My Macbook Air (OSX 10.9.1 - 1.7 / i5 ) is normally connected via HDMI to a LG 22EAA53 LED IPS monitor. If the combination is working properly, the motto is: don't pull any cables, don't mess with it. If I do pull the HDMI-cable, or, even worse, if I pick up the notebook and connect it elsewhere to a TV monitor for the occasional viewing of a movie (Sony-flatscreen), everything goes wrong. First because the Air may or may not detect the tv: sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't . In the latter case it does not matter what I try: cables in and out, notebook on and off, ditto tv etc etc , nothing will help change the Air's mood. Too bad, but hey, it's only a movie, and as long as I can I work. Not so. When I (pissed off already) connect the air via the LG monitor that doesn't work either. The monitor says it get no signal but if I then pull the HDMI cable, I get the message that the connection is lost . In the Air-menu settings/displays there's the option to detect a external screen is non-existent. The only thing I can do, I know this from experience, is simply wait. Because within a couple of days the Air can all by itself, decide to recognize the external screen again. I can't help but wondering about this whimsical behaviour. It makes you wonder if, in this era of state of the art technology we made really that much progress compared to the people who lived thousand years ago, who had in case of problems no other option than to wait for redemption by mysterious, unknowable supreme being. And it appears I am not the only one with this kind of problem either I found it on several fora, als to no avail, the problem is common and recognized, a solution isn't it, or soit appears. But maybe, maybe someone here has a bright idea?
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whimsical behaviour air - external screens
- Thread starter Willy Star
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I see some odd behavior with external screens on my 2013 MBA too, but not enough to get excited over. Still, they are nuiscances. I am using an ancient 23" Cinema Display with a DVI adatper. No problems if I just leave it connected all the time to this screen.
If I pull the monitor cable and use the MBA with the built-in screen, there are no problems. If I plug the monitor back in without rebooting, then the glitches start. When the screensaver kicks in, it only dims the built-in screen while the external monitor stays lit but "frozen in time". For example, the clock in the menubar continues to show the time that the screensaver started and doesn't update until I wake up the screen.
Then sometimes, when I plug in the external monitor after using the MBA built-in screen, the menu bar is completely absent on both screens. Just mousing around doesn't fix this. But if I click on system preferences, the menu bar reappears before I even click on the Displays icon.
If I shutdown and restart before connecting the external screen, none of this weirdness happens. I am still running 10.8. Reading your post, I am skeptical as to whether any of this would be fixed by upgrading to 10.9.
If I pull the monitor cable and use the MBA with the built-in screen, there are no problems. If I plug the monitor back in without rebooting, then the glitches start. When the screensaver kicks in, it only dims the built-in screen while the external monitor stays lit but "frozen in time". For example, the clock in the menubar continues to show the time that the screensaver started and doesn't update until I wake up the screen.
Then sometimes, when I plug in the external monitor after using the MBA built-in screen, the menu bar is completely absent on both screens. Just mousing around doesn't fix this. But if I click on system preferences, the menu bar reappears before I even click on the Displays icon.
If I shutdown and restart before connecting the external screen, none of this weirdness happens. I am still running 10.8. Reading your post, I am skeptical as to whether any of this would be fixed by upgrading to 10.9.