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Macbook Air External Display Issues

SuperOwnJK
By SuperOwnJK
in Troubleshooting
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So my Macbook Air 2013 is having issues running on external displays. I have this mini display to HDMI cable which seems to work with some monitors/tvs but not all. For example it works on my Samsung TV, but not another Samsung TV we have. Its all very strange.

 

I mainly want it to work off my Asus MX279H via HDMI. My brother has the Asus VX279Q and it runs fine from mini display to displayport. 

 

So when I plug the cable in, Macbook screen flashes and the monitor just continues to read 'No Signal'. The display isn't detected under System Preferences. Has anyone come across this issue or a fix online?

Any help would be great. 

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Try changing the Input Source if your TV or Monitor has that option.

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It's hard to say, can you post a screenshot of the macbook when the monitor is connected? I'm not an expert of mac os, but isn't there a tool to setup a custom resolution? If there is, try manually setting the asus monitor's resolution and refresh rate (assuming it's even detected) and see what happens. Have you tried booting with the screen connected?

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

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Try changing the Input Source if your TV or Monitor has that option.

The monitor/TV has always been set the right input, being HDMIx, but it just doesn't seem to detect anything :/

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It's hard to say, can you post a screenshot of the macbook when the monitor is connected? I'm not an expert of mac os, but isn't there a tool to setup a custom resolution? If there is, try manually setting the asus monitor's resolution and refresh rate (assuming it's even detected) and see what happens. Have you tried booting with the screen connected?

Well when I plug it in the Macbook screen just flashes once and nothing after that. There isn't a 2nd monitor shown in System Preferences to change any settings for an external display. It runs fine on an LG TV. 

I have tried booting with it connected, still nothing. Tried clamshell mode too.

Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.2GHz | Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600MHz | MSI GTX660 Twin Frozr II OC | Samsung Evo 850 250GB | Seagate Barracuda 3TB | Corsair 600T White | Corsair H100 | Corsair HX850 | Corsair SP120 QE | Asus MX279H | LG Flatron E2251 | Logitech G502 | Das Keyboard Ultimate 4 Browns | Fiio E10 | Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro | Corsair SP2500 | HTC One M8 | MacBook Air (Mid 2013) i5 8GB 128GB

 

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Well when I plug it in the Macbook screen just flashes once and nothing after that. There isn't a 2nd monitor shown in System Preferences to change any settings for an external display. It runs fine on an LG TV. 

I have tried booting with it connected, still nothing. Tried clamshell mode too.

 

Do you have a usb thumbdrive that you can wipe? If so try installing ubuntu to it and see if booting off of that allows you to detect the monitor. You're using the thunderbolt port right?

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

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All I can think to do is to buy a different cable? Anyone know of a better branded one?

Problem is that Apple don't do an 'Official Minidisplay to HDMI' cable so if I bought one and contacted Apple about it they would just say its 3rd party issue and nothing to do with them. 

Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.2GHz | Corsair Vengeance 16GB 1600MHz | MSI GTX660 Twin Frozr II OC | Samsung Evo 850 250GB | Seagate Barracuda 3TB | Corsair 600T White | Corsair H100 | Corsair HX850 | Corsair SP120 QE | Asus MX279H | LG Flatron E2251 | Logitech G502 | Das Keyboard Ultimate 4 Browns | Fiio E10 | Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro | Corsair SP2500 | HTC One M8 | MacBook Air (Mid 2013) i5 8GB 128GB

 

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I believe Displayport to HDMI is an active conversion which sometimes cause problems like this. I would suggest just using a mini displayport to displayport cable.

I don't have a dispalyport monitor. I think a mixture of Minidisplay to Displayport to HDMI cables/adapters would be worse?

 

Do you have a usb thumbdrive that you can wipe? If so try installing ubuntu to it and see if booting off of that allows you to detect the monitor. You're using the thunderbolt port right?

Hmm what will doing prove or rule out? Yeah its the thunderbolt port I'm using.

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Hmm what will doing prove or rule out? Yeah its the thunderbolt port I'm using.

 

If ubuntu detects the monitor, it's certainly a software problem. If it doesn't, it can be either a hardware problem (presumably the cable as @Profquast pointed out) or a software problem as ubuntu might not have found the right drivers for the thunderbolt port, so in that case we don't have any precise info.

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

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I don't have a dispalyport monitor. I think a mixture of Minidisplay to Displayport to HDMI cables/adapters would be worse?

Ah, I thought both monitors were displayport but it's only the Q one. Mini displayport to displayport is a passive conversion so it shouldn't cause problems.

~non cogito, ergo non sum?~

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