Mac Pro no longer lights my 23" Cinema Display monitor upon startup.

Nayeli,,
If you are running Leopard (10.5.x) you can screen share to any computer that has that enabled on your network. It has been a lifesaver with this damn monitor issue!

Under Sharing System Preferences enable Screen Sharing on the computer you want to connect to and then on your laptop (has to be running Leopard as well) find the computer in your Shared listing (the left panel on any Finder window) and choose the "Share Screen" option. You will have to login on the destination computer, but you should already know that info...

You can even copy and paste back and forth between the shared computers. Super helpful!

Good luck. Sorry to hear your issue seems to be getting worse. That would lead me to believe it is a hardware issue rather than a software issue. I have resorted to not turning of my workstation (of course I have been strapped to it trying to get the next issue of the magazine out...).

Post here if you discover anything!

Thanks,
Dave

Ah, I don't have Leopard on the laptop, doh! But it's good to know that's possible with Leopard.

I'm doing the leaving the computer on permanently thing too, got some deadlines as well and am freaking out trying to figure out when and how I can do without the Mac Pro! I'm already feeling the separation anxiety.... I'll let you know what the problem turns out to be, if it's the video card or what, as soon as I know. At least I'm still under warranty! I think I'm going to be purchasing the Apple Care, too. I've been using Macs pretty much since they first came out, and never used to have any problems and scoffed at buying the extra warranty time, but they've become much more complex machines with more failings.

What video cards do you peeps have? If you're on of the lucky folks who paid extra for an ATI x1900 xt, as I did, I'll bet dollar to donuts that's your problem.

Mine just crapped out exactly the same way...took the card to the Apple store, they tested it and it was dead. This happened the first day after upgrading to Adobe Creative Suite CS4. My guess is that Photoshop overtaxed the card and blew its brains out. At first I could get the monitor to come on if I shut down the computer for a while, or sometimes it would just work on its own coming out of sleep. Eventually however...just plain dead.

Doing a little research (including reading the many, many reviews of disgruntled customers in the Apple Store talking about how this craptastic card either never worked properly, or just up and crapped out one day), I found that this card is simply a defective product. Runs too hot for starters...with people running utilities to increase the fan activity, and suggestions from tech support like turning off/down options to lighten the load from graphics intensive apps. Too late for me, however. And why exactly would you pay extra for a big boy graphics card and then dampen the graphics capability of your system?

Warranty was only 90 days on the card, so I'm out of luck. As for Apple Care, my understanding is that it wouldn't be covered anyway, since it's not an Apple product.

Hmmm... Yep. ATI x1900. My issues certainly could have corresponded with the new CS4 suite... very interesting!

I certainly chose the ATI x1900 because NVIDIA was having issues at the time and I wanted a powerhouse card that would keep the dogs of obsolescence at bay for a little while.

I had some serious video card issues a while back that eventually resolved themselves with a complete reinstall... 2 strikes and your out!

I will definitely explore this new development in more detail...

Dave

My guess is that a reinstall won't help. I stripped CS4 completely and it didn't help. And like I said...took it to the Apple store and the guy came back from the back holding the sad card carefully in his hands, shaking his head and shooting me a look like he'd just unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate my dead puppy.

Hmm... well I just have the card that was the default: ATI Radeon HD 2600. Have yet to find out if this is the issue, as I have not been able to part with my computer yet to take it in. Although it's giving me more and more trouble. It does seem like if the computer is off for a while, like overnight, there's a better chance of it coming on. Maybe it's overheating, soon to be dead?

Apple doesn't make their own video cards, and this one came with the computer, so Apple Care BETTER cover it!!

Small update...I contacted AMD (who either merged with or always was the same as ATI and is in the process of shedding the name...at any rate, AMD is ATI) and explained I had a busted card, and that looking around it's clear that the card has some "reliability issues." Support replied with, "It is an Apple part not an AMD part. The card uses our chipset only."



I sent them this image. "Chipset only" my ass...

At any rate, that seems to be a dead end.

For anyone who is within the Apple warranty period, from what I've seen there has been no problem having them replaced even though it's not an Apple product (this is different from what the "genius" told me at the store). I've also read of people successfully lobbying Apple to replace the card outside the warranty period.

My main problem now is finding a replacement. On the Apple store, the only cards offered for my "early Mac Pro" are the same cards that were available 2 years ago when I bought it. I believe that is 200 billion in computer technology years, so I'm hesitant to drop cash on one of those. Also, they do offer exactly the card I'd *really* like, which is an updated ATI that has one DVI and one mini DisplayPort interface, presumably aimed at folks who have a DVI cinema display and want to also run a newer display at the same time - which is exactly what I'd like to do - however...that card only runs on newer Mac Pro models. Something to be aware of...just because it's PCI express and has Mac style interfaces and is marketed for the Mac Pro does *not* mean it will run on YOUR Mac Pro.

This is really frustrating...Apple? Are you listening? Come on...really?

This is pure sour grapes, but it's absolutely factual with no editorializing or exaggeration.

Here are the ratings and subject lines from 36 of the most recent 50 reviews of the ATI Radeon x1900 XT on the Apple Store:

"* STAY AWAY"
"* Add mine to the list of crapped out x1900 XTs..."
"* worst card ever"
"* disappointed this card is even sold"
"* not great"
"* get rid of it"
"* outdated card a year ago"
"* run away from this card"
"* a disgrace that Apple even sells this"
"* terrible"
"* do not buy this card"
"* great - while it lasted!"
"* what a disaster!"
"* This card shouldn't even be in the Apple store"
"* x1900 crash & burn"
"** horrible card for mac pros"
"* don't get this card"
"* AVOID the Radeon x1900 XT at ALL COSTS!"
"* I would avoid this product"
"* I agree this card is trouble"
"* No No No"
"* ATI Radeon is a bad design"
"* Get anything but this card"
"* Beware!!! Heat is a major issue!"
"* RUNS TOO HOT, YET THEY SELL IT! DON'T BUY."
"* Good Start, poor finish."
"** Well maintained, yet dying..."
"* Overheats and locks up. Great for batting practice"
"* Unreliable over time"
"* DO NOT BUY THIS CARD"
"* very disappointed in the end"
"* card slowly dying"
"* horrible card"
"* some bad ones got out the door"
"* do not buy this card under any circumstances"
"* overheating problems"

36 of the 50 most recent reviews are explicit warnings to avoid this card. That's 72%.

34 of the 50 most recent reviews assigned a rating of 1 star. That's 68%

- - -

It seems like perhaps a class of customers should consider some type of action or something.

I think I've made some progress - while I wasn't able to get the firmware restore CD to work, I did restart the system with the "Option - Command - P - R" keys pressed down. This resets the NVRAM on the system and at least allowed me to get a display. I was then able to boot my system and will proceed to re-install the OS.

i'm having similar issues now too. I have an nvidia 8800gt and at start up the monitor/card just hang and i get no video. The fan on the card also doesn't stop spinning like it used to. Just stays on and sounds like a vaccum. Tried unplugging and replugging everything, even took out the card and put it back in but no luck. I believe the mac pro is actually running fine, but i'm just not getting any video on my monitors. I don't know where to go from here other than buy a new card and see if it fixes it.

So, I finally took my Mac Pro in, and they replaced the video card (with the same model--ATI Radeon HD 2600) and that seems to have fixed the problem. I've only had it back for a week but so far so good. Luckily I was still covered under warranty. And I've purchased Apple Care just in case the replaced video card gives me trouble again.

My continuing saga with a monitor I can't look at because it doesn't turn on has a crappy workaround, but one that works. I have found that if I put the computer to sleep and then wake it again, the monitor works. So I have Jaadu VNC on my iPhone that I can control my Mac Pro with and select File > Sleep to put the computer to sleep. Once it is asleep, I wake it my moving the mouse and the monitor lights up. Cludgy? Yes! Effective? Yes.

Since I live several hundred miles from the nearest Apple Store, this solution is going to have to work for me for a while.

Dave

I am totally baffled. My macpro was a gift with a 23 inch HD display -a few years ago- that now comes to life black...now how great is that? Dave, that sounds like much work. I can't even begin to understand how to fix this issue...particularly on limited funds...

Hi Dave,

I have the same problem as you, with the same symtoms as Nayeli. It also started were I could unplug everything off and on and it would work, but today I must have done it about 30 times with no luck. But I do not have the ATI 19xx I have the default ATI Radeon HD 2600. We'll se what happens...

Good luck,

Ernie

Hi Ernie,

My card was also the default ATI Radeon HD 2600. They replaced it and I have not had any problems since.

Luckily I was still under warranty... I hope you have the same luck!

Nayeli

Just wanted to add in my 2¢. I too am having the same issue with my X1900 XT. It just started a week ago but exhibits the problem every day that I boot up from a complete shutdown. It does seem to "hang in there" if I only put the MacPro to sleep. Also, I have a Mitsubishi flat-screen LCD that I use as a 2nd monitor (to show clients their HD videos, etc) and I can confirm that when 1 is black, both are black. I have gotten it to come on at times without shutting down the computer. I've just unplugged and replugged the cables going from the video card to the monitor(s) and it finally came on. Also, once as I was doing this, I heard the hard drive start making noise as if it realized I was doing that and started "doing something"; or almost as if having the monitor plugged in was "holding it back" from doing something?? Not sure if that makes sense or not. I am still under Apple Care but I'm about a 2 hour drive from the nearest Apple Store so not sure I'll go that route just yet.

We had the same problem with a Samsung 2443BWX monitor. At first, it worked fine, but after a while, the monitor wouldn't turn on when the computer was woken from sleeping. I had to log into it via SSH from another machine on our home network to shut it down.

Then it started happening every time we turned on the computer, but it would work if we turned off the surge protector to cut off all power to the computer, waited a few minutes, and then turned it back on.

Several months later, the monitor would never turn on and its LED light would just blink, period.

I found this web page along with a few others, and changed the Radeon graphics card to a GeForce GT 120, and it's been working fine for the past month or so.

My warranty had expired and I needed the card urgently, so I first called an Apple store in the Chicago suburbs but they told me they don't carry parts. I then called the Apple store on Michigan Ave in Chicago, and they said they have it. When I walked in, though, the sales guy told me they don't carry parts, so I told him that I had checked over the phone. He was kinda surprised, and found that they actually did have the part.

Hope this helps any other frustrated Mac user out there.

So, I'm guessing the latest update ****** up the system ...I have a 30" Cinema Display hooked up to a 27" iMac. Haven't had a single issue until today.

The difference? I powered down the computer this morning. Booted up fifteen minutes ago to a black screen. The 30" display was being read by the iMac, no power to the screen. Pitch black. I unplugged all peripherals as suggested in this thread and the plugged back in the 30" via the dual link DVI. Success. The monitor powered up.

I noted that the USB ports were dead. Nothing. Then realized I had forgotten to plug in the USB jack on the DVI cord. And, as soon as I plugged in the USB ... the 30" went black. The USB jack is killing the display. Unplug the USB and the 30" screens lights up ... plug in the USB and whoops, there it goes again.

Is this even updatable? Is there such a thing as a firmware update for cinema displays?

I don't know what to do. Tried all the keys that have been suggested such as Command Option P R and many others from different threads i have read about this, but still nothing worked. My monitor remains black, even though if i press the volume up and down i can hear it making the clicking sounds indicating that the computer is on and working.... I've tried restarting at least 30 times just tonight... I'm afraid if i try holding the power button down till it turns off anymore, I might create even more problems with the computer... What do I do!!?!?!

Hey Dave,

Thanks for a speedy reply. I have both a MacBook and an iPhone... Problem though is how can I get the jaadu software installed on my computer to be controlled from phone if I can't see the monitor!!?!

Oh cool.. Ok well yeah I've got leopard on both.. Not snow though. I have tried different monitors and found that it's definitly the MacPro itelf.
On my MacBook I can see in system preferences, the option for screen sharing, i've enabled it.. But I'm pretty sure it needs to be enabled on the MacPro as well... How can I do this?

I experimented and tried a few things such as holding the Command/apple and spacebar together and type in 'system preferences' and then click 'enter'. I then would simply press the 's' key to highlight the screen sharing option and that's as far as I can get. I was hoping I could press 'enter' to enable it but it doesn't work.

For every previous Mac I've owned, display death after a few years was nearly always a sure sign that the small internal battery needed replacing. That was the cure. Why the two things were linked I never knew. Has anyone checked this out?