Thunderbolt Display Not waking up

tony1965

Registered
Apologies if this is posted elsewhere but I couldn't find it. I'm running a macbook pro early 2011. Got myself a lovely new display recently but once laptop is sleep, on waking the display won't turn on. I need to unplug the thunderbolt cable and replug it to get it to wake up.
Any ideas what I should do ?

Thanks
 
Have you tried updating to 10.8.3?

Are you using the magsafe connector from the display to power the MacBook Pro? That seems to be the recommended connection.
 
Thanks for the 2 responses so far. Yes I am running 10.8.3, and yes I am using the magsafe adaptor to power the laptop. Same problem still occurring though.
 
Are you using the MacBook Pro in clamshell mode (external display, with external keyboard/mouse, and MBPro lid closed)?
Or, using the big display as a second display with an extended desktop (and continuing to use the internal display normally)

Have you tried both an NVRAM and an SMC reset?

How do you normally try to wake up your MBPro?
Does sleep happen automatically? Or, do you put to sleep manually?
 
Using in clamshell mode. Bluetooth keyboard (apple) plus trackpad (also apple)
What is SMC reset ?
Normally wake by pressing space bar on keyboard. Laptop wakes up (checked by opening the lid) but TBD stays blank.
 
I guess it should be worth trying a wired USB keyboard - to see if that changes anything.
Plug that keyboard directly into one of the USB ports on the display.
You COULD also try a USB mouse, same port on the display, but clicking a mouse button is not necessarily a good test.
 
OK, as luck would have it I have an apple wired keyboard. Plugged it into back of TBD and..... same result. Nothing. Any other ideas ?
 
I searched around for this issue, and there's a good number of reports about thunderbolt displays that don't wake up. For some, it doesn't happen every time, and others have fixed the issue by reinstalling Mountain Lion. I don't know if that will help, but it's a good enough chance to try reinstalling ML as a possible fix.

But first - is there any difference with the display, if you let the Mac sleep automatically, instead of putting it to sleep manually?
 
no difference between the sleep modes, both have the same negative effect.
I'll need a quick lesson to reinstall mountain lion. Will I lose any data off my disk ? Do I need to carbon copy or super duper. or is there a "quick"way that will let me reinstall just mouton lion whilst keeping everything else in place ?
Thanks
 
"just a reinstall" of Mountain Lion keeps everything else in place.

All you need to do is restart to your Recovery System:
Restart, holding Command-R, until you see the grey apple with the spinning gear. Your Mac will boot to the recovery partition, with just a menu, with a few utilities. You can then reinstall Mountain Lion through your internet connection.
Here's more info about that: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

You CAN choose to erase the hard drive first - but a simple reinstall does not do that, and just reinstalls Mountain Lion as a fresh system, keeping all your own files, apps and settings intact.

It's ALWAYS a good plan to be sure you have a good backup, such as Time Machine, or Carbon Copy Cloner, etc. before you reinstall.
Even though the reinstall process is usually pretty solid - occasionally, things do go wrong - and there's no harm in knowing you have a backup, even if it's never needed.
Also, be sure to run your software update after the reinstall, as the system can be downgraded, missing the latest security updates, for example.
 
It's good to see that I'm not alone.

I add few details from my experience:

- I have the lastest ML running on a MBP 15 retina.

- The issue occurs when I leave the computer in stop for 2hours or more. Unplugging and plugging doesn't help and I need to wait many hours with the monitor unplugged to have it working again.

- I tried resetting Pram, without any results.
 
...
- The issue occurs when I leave the computer in stop for 2hours or more. Unplugging and plugging doesn't help and I need to wait many hours with the monitor unplugged to have it working again.
...
You said that you tried a PRAM reset... Did you also try an SMC reset?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

If the SMC reset also doesn't help - that's a much worse experience than tony1965, and sounds like a display that is almost unusable...
What was Apple's response when you asked for help?
 
You said that you tried a PRAM reset... Did you also try an SMC reset?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

If the SMC reset also doesn't help - that's a much worse experience than tony1965, and sounds like a display that is almost unusable...
What was Apple's response when you asked for help?

I tried right now and nothing happened. Still not working when I connect it.
I'll call my nearest Apple Store tomorrow morning and I'll keep you updated.
I'm pretty sure tomorrow morning the monitor will work normally.
Thank you
 
Turns out I was suffering of a rare problem affecting the SMC of my macbook.
I installed the version 10.8.3 and now I'll see if the problem is fixed.
The display is working OK since 2days. Thanks for your help ^_^
 
So, I've reset the PRAM, the SMC, reinstalled Mountain Lion, done the software updates, tried in the various sleep modes, manually putting to sleep, and allowing auto sleep, but still no joy.
What else can I try ?
 
Don't choose to sleep!
Set your system so the display does not go to sleep on its own.
If that doesn't help, change your sleep settings so your Mac does not sleep at all.

Have you talked to AppleCare (1-800-MY-APPLE)?
Even if your Mac is not in warranty, you should be able to get support to answer questions about your new Apple display.
Apple may require you to pay for a support call, but I don't know for sure on that.
If you don't get any different answers, ask for an escalation to engineering. (helps for some kinds of issues.)
 
Back
Top