaptor I originally had from BestBuy for less than $7.00 with shipping. I will see if that fixes the problem.

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"No Signal" message on ViewSonic monitor

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