Operate MacBook with lid Closed!

Question

Level 1

4 points

Operate MacBook with lid Closed!

Ok, time to fess up, I am a new Mac user, and I have to say I love the entire experience! I jumped ship once I saw Vista in a Microsoft conference, but that is another story.

However, I come from a world where I am able to tell my computer what I would like it to do when I close the lid, and it seems no matter how much research I do, I cannot do that with my MBP!!

I have done a lot of searching. I found that there are even several topics posted here, and how to perform this task from the owner’s manual.

It seems that in each of post people start to argue about how to do it with an external monitor, mouse, and keyboard. However I have none of the above.

I would love to be able to close the lid on my MBP pick it up and change rooms, while I am still running iTunes, downloading a file, and playing a mini game with Safari! I hate the fact that once I close the lid my MBP goes to sleep without me being able to change the setting, its very annoying.

I understand that when the lid is closed if the MacBook doesn’t go to sleep it can get very hot, but let’s face it, I am not going to kill the MacBook by moving it from room to room with the lid down.

That being said, I have installed ‘Sleepless’ and it seems to work sometimes, and other times the laptop will go to sleep on its own, or whenever it feels like. It’s really quite awkward.

So does anyone know a way I can get the MBP screen to shut off when I close the lid, but keep the OS and apps running, other then sleepless?

Thanks,

MacBook Pro 2.16 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on Jun 14, 2006 11:27 PM

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Answer 1

edman007

Level 2

225 points

Jun 14, 2006 11:55 PM in response to MasterMG

i have found that taking the Insomnia.kext out of sleepless works if you follow the instructions here (get the Insomnia.kext by ctl-clicking sleepliss and "Show Package contents" and look for it in there), then you don't have to use shareware

i did this because the binary at Insomnia's site isn't universal, but the one included with sleepless is

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Answer 2

MasterMG Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 15, 2006 12:11 AM in response to edman007

When i try that, this is he error i am getting:

mike-greggs-computer:~/SleepLess.app/Contents/Resources mikegregg$ sudo kextload Insomnia.kext
8Insomnia is not compatible with its superclass, 9IOService superclass changed?
kextload: a link/load error occured for kernel extension Insomnia.kext
load failed for extension Insomnia.kext
(run kextload with -t for diagnostic output)

Any ideas?

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Answer 3

edman007

Level 2

225 points

Jun 15, 2006 12:21 AM in response to MasterMG

did you do the chown command, if the Insomnia.kext is on your desktop it would be

sudo chown -R root:wheel ~/Desktop/Insomnia.kext

that will fix the permissions needed for it to load

and as i said, you can't use the one off of Insomnia's site (its for PPC only), but Sleepless has a copy that will work, so you get Sleepless, control-click the application, click "Show Package contents", open Contents/Resources, then copy the Insomnia.kext to somewhere, then chown it as shown above it, then try to load it

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Answer 4

MasterMG Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 15, 2006 12:29 AM in response to MasterMG

Thanks a lot for the last push there, i was using the wrong Insomnia. -- This is great. Thanks!

Now time to get slapbook up and running, and i think i will be set!!

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Answer 5

MasterMG Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 15, 2006 12:38 AM in response to edman007

Ok, now how do i get it to load at Startup? Or will it do that already with the sudo kextload command?

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Answer 6

edman007

Level 2

225 points

Jun 15, 2006 2:12 AM in response to MasterMG

well i decided that its a good time to try out the dev tools 😀

here is a little installer to copy Insomnia along with a startup script to the right spot

linky

MBP 15" 2.16GHz/7200RPM 100GB Drive/2GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.6)

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Answer 7

mcornes

Level 1

39 points

Jun 26, 2006 5:49 AM in response to edman007

So you odn't need to buy the sleepless thing, just get the kernal extension ?

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Answer 8

Jun 26, 2006 8:13 AM in response to edman007

This seems to be exactly what I've been looking for! Thanks!

One question: If for whatever reason I need to remove this...how do I do so?

Thanks for the easy setup of something I'd given up on!

Mike

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Answer 9

laua

Level 1

0 points

Jun 26, 2006 9:40 AM in response to MasterMG

I had he excact same problem. It really annoys me. How come that Apple cannot make a setting for this like Windows? As well as a setting to disable the sound when the computer boots.

I also found Imsomnia, and it works. But I would like the option to let my computer sleep by choosing this similar to shutdown. Unfortunately Insomnia prevents this when running, so it isn't transparent.

I don't buy the argument that it isn't possible due too a heat risk factor. It is authorized by Apple with external monitor, keyboard and mouse. I suppose the machine makes at least the same ammount of heat when these devices are attached.

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Answer 10

Jun 26, 2006 9:49 AM in response to laua

so this prevents sleep completely? not just by closing the lid?

i would like to be able to shut the lid, leaving everything running..
but be able to select sleep from the menu bar and have it sleep when i'm carrying it around.

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Answer 11

MasterMG Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 26, 2006 11:15 AM in response to staticuxo

so this prevents sleep completely? not just by
closing the lid?

i would like to be able to shut the lid, leaving
everything running..
but be able to select sleep from the menu bar and
have it sleep when i'm carrying it around.

Not exactly, it is sort of weird; you have to use the kextload and kextunload command to turn it on or off. However if you use the kextload - and it is ON, then it will of course work, and when you close the lid the laptop will stay on.

However, if while it is still loaded you click Apple Sleep, it will sleep. But the next time you turn it on, if you do not use the kextload command again with the Insomnia file, it will sleep when you close the lid.

That is why I don't really like this either, but I guess it will work in the meantime.

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