Macbook Pro 2011 clamshell mode broken by latest software update?

Perhaps I have found a solution. I, too, experienced this problems with the lastest OSx upgrade and wrote my share of complaining notes concerning it <s>.

I use the MB Pro in a number of different offices. What I noticed is that I did not experience the problem much in one of my offices but did experience it regularly in two of my offices. The two offices that experience problems regularly have 24" Dell upper end monitors that were configured to Autosense the input. The working office has a 23" middle range Dell that is set by default to the digital vga input.

Resetting the Dell 24" monitors to digital vga input instead of autosensing fixes most of the problems for me. Still have the slow (about 10 seconds) lapse of time while OSx figures out where to put video output but I no longer have to open and shut the clamshell and say words that my mother would cringe at!

Perry Shipman

University of California San Diego

Thanks for the reply, but I've tried this as well. I am using an LG 24" lcd with the HDMI input for the MacBook Pro, I have a PC on the DVI input and a PC laptop on the VGA input. I was thinking the autosensing might be an issue, so I manually changed to the HDMI input before trying all this...same results. It goes to sleep but never wakes up. I also tried removing all the other inputs except for the HDMI input connected to the MacBook Pro...with the HDMI input manually selected. Exact same thing. Goes to sleep, doesn't wake up to the external display.

The only workaround I have found to get it working is to shut down the MacBook Pro, connect it, turn it on and quickly close it. It then displays to the monitor and works fine. That is of course until the MacBook Pro goes to sleep... Once it enters sleep mode it never again wakes back up in clamshell mode.

Spoke to an Apple pal about this last night, and he asked if I use the "password to wake computer from sleep"

I said yes, and he suggested that I try it with that shut off.

So I shut it off, and this morning when I came in, and plugged my MB in, it worked fine.

Granted, this is not a solution, as I realistically need to have a password on my computer, but it's a "workaround" I suppose.

have you tried hitting the spacebar (on your external keyboard ... note that I use a USB keyboard, not wireless) a bunch of times ... that seems to always wake mine up but until I changed the monitor setting it was still hit and miss.

Just a thought <s> ... this is obviously a "feature" (to us a Microsoft term) and needs to be fixed but hopefully we can all find workarounds until Apple folks get their heads out of the iClouds <lol>

Now I installed a fresh Snow Leopard 10.6 from the install dvd to a usb drive, the external display works more consistantly like its supposed to and wifi is not slowing the whole machine down when copying files to nas with the lid closed.

Now I'm running the updates to see if it breaks the system and/or if I just need to install everything and start over from a clean install. This is like good old windows times 🙂

I've been using clamshell mode for 3 years with an old Macbook Pro. Both are patched to 10.6.7.

The new Macbook Pro will not start in clamshell mode.

The old Macbook Pro will start in clamshell mode.

Actually, not quite true, what the new one does if I press space or click the mouse is

1. Spool up the fans (I can hear them)
2. Switch the power LED from pulsing to solid
3. Activate the internal display backlight (the Apple logo on the lid lights up)
4. Deactivate the internal display backlight (the Apple logo on the lid goes dark)
5. Switch the power LED from solid to pulsing
6. Shut down the fans.

I can unplug the new one, plug in the old one and all works as expected.

Some advice from Apple on what is happening to fix this is warranted, given the number of people in the forum having the problem.

I understand from my initial use of clamshell mode, 3 years ago, that this is a tricky setup and not everyone gets it right first time. I remember thinking "oh, so THAT'S how it works".

But nobody in this forum has a fix yet. We can't all be doing it wrong and I can prove that I'm not the broken part - because it works just fine on the old model.

Very frustrating.

An update on my situation. I am using the 2011 Macbook Pro with an NEC 2490WUXi display, but have also now tried it with a 17-inch and 19-inch Dell monitor, both 1280x1024 resolution.

No problems whatsoever with these relatively small, five to six-year-old Dell monitors. But with the big NEC display (1920x1200) the problems continue.

So far, the workaround is to disable the power management on the NEC display (the NEC display is timed to sleep much faster than the Dells), physically turn the display off each time you're not using it. And each time I turn it on, I also have to do the following. First, switch on the monitor and open the lid of the computer (trying to bring it up in clamshell after switching the monitor off, then on, results in two displays rendering all-black). Then, once both displays are up and running, leaving the monitor on, close the lid of the computer. Then, bring it up in clamshell.

Overall performance is slightly better on average — but not consistent or predictable — with a Dual Link adapter cable. But at least the performance on the standard DVI adapter is consistent and predictable. I've given up on the Dual Link for the time being because every now and then there's a big problem.

Note that this is all with a 15-inch Macbook Pro. This computer EXCLUSIVELY uses the AMD Radeon chip for external displays. I have been checking configurations closely and at no point does the computer resort to the integrated graphics for external support, and disabling integrated graphics in the control panel does not alter this flaky behavior. People who discuss this issue on the thread should note which MBP they're using, especially if it's a 13-inch Macbook Pro 2011, which depends on Intel's integrated graphics, or an earlier 13-inch, which has a discrete chip using integrated memory.

What I see here is a faulty driver that can't handle autosensing by monitors, aggravated by the somewhat low voltage that comes out of a DisplayPort. I would like to see Apple fix the driver and NEC offer a firmware update that would allow more user control over autosensing and sleep. I notice reading through this thread very similar problems with a 24-inch Dell display, but at least on that it looks like the person was able to disable autosensing, which isn't an option, it would seem, on the NEC.

A logic board replacement or computer replacement will not solve this problem. Been there, done that.

Heres my update! I removed the login window password from my mbp 2011 17" now it wakes up fine from the apple wireless keyboard in clamshell mode. So much for mbp security, ill live without it i guess.

I have to agree! After thinking I had a fix I am again back in a painful "works sometimes" loop 😟

Bottom line is that Apple Inc must be betting on Lion and letting the leopards languish!

Last week, I had absolutely no issues. It started right up every day, Monday thru Friday. This week, back to not working.

update on my situation...

I tried clamshell mode on my in-laws 60" Sony LED flatscreen with the same Moshi HDMI adapter and it worked perfectly. It came out of sleep mode in clamshell mode exactly like it should and booted fine in clamshell mode as well. It worked exactly as it should.

Shut it down, took it home, followed the exact same procedure with my LG W2353V LCD monitor...and back to square one. Does not work, and does not come out of sleep mode. The only thing connected to the LG is the HDMI input and the HDMI input is selected as well, so I'm not relying on any "auto" mode of the monitor.

<sigh> So, it looks like its a compatibility issue with select monitors. That really *****. Its not like this LG monitor is old school or anything. It's a nice new 1080p widescreen LCD. I hope Apple releases a fix soon. I plan on buying OS Lion when its out, I'll be super disappointed if the issue remains with Lion.

I was using my new 2011 17" MacBook Pro w/ the Core i7-2720QM 2.2GHz and the new ThunderBolt connector running Snow Leopard 10.6.7 with a 6-year old 30" Apple Cinema HD Display. Obviously, the $99 miniDP to dual-link DVI adapter/cable is needed for any of the 30" ACD's, which were discontinued about a year ago.

I found the "clamshell mode" to be working flawlessly and not at all subject to any hit-and-miss scenarios, which I agree, can be infuriating in any scenario.

What surprised me was the fact that this setup wasn't just working, but I was even able to do the entire process of installing OS X 10.7 Lion (Dev. Preview 4) using the monitor exclusively with my MBP closed and sitting in that trendy looking BookArc stand that I bought as part of this setup. I didn't have to touch the MBP once during any of the restarts, including at other times when the installation of 3rd party software called for a reboot.

I happen to have sold my 30" ACD in the meantime, because I decided that I wanted my 27" iMac experience back, which will entail a purchase of a 27" Cinema Display, which does not require any special adapters for Mac's with miniDP ports. I will post about my experience wth the 27" monitor, which, you would think, should work just fine if the more complicated setup of a six year old Apple display gave me zero problems. You never know, though, so I can't wait to try this out.

Hope this helps someone.

Alright, so I found my beloved 27" LED Cinema Display at a killer price and basically my 17" MBP (2011) works just as well as in clamshell (display closed) mode with the new 27" LED Cinema Display as it did with my 30" ACD that I briefly owned. (see my previous post) I have so far only tested it in Lion, but Snow Leopard should work just as well.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I'd be glad to answer them, if you happen to run into problems with any Apple displays, both current generation and "vintage" ones. Vintage is an Apple term for discontinued products in the U.S. store for items over 5 but under 7 years old. LOL...After that, they are downgraded to "Obsolete". I never knew that but what a funny concept. Every last thing is well thought out at the big A. ;-)

Laters...

Well I can't say how it works under Lion, but under a fully updated Snow Leopard it is not reliable. It used to be that I could pull my MBPro 2011 out of my bag while it was asleep, plug it into my 27 inch LED Cinema and everything would just work.

Now I have to wake the computer connect the display, close the clamshell, and re-awaken the MB. If I forget to follow that order 1 of 3 things happens. Best case sometimes it comes up and works. Worst case light will go solid on MB but no display will come up eventually I have to hard reset (one time this corrupted my mail file which was a pain). Middle case, I can disconnect from the cinema display and open/close the lid several times and it will come back.

A new Mac OS X update 10.6.8 has been released, can anyone confirm a fix?