cinema display won't wake up

Question

Level 1

0 points

cinema display won't wake up

I use a 23" cinema display (aluminum encased) as an additional screen. I plug it into a thunderbold jack in a 15" Macbook Pro laptop.

Until recently the display would sleep until plugged in to the laptop, which would wake it and auto configure as an additional screen. Just recently the screen stopped lighting/starting when plugged in to the laptop. The laptop sees the display and reconfigures as if the display is on, but the display stays dark. (the brighness is turned all the way up on the display)

If I play with the on/off button, I can sometimes get the display to light/start, revealing the information on the screen. The display is a bit older, so I'm wondering if they typically fail this way toward the end of their life. Is there any display management tool/app that can reset/set preferences? thanks in advance.

Posted on Feb 16, 2014 3:42 PM

Reply

Answer 1

sterling r

Community Specialist

Feb 18, 2014 6:44 AM in response to emathie

Hello emathie,

It sounds like your Cinema Display is no longer consistently recognizing the computer when it is plugged in, as it used to. I recommend these troubleshooting steps specifically from the article named:

Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1573

Remove all display cable extenders, KVM switches, or other like devices and retest to determine if the issue is resolved.

If more than one video adapter is in use (or "daisy-chained"), troubleshoot by using only one adapter.
Example: A mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter connected to a DVI to HDMI adapter is an unsupported configuration because there is a series of adapters in use.

If available, try using a different display and or adapter (or use a different connector by using DVI instead of VGA, for instance).

Reset the system

You can reset the Mac's parameter RAM and SMC.Reset the resolutionStart by resetting the Mac's parameter RAM. If the display does not come up, was previously set to an unsupported resolution, and still results in no video:

Start up in Safe Mode.

From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.

Choose Displaysfrom the View menu to open the preferences pane.

Select any resolution and refresh rate that your display supports.

Restart your computer.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

Take care,

Sterling

Reply

Answer 2

turbostar

Level 4

2,941 points

Feb 18, 2014 4:43 PM in response to emathie

Reads like your actual display is about to burn out

Reply