Vista, BootCamp, MacBook Pro, External Monitor, problems

[tdgrn]

Pretty much, like the title says, I can not get my external monitor to hook up with my new MacBook Pro. I know how to get the windows desktop over onto the external monitor, but windows just recognizes the monitor for a moment, and then nothing. This cycles until I turn off the external monitor. I have the new MacBook Pro, with MiniDisplay port, and the monitor is hooked up with a DVI, and it is a 22" Acer.

Any ideas? I really want to use the external monitor just like one would on a normal Windows Laptop.

 

[kngelv]

Put your Leopard install disc in your drive while in windows. When prompted select run setup.exe. Boot Camp installer will launch just accept agreement then install the Apple software update for windows. Once finished eject your Leopard disc and restart the computer. I just did this for my Windows 7 beta yesterday and now my external monitor ( Apple 24in LED ) works with Windows.

James

 

[tdgrn]

I already have the drivers for windows installed. I actually downloaded the Nvidia driver's straight from their website for the added performance and still no dice. Any other ideas?

 

[cuestakid]

While the ones on Nvidia's site may work, I would try the ones on the disc- I know that the ones at the Nvidia site are newer and may increase performance, but in my experience(and in a few other people's) the one's on the dvd are really the only ones that work well.

 

[kngelv]

Did you try loading the Leopard disc while your external monitor was attached. This did the trick for me.

James

 

[tdgrn]

I have tried both the drivers that come on the disc, as well as the ones that come straight from Nvidia. And the monitor was hooked up both times... I'm really at a loss for this as I think I have tried just about everything.

 

[cuestakid]

the only thing i can think of is that the adapter you are using to go from miniDisplay Port to DVI is defective. Is there any way to test it on another machine? If you can, that may allow us to establish whether or not it is your system or the adapter.

 

[tdgrn]

I know the adapter works, as it works under OS X like a champ. I am only having problems under Windows, both XP and Vista, as I have had both for BootCamp.

 

[cbdevor]

I just had the exact same issue and fixed it!!

I've got a 2 week old 15" macbook pro hooked up to a 24 inch LED monitor. When I just booted up in vista, the big screen wouldn't be recognized by windows (same situation as above). So I tried the install disk thing, but as mentioned about, that's needed only for the fist time and it didn't do it. I tried the reboot, also no luck.

Then.... now here's the best part..... wait for it.... I took the identical 24" Apple LED monitor sitting right next to it and unplugged that one from its 6 month old 13" macbook pro (well, at the time of purchase it was called just a macbook, but then they renamed the shiny 13" ones to macbook pros... and yes. it is an awesome setup). Anyway, connecting the identical 24" LED monitor #2 to the 15" macbook pro in vista worked just fine. Thus revealing it was the 1 week old 24 inch LED monitor which was the problem.

The solution: just unplug the monitor and plug it back in. (Or you could push the power button on and off! haha! In my next post, I'll tell you how to use the Apple 24 inch LED monitor contrast buttons and also how to connect it to something that doesn't rhyme with "ackook ro").
-chris