Resolution broked - Advice please

[jamie0705]

I recently plugged my macbook (bought june 2008) into my sony bravia HD tv via vga using an adapter. the resolution would not stretch to widescreen at all regardless which of the resolutions i chose from the list. I googled this quickly and came the conclusion that SwitchresX would solve this problem. I downloaded and installed it and loaded it up. my TV showed up as "Unknown Monitor". i changed the default resolution to the one listed in the manual 1920x1080 and clicked ok. Ever since then whenever i plug the tv in by vga my laptop screen flashes but nothing is detected. i click the detect displays button and the mouse becomes stuck for 3 seconds but that is all. this isnt a huge problem as im not going to be using the TV all the time and i can use a s-video out instead fine. But my main monitor, an LCD 1280x1024 normal vga monitor now is no longer recognised when i connect it through a KVM switch, im using the KVM switch so i can easily switch between my mac and XBOX without fiddling with wires. the screen works fine when connected directly to the mac.

I think this is because "Unknown Monitor" refers to any monitor which the mac cannot find a resolution for and as the KVM switch is imbetween my monitor and my mac i think its not telling my mac what the monitor is. (i also get alot of extra resolutions i know my monitor does not support when connected via the KVM but not when its direct)

The switchresX help section suggested i delete the newest file in System/Library/Displays/Overrides/ but since then i have tired with the s-video cable so i'm worried i might delete the wrong one. is there a problem if i idelete all of them? would that allow me to make a fresh start? or has anyone got any better ideas. (i have a time machine backup but its a few months old, is it possible to just restore this folder?)

Sorry for hitting you with a gian wall of text and i appreciate ANY help on this matter. i feel really stupid for messing up my entire display setup just because i was curious as to how my mac looked on a big screen.

Also im new to this forum so please go easy one me

Thanks in advance

Jamie

 

[Makosuke]

is there a problem if i idelete all of them? would that allow me to make a fresh start?

No and yes, respectively.

I haven't messed with SwitchResX myself, but I'm pretty sure those files are specifically override values, so at absolute worst deleting them should just reset the values to whatever the default was, meaning whatever was going on before you installed SwitchResX. You can, of course, always just move them to the desktop (or some other spot in your home folder), so if something does go completely hawire you can just put them back.

 

[jamie0705]

this issue with this being that if like you say everything does go haywire, am i going to be able to see anything on the screen to set it back? i spose i could make a new time machine backup and if worst comes to worst just reinstall SL from that?

 

[Makosuke]

Were everything to go completely haywire, you should still be able to boot holding down the shift key to get into "safe mode", which I believe will fall back to default resolution on the screen. Failing that you could also boot into single-user mode and use the command line to put files back.

That said, "haywire" would usually mean fallback resolution of 800x600, and it's a MacBook, so the built-in screen should be fine either way. And even if it weren't, you could do an archive and install of Snow Leopard, preserving users but not Network etc. settings, which would get you back to where you are without resorting to a full backup.

Not that a full backup hurts--you should ALWAYS have one anyway, more than ever if you're messing with system utilities.