macbook pro retina gives black screen when connecting to tv with HDMI cable.

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macbook pro retina gives black screen when connecting to tv with HDMI cable.

My macbook pro retina gives a black screen on laptop and tv when I try to connect it to my tv with an HDMI cable. I can only see and move my mouse, also move it off-screen but I can't do anything because both screens are black. it used to work but probalbly after a software update it stopped working. does anyone have suggestions? adjusting resolution doesn't work. Thank you!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 7, 2012 11:54 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 14, 2012 2:14 PM in response to joris416

I am having this problem as well and went to the Genius Bar and they said it would be tough to figure out without seeing the tv. They told me to try a restart using the Command-R function and it managed to get both screens working on that setting, so I am pretty sure it is a software/setting issue. I am trying to figure out how to restore/reinstall Mountain Lion OSx without losing files to see if that solves it.

FYI, this only occurs when I connect to one of the two tvs in my house. Both are samsung and the one it doesn't work with is only 6 months old. Also, my MBP+r HDMI connection worked for a bit on both TVs and then started to have this issue around 3 weeks ago.

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Answer 2

Oct 14, 2012 2:51 PM in response to jonbpowell

THis is a link to what resolved it for me.

KenV54

Re: HDMI display issues after 10.8.2

Sep 27, 2012 8:23 AM (in response to leo92)

Unfortunately, these posts are not numbered, but the "fix" is my post of September 24, 5:05 pm.

I'll restate it here with some clarifications. But this is not the fix for everyone with MBP-HDMI problems, and as I've suggested previously, you may have to get Apple support.

Go to Finder.

In the root directory (MacBookPro or whatever your HD is called), go to Library, go to Preferences, find com.apple.windowserver.plist and put it into Trash

In your own user directory, go to Library (to see the user Library folder in Finder, click the Go menu in finder and at the same time hold the Option key down, and then you'll see Library). Go to Preferences folder within the Library folder, go to the ByHost directory within the Preferences folder, find com.apple.windowserver.[random numbers and letters].plist, and put that plist file into Trash.

There may be more than one com.apple.windowserver.xxxxxx.plist file in both of these directories, including one that ends in plist.lck--just remove any plist file with "windowserver" in it. You won't cause any harm by removing a plist file.

You do not have to empty the Trash folder, but you can if you want to.

Reboot computer.

I don't know how to state it any more clearly than that. If it doesn't work, and it may not, especially with non-Retina MBPs, then you have to call Apple support.

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