Mac Mini & Viewsonic VG150

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Level 3

933 points

Mac Mini & Viewsonic VG150

I was given an original Mac Mini, 256 MB RAM, no wireless, combo drive, along with a Viewsonic VG150 LCD monitor. However, when I start it up I get the beginning of the boot process and then the monitor goes black. Turning the monitor off and onn results in an "out of range" message. Ok, so I hook it up to a CRT monitor at work and reset the resolution to what the VG150 uses. Go home and hook it up to the VG150 - same problem! However, the VG150 works fine hooked up to my Powerbook.

Ok, make an appointment at the nearest Apple store (only 2 hours away) and take it there. They hook it up to a Dell LCD monitor and the desktop appears. They then reset the resolution and then turn off the mini. Reboot the mini, and the resolution is still set. OK, I bring it back home, hook it up to the VG150 and the problem is back!

So I have an LCD monitor that works fine with another Mac, a Mac Mini that works fine with a CRT or different make LCD, albeit at a different resolution.

The problem seems to be that the Mini won't remember the resolution I set it to, 1024x768. Could this be a PRAM battery? If so, where is the PRAM battery and how do I change it?

If it is NOT a PRAM battery problem, what do I need to fix it? Should I toss the Viewsonic and get a different make of monitor?

Mac Mini, Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Feb 12, 2007 4:39 PM

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Answer 1

Boece

Level 5

6,264 points

Feb 12, 2007 6:29 PM in response to romad

Romad, welcome!

Does the Viewsonic have a choice of hooking up with either VGA or DVI (digital)? If so, which method are you using? Do you have the cabling to use the other method?

It's not likely a battery problem. Some of the early minis were overly fussy about what monitors they would work with.

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Answer 2

romad Author

Level 3

933 points

Feb 12, 2007 7:25 PM in response to Boece

Romad, welcome!

Does the Viewsonic have a choice of hooking up with
either VGA or DVI (digital)? If so, which method are
you using? Do you have the cabling to use the other
method?

It's not likely a battery problem. Some of the early
minis were overly fussy about what monitors they
would work with.

VGA only as near as I can tell. This is what the user's guide says:

LCD, 0.297m pixel pitch
Color Filter RGB vertical stripe nput
Signal Video Sync RGB analog (0.7 /1.0 Vp-p, 75 ohms) Composite Sync, Separate Sync, Sync On Green f : 30-62 kHz, f: 50-70 Hz

Compatibility
PC Up to 1024 x 768 NI
Macintosh ® Power Macintosh® 640 x 480 and 1024 x 768

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Answer 3

romad Author

Level 3

933 points

Feb 12, 2007 7:28 PM in response to romad

Here is another datum: when the mini loses the 1024x768 setting, it goes to 800 x 600

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Answer 4

BSteely

Level 5

7,643 points

Feb 13, 2007 6:52 PM in response to romad

All Macs "remember" monitors by name as they are attached to them and the Mac stores different preference files for each and every one of them. That is why when you plug it back into the VG150, after having plugged it into something else, it reverts back to the last used resolution for the VG150. The people at the Apple Store should have known this was the case and that getting the mini to work with another monitor was a pointless exercise.

The first thing you should try is booting into Safe Mode while attached to the VG150. Do this by holding down the Shift key during a restart. Hopefully this will result in a useable screen. Then go into Display Preferences and select the resolution you desire. Hopefully, when you restart the mini normally, e.g. not in Safe Mode, the chosen resolution will stick.

If this doesn't work, write back. The next thing to try will be to trash the preference file(s) associated with displays.

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Answer 5

romad Author

Level 3

933 points

Feb 13, 2007 9:33 PM in response to BSteely

It just so happens that I took the mini to work again today and hooked it up to a Dell CRT. It worked fine showing a resolution of 1024 x 768.
I had found an article regarding this problem with two possible fixes: the "Safe Mode" and the "Single User Mode". I then hooked the VG150 to the mini and went the "Safe Mode" route. It came up showing a resolution setting of 800 x 600 (which the VG150 doesn't support with Macs!) I reset it to 1024 x 768 60Hz and restarted. The mini booted up fine and the VG150 worked. I quickly upgraded the OS to 10.3.9, restarted, and repaired permissions. I then shut it down and unplugged it from the power for a couple of hours.

When I plugged it back in and booted it up, it still worked with the VG150. I then powered it down and unplugged it again. I'm going to hook it up in a few days and see what happens. I'm going to go out on a limb here and mark the question as answered. If it DOESN'T work, then I'll have to go the Single-user mode route.

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