Macbook Air Freezing When Connected To A Projector

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Macbook Air Freezing When Connected To A Projector

Hello,

I have a fairly new MBA, purchased Summer 2013. Just this past week i had to do 2 presentations on 2 different projectors. Each time i hooked up my MBA to the vga projector, it would hang and I would see a beachball. I would have to do a hard power shutdown. I went thru this each time I would connect to the vga projector until finally on the 3rd try it connected.

During my 2nd presentation on a different VGA projector, it froze half way thru my presentation and never allowed me to reconnect. I wound up having to use someone's PC Laptop to finish my presentation. (gasp)

When I connect an external 2nd monitor display to my MBA, it works just fine, which I use everyday. But when I connect to a VGA projector, it seems my MBA does not like them. Any thoughts on how I can resolve this for future presentations?

Thanks!

Ken

MacBook Air, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5), SSD 128GB / 8GB of RAM

Posted on Mar 10, 2014 9:08 AM

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Answer 1

sterling r

Community Specialist

Mar 12, 2014 1:59 PM in response to KCDC92

Hey there KCD92,

It sounds like you are unable to use your computer when a VGA connection is applied. I recommend the troubleshooting from the article named:

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

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

Check connections

When using an external display be sure to check the following:

If you're using an Apple notebook, confirm the AC power cable or adapter is securely connected to the computer and the cable providing power to the display is also secure. It is always good to have your notebook connected to AC power when an external display is in use.

Confirm display adapters are fully seated in their respective connections and that they are supported models and for the computer and display. Refer to these articles to assist you with adapter compatibility and further configuration information:

Monitor and Display Adapter Table

About Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters

Apple Mini DisplayPort adapters: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

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

Try unplugging the video adapter or cable and then plug it back in.

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 systemYou 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.

Regards,

Sterling

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