Syncing MacBook Air with external non-apple monitor

[LondonExile]

HI all, first post. I come from an almost exclusive Windows support background (please don't hold that against me!!), but have been asked to help with supporting a few users who work exclusively with Macs........... So it's far to say that I'm starting without any previous supprt experience of the Apple OS or architecture.

So I now have my first Apple related support call; One of my user group has an MacBook Air (very nice it is too), he works from home and has an external monitor 24" Samsung panel - which is hooked upto the MacBook Air via an Apple mini-port to DVI adapter. So far so good, anyway have had a call from said user who has informed that the monitor is not Syncing with his MacBook, now I'm taking this to mean that no signal is being displayed on the Samsung panel.

My question is this; How do I sync the monitor to display the output signal from the MacBook? How easy is it to do? And is there a "101" guide to resolving these problems on t'interweb? I did have a cursory browse throught he forums but couldn't find a thread which was suitably close.

Don't have physicall access to the Macbook as user works remotely and we don't have any remote access tools, so the support given will be over the phone - hence my question on how easy it is to sync the monitor.

Thanks in advance for any help or sugesstions!

Rob.

 

[BlueRevolution]

The process for connecting a monitor to a MacBook Air is as follows:

1. Plug the monitor's display cable into the MacBook Air.
2. Plug the monitor into the wall.
3. Turn the monitor on.

If there's a problem, it's either with the cable, the monitor, or the laptop. Since you're supporting computers, I'm sure you can appreciate how hard it is to troubleshoot second-hand problems.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Sometimes, things like this can be resolved very simply - going to Monitors in System Preferences and pressing the Detect Displays button may be enough.