Dual monitors: partial menu bar missing

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Level 1

2 points

Dual monitors: partial menu bar missing

Using a MacBook Pro, hooking to an external monitor, not mirroring, separate displays on each monitor. At 1920x1080 resolution I get only part of the menu bar on the external monitor. Specifically the apple & the name of the program are cut off and the menu bar starts at File; no trace of the missing parts of the menu bar on the MacBook display.

Using 1680X1050, I get the entire menu bar on the external monitor but I keep getting messages to switch to 1920x1080, which does look substantially better.

Suggestions on how to get the full menu bar? [I have already reset all the disply settings, restarted the computer, fiddled with the arrangement and moved the menu bar from the small box to the bigger box twice.]

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Jun 16, 2011 7:16 AM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Jun 16, 2011 7:47 AM in response to waterbug17

The only way to get a full menubar is mirroring. Otherwise, it is only going to be on the monitor you setup with the menubar portion of the display icon in Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Displays. You can drag the white bar on the display icon on the preference to the monitor you prefer to have the menubar.

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Answer 2

waterbug17 Author

Level 1

2 points

Jun 16, 2011 8:15 AM in response to a brody

Sorry, but I disagree, you can get full menu bar without mirroring. On the arrange menu, you can drag the menu bar from one display to the other, so you can have the menu bar on the external monitor and NOT be in mirroring. I am currently working with full menu bar but at lower resolution. The problem is part of the menu bar gets chopped off the left side of the monitor at higher resolution.

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Answer 3

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Jun 16, 2011 8:36 AM in response to waterbug17

That's not what I'm calling a full menubar.
Without mirroring you won't find File, Edit, View, etc...and the clock on both displays at the same time. You'll have one screen without a menubar, whether it is the built-in display or external display, it doesn't matter, it will only appear on one display, whereas leave the second display with no menubar, as well as no Dock.

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Answer 4

waterbug17 Author

Level 1

2 points

Jun 16, 2011 9:11 AM in response to a brody

Ah, I misunderstood.

I really only need one menu bar, but when the menubar is on the external monitor, the apple and program name are not truncated off but 'file' edit' all the way across to time, date and spotlight are present.

How do I get the full menu bar on the external monitor at the preferred 1920x1080 resolution?

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Answer 5

a brody

Level 10

85,314 points

Jun 16, 2011 9:14 AM in response to waterbug17

Do you have a genuine 1080p display? Can you control the display's aspect ratio with its remote with a pixel by pixel measurement?

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Answer 6

waterbug17 Author

Level 1

2 points

Jun 16, 2011 9:42 AM in response to a brody

Yes, I do have a genuine 1080 display and it worked fine with my 4 year old MacBook pro; just got a new one on Monday. No, cannot control aspect with remote.

Resigning myself to the lower quality display. (but wow!! the display on the new MacBook is so gorgeous!)

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