Running my Macbook with an external monitor

[benmadrid]

The help pages say that to run my Macbook with an external monitor and the lid closed I have to open the Macbook, boot up, put it to sleep, then connect the monitor cable, and wake it up again with the external keyboard.

Does this mean that every day I have to disconnect the monitor cable before turing it on then reconnect the cable once the thing is asleep and the lid closed? Can I just leave the monitor plugged in to the mac but turned off until the mac is closed? It seems a lot of hassle to unplug the monitor from the macbook every night and plug it in every morning once the thing is up and running... but it is new and I am following the instructions to the letter to avoid any potential harm... any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[phungy]

You can leave the adapter connected. I just turn on the wireless keyboard, hit the space bar and it wakes up the MB. No need to open/close the lid to wake it up

 

[benmadrid]

You can leave the adapter connected. I just turn on the wireless keyboard, hit the space bar and it wakes up the MB. No need to open/close the lid to wake it up

But that only works if it is in sleep mode right? Do you leave it on sleep mode all night every night? I prefer to turn mine off totally, which means opening it up to turn it on again. And apparently disconnect the cable to the monitor each time in between...

As the help file says:

To operate your portable computer with an external monitor attached and the display closed:
Connect a USB keyboard and mouse to your portable.
Connect the power adapter to the portable and a power outlet.
Close the portable display to put the computer to sleep.
Connect your portable to an external display.
Wait a few seconds and then press any key on the external keyboard to wake the portable.

Seems a lot of hassle every morning... Can't I just leave it connected ( I have tried that and it sees the other screen as an extension of the macbooks until i shut it then wake it up with the keyboard... I guess I am just a paranoid new macbook owner wanting to do everything right!)

 

[benmadrid]

To answer my own question, I just switch it on with the external monitor connected (it turns on in extended mode), then shut the macbook to put it to sleep, hit a key on the usb keyboard, and the monitor wakes up and I continue working in clamshell mode. Doesn't seem to do anything any harm!