MacBook Pros exhibiting locking up with second displays?

Here's another Apple Support forums conundrum for ya: a small group of users are reporting that their Santa Rosa MacBook Pros are locking up sporadically when attaching or disconnecting a second display or projector. This post is currently being typed on a Santa Rosa MacBook Pro, which is regularly hooked up to a Dell monitor sitting on the desk: no problems here. That said, there are several dozen responses on this one thread, so feel free to weigh in if you're seeing these freezing issues too.

[imacmatt09 @ Oct 7th 2007 10:03AM]

I bet if it was a Dell that had problems like this it wouldn't be posted about.

[Argot @ Oct 7th 2007 10:18AM]

And because Dell doesn't have problems like these. Go figure.

[aaron @ Oct 7th 2007 10:51AM]

Engadget has been, historically, so Pro-apple it's laughable. Due to it's readers lashing out as of late, I think that they are coming to the realization that there is a bias problem here on engadget.

This is news, like any other news. Again, historically, this is something that wouldn't have actually seen the light of day.

I'm glad to see Engadget and readers coming to the realization that Apple is certainly no "holy grail" of computing, if it were it would have a larger install base (only 5-6%). It's faulty, has it's problems, and is subject to criticism; just like any other OS/Hardware...

[suv4x4 @ Oct 7th 2007 10:51AM]

"I bet if it was a Dell that had problems like this it wouldn't be posted about."

There aren't zealot DELL users running everywhere around in the forums and chat shouting "DELL are crap computers using crap parts, that crash, have burned pixels and are slow. Apple's JUST WORK (TM)".

So reporters have no choice but put those claims to the test when given the opportunity.

[peternj @ Oct 7th 2007 11:21AM]

Dell would be roasted. Stock down to one dollar. Apple simply works... yeah right. I have bought three notebooks from Apple over the years and one from Dell. Titanium 677, three repairs, OS needed clean install on arrival, Alum., powerbook 1.33 G4 needed three repairs, only became stable with Tiger and my amazing Intel 2.33 15 inch MacBook Pro, logic board, then MagSafe card replaced and to this day MagSafe does not always connect. My Dell, my clunky butt ugly, boring, dreary XP Inspiron E1505 just works. It's amazing. I wanted some hard disks replaced, used the online chat and next day there they were. With Apple the tech support didn't understand the meaning of the word MagSafe and Apple always gives me this, "never heard of that sir." Then I have to remind them there are Apple tech support notes on it!!
Apple quality control on every product is seriously lacking. This is the price of success. However Apple has the worst record for notebooks needing repair, simply not working. I have so many friends who have had to return their MacBooks more than 4 times it should be a scandal but they love Apple, it's their reason for living, it's better than Jesus so they say nothing bad. I believe in Satan.

[ark_v2 @ Oct 7th 2007 8:55PM]

For how long have you been reading engadget?
If this was a problem with Dell's products, believe me, they would be kidding, using their mac-fanboy sarcasm, and saying why is a mac better than a Dell and they wouldn't be using this soft tone for the news. Go to bed kid.

[Dae @ Oct 7th 2007 10:56PM]

ALL COMPUTERS HAVE THEIR OWN PROBLEMS!! DAMNIT!!Who made what that was without imperfections? People aren't perfect so how can we create something that is?

Well....my mac is perfect. thats because Steve Jobs is a GOD.



lol. IM JOKING PEOPLE. nether is true

[FireFox @ Oct 7th 2007 10:07AM]

No I guess apple is being trapped in it's own succes.
Anyone remembers there slogan : "It just works ..."
Well.... I guess that's over.

[Shane Lloyd @ Oct 7th 2007 10:08AM]

So what, do we cart out support forum posts about every single computer manufacutrer, or just Apple? Engadget seems to be pretty desperate for Apple news... come on, we can find a million problem posts in any Apple, Dell, HP, Sony forum. Jeez, enough already!

[Andrew @ Oct 7th 2007 10:15AM]

I dunno, I'm guessing it's somewhat a warning for those waiting to upgrade to the Santa Rosa version.

There's enough fuel for the iPhone clusterfuck that there shouldn't be any need to attack the MacBooks too.

[travistaylor @ Oct 7th 2007 10:12AM]

I've actually had this happen to me twice. Both times occurred last week, actually.

I've also had random sleep issues with a second display hooked up. I will be operating my 2.4ghz MBP in clamshell mode, and then click Apple>Sleep. I will not touch my USB keyboard, and my setting for Bluetooth devices to wake-up the computer is OFF...yet for some reason my MBP will go to sleep. In fact, the screen will turn off (both the external and attached screen), but the sleep indicator light will not begin to pulse. Instead, it just stays on. When I try to push a button to wake my machine, it will not wake up. It just stares at me. The case will get extremely hot, as if I had been doing something on the machine for hours.

The only way to wake the machine up is to turn it off and back on.

This only happens every so often. It's most certainly not a common occurrence...but it is very annoying.

[travistaylor @ Oct 7th 2007 10:14AM]

I meant to say will *not* go to sleep...

[LordFarkward @ Oct 7th 2007 11:23PM]

dunno if this is useful to you or not, but sheep-counting always rectifies the sleep issue.

though i had to count to two million, three hundred and sixty four thousand, five hundred and sixteen sheeps until i fell asleep on one occasion.

[Brian @ Oct 7th 2007 10:14AM]

Bla Bla Bla ... Stupid Post.

[GoreTEX @ Oct 7th 2007 10:18AM]

Why are you guys paying an Apple Tax again?

[zorg @ Oct 7th 2007 10:32AM]

What is this Apple Tax you speak of? I gladly paid top dollar for my MacBook Pro.

Tax is something you pay because you have to, say, to a government or a monopoly, such as Microsoft.

Astroturfers like to pretend that Apple is a monopoly, but really, Cisco is now the only other monopoly. And guess what, nobody loathes Cisco like they do Microsoft!

[rudebo @ Oct 7th 2007 10:37AM]

well maybe because unlike cisco m$ft doesnt really have monopoly status it was just beeing bashed when it got close

[suv4x4 @ Oct 7th 2007 10:54AM]

The irony of all this is, if Microsoft had monopoly, you wouldn't be using OSX on your Apple branded Intel PC.

[John @ Oct 7th 2007 11:05AM]

remind me again how you can have a monopoly when there's competition that you people just won't freaking let us forget about? You know, that "Apple" company?

[zorg @ Oct 7th 2007 1:33PM]

I'd rather not bother to explain how MS can have a monopoly and 5 percent of the market can be using a non-Microsoft OS.

I'd rather you take a friggin econ class. If it's too much trouble, maybe read this:

http://www.linfo.org/monopoly.html

[michael @ Oct 7th 2007 1:41PM]

@zorg : What astroturfing?

I find Apple users do that more often than I can think of Microsoft users.

Apple can be consider a monopoly just like Microsoft : All Macs come with OS X by default.

Sure, you can buy an extra license of Windows, but you still have to have OS X too. And it just cost extra, and undermines the reason to really buy a Mac - for OS X.

I guess Microsoft is such a monopoly, there's no such things as OS X or Linux. Oh wait - there is.

[Reid Conti @ Oct 7th 2007 3:14PM]

Michael,

Look up the word monopoly in the dictionary. I don't think it means what you think it means.

My car came with a BMW engine. OMGWTFBBQ, BMW's got a monopoly because they won't sell you a car with someone else's engine!

Notice how no Apple news, no matter how big or small, goes unmentioned on tech sites? Apple just generates a lot of buzz, for better or worse. Independent studies (Consumer Reports, anyone?) continually put Apple product quality and service in the #1 spot in the industry. For 99% of users, the products *do* just work.

Only product I've ever needed serviced was my 5 year old iBook. I thought it was a logic board failure, so Apple had it picked up and returned to me in 2 days. They replaced the screen, for free, completely out of warranty. After 5 years of use, I sold that $1100 bare-bones laptop for $330 on ebay. Not bad.

So far my iPhone has survived a face-down 3ft drop without a scratch, and my Mac Pro is humming along nicely. More than I can say about any Windows system I've had the displeasure of using for any length of time, and the Linux boxes I've built myself over the years..

While we're at it, I love how the Windows apologists stick with their story of people only buying Apple products to be trendy.. Despite the fact that the average Mac user has way more experience with Windows than the average Windows user does with a Mac. And obviously all of us Sysadmins and other technical folk using Macs don't know anything about computers.

[michael @ Oct 7th 2007 4:25PM]

@Reid Contri:

I never said Apple was bad. I actually like Apple.

I was just merely contradicting zorg's definition of what a monopoly is, and how it's exasperating hearing these idiotic comparisons.

And maybe you ought to try some other quality manufacturer's than just the normal "Dell", "HP", or Gateway. You know, there are actually other PC makers who make quality computers - problem is that they're not widely known. My Sony Vaio has worked for me for 4 years already. It also runs Vista as clean as a whistle. My computer is definitely quality.

I'm also quite sure how computer users are aware that Macs exist - considering the product placement ads, that Apple plasters a lot in TV shows and movies. And the popularity of Apple store experience would definitely seem to say if people have tried Macs before.

[Darkest Daze @ Oct 8th 2007 1:59AM]

Maybe Apple would have a larger marketshare if they would open up their OS and let people with a non-Apple computer run their OS too. I built a much better desktop for less than a non-upgradeable iMac for much less money but I can't run their OS even if I wanted to. How again is that MS's fault that they don't lock you down to a MS computer to run their OS. Anyone and everyone can use their system, even Mac users.

You don't win OS marketshare by strangling your customers into using a system you think is best for me. You gain it by letting everyone who wants to use your software, use it on whatever system they please.

[Shaaheen @ Oct 8th 2007 6:09AM]

suv4x4, microsoft products are ugly, so most of pc computers!

[Davideo @ Oct 7th 2007 10:34AM]

Have been having problems with the screen this week also (freezing when trying to set up a second display). There is also something funky going on with the whole sleep thing, the book doesn't want to fall sleep when i close it and sometimes it has some trouble waking up also. Another funny thing; when the battery is drained to the point it goes into sleep mode by itself, it announces the sleep with a stutter in the audio. These problems (with exception of the sleep stutter) seem to happen more frequently since the last firmware update.

[todd @ Oct 7th 2007 10:34AM]

happened twice so far. Really annoying.

[Paul @ Oct 7th 2007 10:42AM]

lol i guess apple's slogan "it just works" has gone out the window for nearly all of their products. their ipod and mac line are both having bugs and errors. this is just funny, as the mighty Apple who always had perfect products and always bashed other companies for faulty hardware is now having a taste of their own medicine! and this is coming from a MBP user, btw.

[jere @ Oct 7th 2007 11:30AM]

Look, problems are nothing new with apple, nor with any other computer manufacturer. I have no idea why engadget is posting every little thing that goes wrong with recent apple products, but it's not like apple has always been perfect and suddenly they're not.

[Wonderkid @ Oct 7th 2007 10:52AM]

I have a rev A Macbook and despite the machine having been back to the shop countless times for repair, still freezes, crashes, fails to wake up or re-awakens from sleep without me touching it, meaning it's on all night or when in a bag, so the hard drive spins up risking damage while in transit PLUS the battery then goes flat because the fans kick in draining the battery very quickly. I am convinced that their is a major firmware flaw in ALL Apple's portable none iPod offerings and all these issues must be related.

[draterrojam @ Oct 7th 2007 10:58AM]

BREAKING NEWS: A control group at MIT has found that the macbook pro is not silver, but, wait for it....(tension building)....grey. That's right people, Apple has fooled you all once again.

Frigtards!

[iomatic @ Oct 8th 2007 11:19AM]

"hahah you Apple fanbois-- it's doesnt just work!! Like my Dell!! Oh wait, my Dell's profile disappeared, and the wireless driver just... stopped..."

idiots.

*Poor grammar to convey the Apple-haters.

[John @ Oct 7th 2007 10:58AM]

No locking up for me, but there is some random weirdness, like OSXPlanet locking up, the clock disappears and some windows move to odd, inaccessible positions when disconnecting the second monitor. Also, VMWare Fusion's Unity windows can't make the transition from one screen to the other. They can only stay on the screen where the original window was run, but that's probably a shortcoming of the Fusion program.

[Andrew Jaffe @ Oct 7th 2007 11:34AM]

Yes, it seems to happen to a bunch of us (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1058380&tstart=0), usually (always for me) when connecting with a VGA cable to a sleeping or on MBP. If you start up with the external monitor attached, it seems to work. Some users seem to find workarounds in individual cases, but there doesn't seem to a universal fix.

[BorgKing @ Oct 7th 2007 11:52AM]

My MBP sometimes fails to wake from sleep if I disconnect my second monitor. (Dell 2407, which is a great monitor BTW). I have to sleep it and wake it several times in a row to get it to recover.

Apple is getting a disproportionate amount of press as it has made the big decision to keep the iPhone a locked closed platform. Rightly or wrongly (ans: wrongly) they are getting scrutinized in minute detail for every issue arising.

If Apple had 20% or 30% of the computer market, how much press would they get then? Does Steve have the kahunas to drive Apple that far? Does he want to, or does SJ want them to appeal to a limited select clientele?

[David @ Oct 7th 2007 11:58AM]

Happened to me twice, once during a presentation, another time wasn't really monitor related, but when I woke it up by opening the screen. I think they are related though. The external mouse works on 2nd case, didn't have one in first.

[todd @ Oct 7th 2007 11:59AM]

Macbook pro 4GB 2.4 hooked to a Samsung -No problems here

[tomek! @ Oct 7th 2007 12:09PM]

The coolest part about all of this "apple just works, and dell and their support suck ass" crap is that my I'm on my second dell and have never had a single BSOD, they have never crapped out on me either! My power adapters have been known to fray at the ends (like the cable coming out of the rubber casing) which caused them not to work. This happened twice and each time i just picked up my phone, called them up, and got new stuff next buisiness day. Also one time after having fatally dropped my Inspiron 6000 down the stairs after having tripped over my cat, they replaced it with a brand new, C2D 1505 in about a week. Also, on my new 1505, I had a dead pixel (just one) and even though company norm is 6 or more dead pixels for a new LCD, I got one 2 days later after complaining to customer service. I've got nothing against apple except for their recent quality control issues. I actually wanted one but it was too expensive for me. I'd also kill for an iPhone.

All companies have their problems, and for apple recently its quality control...

[Khris @ Oct 7th 2007 12:17PM]

I love the way all Apple products "Just Work!"

Their new slogan should be "Apple products, Just (barely) Work!"

[Dan Parmelee @ Oct 7th 2007 12:38PM]

Mine didn't lock up when hooked into my LCD TV, but it certainly didn't behave correctly. It kept stuttering and freezing, then finally output the video correctly.

For the record, my old Dell Inspiron 600m never did that.

[AlexanderK @ Oct 7th 2007 7:47PM]

Mine did the same thing.
But I found a fix and it works now!!!
I connected my old Sony laptop to my tv and it's fine since then =)

[john @ Oct 7th 2007 12:49PM]

It just works.. Sometimes.. Maybe.. and if Steve gives you permission..

[Nick @ Oct 7th 2007 12:51PM]

I've had a new 17in MBP for about a couple of months. Gets hooked up to a 22in Dell monitor monday through friday, and I haven't experienced any freezing issues. I will say that waking up my laptop from sleep has not been as quick on my intel Macs. This is my second MBP (First one was a first rev. 15in).

[Steve Pell @ Oct 7th 2007 1:04PM]

I have never had a problem. Nor anyone I know.

[breathingdust @ Oct 7th 2007 1:05PM]

Yep, happens to me about 50% of the time when connecting to my HDTV. Annoying but a reboot sorts it out.

[CharlieX @ Oct 7th 2007 1:24PM]

I've NEVER had this problem. I attach a 23" Apple Cinema to my 2.4ghz MBP at least once a day for the last 2 months. Sometimes awake, sometimes sleeping, sometimes in the middle of exporting video. FWIW, I DIDN'T do that EFI update....

[Aaron @ Oct 7th 2007 2:03PM]

I have never had a problem with any of my Apple stuff. I work as a tech at a facility that uses all Macs (over 600 macs - various versions/models) and we very rarely see any problems with them. We also have about the same number of Gateway and Dell PC's, which do often require technical attention. With this issue - I have a MBP C2D that is updated to the newest firmware and has worked just fine in every instance that I have wanted it to work.

As "suv4x4" said "The irony of all this is, if Microsoft had monopoly, you wouldn't be using OSX on your Apple branded Intel PC." Sorry to say, but Microsoft does not own Intel! Intel is a company that produces equipment for computers. It is not SOLELY for PC's.

When people talk about the market share of Microsoft and Apple, it seems as if Microsoft has it all. But one must take into consideration that Apple is mostly a hardware company, and Microsoft is a software company. One cannot compare Microsoft and Apple. A person could compare PC building companies, such as Dell, to Apple, and the PC would still be on top. This can be contributed to the fact that people have always purchased PC's, and most software is written for PC-based computers only.

I do not see why there is such a debate over these things. It is also very interesting that anytime an Apple device has problems, the hard-core PC users have to step in and make a butt out of themselves saying bad things about Apple, Inc. Get over it already. Every electronic device has problems - NOTHING IS PERFECT. Apple computers, overall, have less flaws and errors than PC's. It is just a normality for PC users to just go on with life after every error. Apple users just feel like complaining. At my facility, we are actually preparing to get rid of all PC's and go with Boot Camp on all Apple's.

I am a Windows and Mac user, and I like both OS's. Both are good at what they do, and I am not biased about them. I just feel, out of a long experience, that Mac's, overall, are better. To reply to another early comment, maybe Steve does like me, but so does Bill. I just wish that die-hard PC users would leave us Apple users alone. We ARE the minority, and we will ALWAYS push for our OS. Minorities always fight.

[Jonathan Gordon @ Oct 7th 2007 2:07PM]

I've experienced this problem with my one-week-old MBP. Note that this problem shows up almost only with *projectors* not *monitors*. I don't know if this is because of the lower resolution of the output or some other difference, but I can plug my Macbook Pro into the Sony LCD on my desk (also via VGA with the provided dongle) without any freezes, but when I try to use a projector in front of a room of people, it will go dead and need a hard reboot.

[business @ Oct 7th 2007 2:23PM]

The freeze has been happening sporadically to my MBP 2.4Ghz on a number of projectors hooked up through the DVI/VGA cable. I have never seen this happening with monitors, however. Apple support has not acknowledged that this is a problem yet.

This is also being discussed in the Apple discussion forum at:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5518574

[Max @ Oct 7th 2007 2:27PM]

Pst, it's another Engadget post about Apple products. Send in the trolls--they know how to complain.


Or you all could just scroll down a few more lines to the next story. Your call I guess. Apple fan or not, I'm not going to roast the tech blog I read every day over something so trivial.