# Hot Plug DVI?



## ex2bot (Apr 6, 2007)

Hi, I got a new MacBook Pro. Here's a question: What do I have to do to pull out the DVI - to VGA adaptor? Do I have to sleep the machine? Shut it down?

I have it hooked up to a projector, and the machine thinks the projector is always on. So, I either have to settle for a 1280x800 resolution on the MacBook Pro display or use dual screens and keep losing my mouse on the screen that's not visible (the projector display). Does that make sense?

Doug


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## sinclair_tm (Apr 6, 2007)

as with all computers, when its started, it polls all the video ports to see if there is any monitor attached.  and that is the only time it does.  so if you start the camputer with it attached, it will always think that there is one there, even after you unplug it, until you shut it down.  and if you turn it on without a monitor plugged in, then it will turn the port off, and it will stay off until you turn the computer back on.  i have yet to use a computer that hasn't worked this way.


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## DeltaMac (Apr 6, 2007)

That is not quite reality. If I plug in an external DVI display to my MacBookPro, it flashes briefly, then activates the external display, reconfiguring the Displays pref pane on the fly. I can move the mouse across both displays. I unplug the display, and the system resets to the former internal display, and mouse is controlled inside that screen space. Takes about 30 seconds to complete each connect or disconnect. I didn't feel comfortable with doing this at first, but seems to do no harm. The process is not perfect, and the displays occasionally get confused when coming out of sleep.
I use a DVI display - a projector or a TV may function differently in the auto-sense circuitry.


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## fryke (Apr 6, 2007)

I'm using a projector with a MiniDVI-VGA adaptor on my MacBook, and it behaves just like that. Simply plug it in and rip it out. Doesn't feel like the most _gentle_ thing to do, but OS X obviously "gets it right".


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## ex2bot (Apr 7, 2007)

Right, but will it damage the machine if I unplug the DVI plug? I use an iBook at work with a projector, and I disconnect the mini-VGA cable all the time. It hasn't ever caused a problem. 

With my MacBook Pro, I'm just not sure if I can pull out the DVI plug _while the machine is on_. It's not mini-DVI, it's regular, big DVI.

Thanks 

Doug


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## fryke (Apr 7, 2007)

Why should it matter whether it's mini-DVI or "regular, big" DVI? It's still DVI. (Btw.: I also did this with a "regular, big" DVI on a PowerBook when I still had one.)


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## ex2bot (Apr 7, 2007)

Good point. Thanks, Fryke.

Doug


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## arri (Apr 10, 2007)

hot-plugging has always worked great for me, but i think apple has come back from supporting this nice example of PnP, because lately a friend of mine was told by an apple-employee that toasted video-cards are not covered under warrenty if you were hot-plugging you monitor...

and i'm not really surprised, because i've killed 3 videocards myself...
especially the titaniums were weak at that point..


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## ex2bot (Apr 10, 2007)

arri,

Maybe I'd better just shut the thing down before I plug it in. I've plugged in and unplugged the mini-VGA on my iBook dozens of times without problems. But I don't want any nasty surprises.

Doug


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## fryke (Apr 10, 2007)

I think putting it to sleep for pluggin in/out is more than enough. That was okay even with Mac OS X 10.0 or 10.1 IIRC, where hot-plugging didn't work yet.


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