15" core i7 displaylink woes

[sameerwahid]

Hi all,

Having a problem, hoping for some help. I have a Lenovo M01061 Displaylink adapter that I'm trying to use with my new core i7 MBP with 1680x1050 screen. I'm having the following problem, that happens with 1.5, 1.6b1, and 1.6b2:

When I use my laptop at work, with a DVI and a DL connected monitor, everything is fine and all three displays work. When I unplug my computer from the external monitors and use it without DVI or DL, the laptop screen is filled with "coloured snow" and the computer is unusable.

If I boot the laptop with no external display connected, I get coloured snow instead of the login page (I can see grey Apple startup screen just fine).

If I boot the laptop with an external display connected by DL, the laptop screen is solid blue (no snow) and the external screen stays in power save mode.

If I boot the laptop with an external display connected by DVI, both screens work fine.

Uninstalling the displaylink driver makes everything usable again, so my solution thus far has been to install the driver every AM and uninstall it when I go home.

None of my displays are rotated. One possible cause is that I migrated my hard drive (SSD) over from my old MBP (mid 2007) and then reinstalled Snow Leopard from the DVDs that came with the new MBP. Everything was working just find on the old MBP with respect to Displaylink.

Also, is there a way (key combo, etc) to prevent the DL drivers from loading at boot? It would be handy to have in case I forget to uninstall the drivers and am on the go!!

Thanks,
Sam

[mcjb]

I get the exact same thing as previous post.

Mike

[Carlo]

This is really bad.

Frist thing, we need the logs. Can either of you please try three flavours of boot configuration (DisplayLink only, DVI+ DisplayLink, no external) in succession and then collect the logs with http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=269

Can you also try to disable graphics auto switching? I'm not sure it could help but worth trying.

To boot disabling all third party drivers (including DisplayLink ones) you can hold shift at boot time.

[daxiang28]

Similar issues... everytime I reboot, I have to reinstall the drivers. What a major PITA.

Steve

[sameerwahid]

Hi Carlo,
Thanks for the quick reply! I did submit a ticket immediately after posting on the forum here. The only flavour that I can try and submit a ticket using is one with DVI+ being used, as the computer is unusable in the other two flavours with the the DL driver installed. If you mean you want me to collect logs w/o the driver installed, let me know and I will do so.

I'll also try disabling auto-switching and report back. Finally, thanks for the tip about the shift key - will come in very handy until there's a fix.

Also a BIG thank you to the others who posted here - I was worried I was the only one!

Sameer

This is really bad.

Frist thing, we need the logs. Can either of you please try three flavours of boot configuration (DisplayLink only, DVI+ DisplayLink, no external) in succession and then collect the logs with http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=269

Can you also try to disable graphics auto switching? I'm not sure it could help but worth trying.

To boot disabling all third party drivers (including DisplayLink ones) you can hold shift at boot time.

[sameerwahid]

Update:

Disabling automatic graphics switching worked for me.

Also, that shift key trick, while handy, sure does slow down the boot - took two minutes to "safe boot"!!

Looking forward to a new driver, but glad we've found a temporary fix :)

[cyberlot]

15" i5.. Also upgraded to an SSD.. Also having problem using laptop without display link connected.. Disabling graphic auto switch not working, booting into safe mode "shift" is the only choice I have right now.

Running 1.6.. Also mac is booting in 64bit mode

[wesbos]

I'm also having this problem.

MPB 15" core i7

when I unplug my display link adapters, my laptop screen comes to life. Its only when I was 2 hours away from my monitors that I rebooted my computer and found myself booting into a blue screen. Half the time full of snow, half the time just blue with a cursor.

I'm booted into safe mode now which is annoying. How can I turn off the drivers when I'm not using them? What is the fix for this?

[Carlo]

I'm booted into safe mode now which is annoying. How can I turn off the drivers when I'm not using them? What is the fix for this?

Graphics drivers can't be dynamically unloaded on OS X so the only way to turn them off is to uninstall or not loading them at startup (through safe mode).

[brownpants]

I just wanted to report that I'm experiencing the same strange behaviour. New 15" MBP with i7. Fresh install of Snow Leopard 10.6.3.

Even when the DisplayLink adapter is not connected, but my external monitor is connected via mini-displayport, my display will lock up (though I can see the mouse cursor and move it around) if I unplug the mini-display port.

When I boot my MBP with no external monitor (no mini displayport or displaylink) I see my desktop for a split-second and then I get a blue screen with horizontal bars, and again I can just see my cursor and move it around.

Uninstalling the DisplayLink beta drivers fixes the problem.

[legege]

Same problem here. I had to boot in single user mode to uninstall the DisplayLink drivers...

[deurich]

Same issue but...

Instead of having to reboot or uninstall drivers, a quick fix is simply take a mini-DVI adaptor and plug it into the dvi mini port. Voila - -your screen will work - -regardless of whether or not the DVI is connected to an external screen.

I simply plug mine in for a second and pull it out and my screen comes back to normal (no more blue or colored snow).

A work around until a new beta version is available
D.

[macbookproi5]

Same thing for me, on my macbook pro i5 10.6.3. I'll have to test out the workaround of plugging in the mini display adapter for now.

[SGD]

Same issue here with 10.6.3, a brand-new MBP i7 15", and the 1.5 driver. When plugged into multiple monitors, everything's great. But booting the MBP alone gives me the alternating blue lines.

So at this point, my laptop is useless unless attached to an external monitor. Which sorta defeats the whole "laptop" thing.

[deurich]

Disabling Automatic graphics switching fixed my problems as well.

[macbookproi5]

Disabling automatic graphics switching didn't work for me and also the other trick of connecting the mini display adapter to fix it also didn't work. I need to uninstall the driver when I leave work and re-install it each morning when I get back.

[me2]

Same problems here with a macbook pro i5.

I sincerely hope we'll see a good driver soon.

[donn]

I had the same problem with MBP i7 - 10.6.3
MBP freezed when automatic graphic switched, I had to reboot in save mode and uninstalled the driver.

it works when disable auto-graphic switching and keep the machine running with NVIDIA only.

Hope to get something which will work very soon. I need my third monitor.

[perlguy9]

I get this exact same behavior with the 1.6beta2 driver installed.

15" Core i7 MBP / high-res, brand new.

It seems like whenever the MBP tries to switch from the NVIDIA to Intel HD graphics processor, something with the DisplayLink driver is freaking it out.

This handy tool will tell you which adapter your MBP is currently trying to use:

http://codykrieger.com/gfxCardStatus/

It'll also tell you what apps are dependent on the NVIDIA GPU and causing it to be used (among them, an external display, which is why everything is fine when you run with an external monitor).

[wpns]

Yeah, me too as in the other thread.

Do you guys still need system information from various different states (installed or not, connected or not, external display, etc..)? If so respond here and I'll see what I can come up with.

[option4]

I am having similar problem on my new core i7 MPB. Only way to access the computer is by safe mode.

How can I unistall this driver?

[Carlo]

I am having similar problem on my new core i7 MPB. Only way to access the computer is by safe mode.

How can I unistall this driver?

In the Applications folder you should be able to see a DisplayLink folder with our uninstaller.

[doctorkrit]

I have Macbook Pro 15" i7 and had the same problem, which I figured out that it was because of the system's confusion about primary monitor. As this problem does not happen to my Mac Mini at all, I hypothesized that it is because the Macbook's own monitor was failed to be recognized.

In my case, I installed the DisplayLink (DL) driver when my Macbook Pro was connected to Apple Cinema Display 24" (ACD) in close-lid mode. The system then remembered the ACD as primary monitor and the USB monitor as secondary. When I disconnected my Macbook Pro from the ACD, the system therefore could not find that primary monitor anymore.

After many trials and errors, here are the long steps I did successfully:
- Shut down the Macbook. If you can't see anything on the screen, just press & hold the power button for 10 seconds
- Connect the Macbook to non-USB external monitor (VGA, DVI, Mini Displayport, etc.)
- Turn on your Macbook. You should be able to see both external and Macbook monitors.
- Go to System Preferences > Displays to make sure that your Macbook's screen is the primary monitor (with menu bar and dock) and the external one is secondary monitor
- Unplug the external monitor. The Macbook's screen should blink once and become the one and only monitor
- Uninstall the DL driver. The Macbook will then restart. You should be able to see your Macbook screen afterward
- Try connect with non-USB external monitor again to make sure that your Macbook's screen is still primary monitor. If not, go to System Preferences > Displays to make it primary.
- Install DL driver. The Macbook will then restart.
- Connect the USB monitor and make sure that your Macbook's screen is still primary monitor. If not, go to System Preferences > Displays to make it primary.
- Connect non-USB monitor. You will now have 3 monitors. Make sure that your Macbook's screen is still primary monitor. If not, go to System Preferences > Displays to make it primary.
- Disconnect both USB & non-USB monitors, your Macbook screen should be working fine.

[dlee96]

I can confirm the procedure by doctorkrit to work. As the previous poster mentions, the problems appears to be related to the attribution of primary display status. I do still experience problems when an external display is set as the primary and I unplug the displaylink adapter.
Further reinforcing the theory of problems being associated with the primary display status, users of the latest gen machines and Air Display (iPad as external display) are experiencing similar issues. Many problems are addressed with proper attribution of a primary display.

My hope is that Apple fixes this in a software update.

-David

[perlguy9]

Any word on an updated driver to support the new MacBook Pro's?

[aiyagari]

See the "failing to wake from sleep..." thread that has a thumbs-up on it.

I posted a tentative workaround that seems to have worked for the last 2 days -- crossing my fingers that it is a permanent solution.

[pablo]

I'm having the same issues with my 17" i7. This is a real problem, that has not only cost me a lot of time, but money as well. I could not figure out what was happening with my laptop, which had worked perfectly for the 2 months previous owned it. I had this adapter since day 1, which had worked perfectly as well. Then 2 weeks ago, it started to crash when it went to sleep and upon restart failed to display anything unless I had an external monitor plugged in. I took it to the apple store for the techs to look at it. They had thought it was a failed logic board and sent it out for repair. So I had to buy another computer to work off of while this was out for repair. Yeah, I can return it, but it is still costing me over $100 because of this driver. Plus all the time I wasted trying to figure this out and transfer all my data back and forth. When will a stable driver be available? You should pull your driver, because clearly it doesn't work and is causing way more harm then good. At the very least put up some of the problems associated with this release so users can recognize the issues and know how to address them.

[zoemacuser]

Any chance this will solve our worries:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/08/17/apple-releases-snow-leopard-graphics-update/

I'm installing now, but am hesitant to launch into reinstalling the DisplayLink drivers.

[dlee96]

Seems to be working with the graphics update. Tried a few different combinations with no snow yet.

1. Macbook pro alone
2. Macbook pro with displaylink plugged in while booting
3. Macbook pro with nothing and then plugging in displaylink adapter after boot.

Still need to try after getting home:
a. Clamshell mode + External display
b. Clamshell mode + External Display + displaylink adapter (connected before and after booting)

-dlee

Any chance this will solve our worries:

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/08/17/apple-releases-snow-leopard-graphics-update/

I'm installing now, but am hesitant to launch into reinstalling the DisplayLink drivers.

[wmperry]

MacBook Pro alone gets a blue screen with a mouse cursor, but never gets to the login screen. Plugging in an external monitor made no difference. Forced reboot after that led to the snowy screen.

Newest MBPro 15" i7 w/1680x1050 screen here.

-Bill

Seems to be working with the graphics update. Tried a few different combinations with no snow yet.

1. Macbook pro alone
2. Macbook pro with displaylink plugged in while booting
3. Macbook pro with nothing and then plugging in displaylink adapter after boot.

Still need to try after getting home:
a. Clamshell mode + External display
b. Clamshell mode + External Display + displaylink adapter (connected before and after booting)

-dlee

[dlee96]

Did some more testing and did get snow under some circumstances.

The following configuration is reproducible and results in snow on the display:
1. Clamshell mode + external display (primary). Then unplug the display, you'll get snow on the Macbook Pro.

Most configurations where an external display was set to the primary and then I disconnect, I would get snow and have to hard reboot. It would be nice if this was fixed.

-dlee


MacBook Pro alone gets a blue screen with a mouse cursor, but never gets to the login screen. Plugging in an external monitor made no difference. Forced reboot after that led to the snowy screen.

Newest MBPro 15" i7 w/1680x1050 screen here.

-Bill

[btg194]

I can verify what dlee96 has reported. I've disabled the Automated Graphics Setting but this is not how this product should function. Any updates?

[macbookproi5]

I saw the beta 3 driver was released about 2 weeks ago so I just tried it hoping that when I boot up with the driver installed and nothing connected to my macbook I wouldn't get the blue/hazy screen but I still do.

[AudiB8]

Same issues as all of you guys 15 core i7 - blue screen, lined screen, and stalled boot. Curious to see how this turns out because it was awesome to have dual externals while it lasted :mad:

[npinchot]

I saw the beta 3 driver was released about 2 weeks ago so I just tried it hoping that when I boot up with the driver installed and nothing connected to my macbook I wouldn't get the blue/hazy screen but I still do.


I have a very simliar (possibly the same) issue. I had troubles with the EVGA UV16+ recognizing the proper resolution the monitor supported, so I bought a Diamond BVU195.

Things work great when my Diamond BVU195 is connected and the beta 3 driver installed. However, if I have the DisplayLink beta 3 driver installed and boot up without the BVU195 connected, I get stuck on a blue screen. It is the same blue screen that appears momentarily when I first boot up with the BVU195 connected before the monitor plugged into it gets recognized by OS X.

It's really annoying to have to make sure I uninstall the driver before I leave the office (obviously I can boot in safe mode and remove the driver - but this is equally annoying). I really appreciate that the driver allows me to have 2 external monitors with a laptop, but this is quite annoying - please fix this issue ASAP!

[Carlo]

After quite some research I think I can say that there is not much we can safely do in our software.
The problem happens (not always) on the screens connected to the laptop's GPU when a software-only screen is used.
This is happening with all products that use a similar technical solution and I think the safest thing to do is to wait for Apple to fix this issue. They are aware.
Next thing I wanted to try is 10.6.5 but at the moment the problem disappeared from my i7 test machine... the usual developer curse.

[npinchot]

After quite some research I think I can say that there is not much we can safely do in our software.
The problem happens (not always) on the screens connected to the laptop's GPU when a software-only screen is used.
This is happening with all products that use a similar technical solution and I think the safest thing to do is to wait for Apple to fix this issue. They are aware.
Next thing I wanted to try is 10.6.5 but at the moment the problem disappeared from my i7 test machine... the usual developer curse.

Carlo, I can appreciate that the technical portion of the issue is not your issue, however, is there no fix you can implement? Even something as simple as a popup each time my laptop starts up asking if I want to start the driver would be better than the current situation (of having to uninstall and reinstall the driver on a daily basis). Or, perhaps hold down a certain key while the system is booting to make the driver load. Even an application I need to go into to start the driver.

There must be something you can implement that would be better than the current situation.

[zoemacuser]

Carlo, I can appreciate that the technical portion of the issue is not your issue, however, is there no fix you can implement? Even something as simple as a popup each time my laptop starts up asking if I want to start the driver would be better than the current situation (of having to uninstall and reinstall the driver on a daily basis). Or, perhaps hold down a certain key while the system is booting to make the driver load. Even an application I need to go into to start the driver.

There must be something you can implement that would be better than the current situation.

Or, perhaps, a System Preferences pane that allows one to switch the DisplayLink driver on and off, thus making it unnecessary for us to install and uninstall it.

[mastahype]

Some of you are suffering the same fate a few of us did with the sleep issue in terms of needing to restart the driver. The latest b3 driver has all but eliminated that issue for me (just minor, infrequent issues). You can use keyboard shortcuts via third-party apps or the active/hot corners with expose. The former can run custom commands (like scripts to restart the driver/server). The latter can put the display to sleep (which can also be done with the former).

I use BetterTouchTool with keyboard shortcuts to either sleep my display or run commands to stop/restart displaylink driver+server. I don't think a popup is good for doing this. I used sleepwatcher to automatically do that when the MBP slept and woke.

[maidelba]

I'm a sysadmin for a company and have a bunch of these displaylink adapters for our Mac's. On my machine and someone else's machine we've seen this same issue. If I boot up without the adapter connected, I can't login and only see a blurred screen with horizontal lines. I have a new Core i7 mac laptop.
This is really bad because now I can't even use the adapter because I have to uninstall the software each time. Please let me know when this has been fixed, it's a major issue for us!

Thanks!
Mitch
email: maidelba@gmail.com

[Bevan]

I tried to summarize the status, cause, workarounds and fixes for this issue over here (http://www.displaylink.org/forum/showthread.php?p=2075#post2075).

[Carlo]

Or, perhaps, a System Preferences pane that allows one to switch the DisplayLink driver on and off, thus making it unnecessary for us to install and uninstall it.

Unfortunately, I think I mentioned this before, graphics drivers cannot be dynamically unloaded on Mac OS X.
It's technically possible to uninstall the driver at every shut down/restart and then install and load it when needed. But then the only way to avoid the issue would be to reboot so I don't see a big benefit in exchange for all this fiddling.

[npinchot]

Unfortunately, I think I mentioned this before, graphics drivers cannot be dynamically unloaded on Mac OS X.
It's technically possible to uninstall the driver at every shut down/restart and then install and load it when needed. But then the only way to avoid the issue would be to reboot so I don't see a big benefit in exchange for all this fiddling.

Actually, even if the toggle switch in the System Preferences uninstalled/reinstalled the driver and then prompted for a reboot, there is still a benefit. It's all about user experience.

If there were a System Preferences app for DisplayLink, the steps would be roughly:
1. Open System Preferences
2. Open DisplayLink
3. Toggle on/off DisplayLink
4. Enter password and press enter
5. Restart

Currently, to install, the steps are:
1. Open folder where .dmg is saved
2. Double click DisplayLink installer .dmg to mount it
3. Double click DisplayLink Software Installer.pkg
4. Click Continue (This package will run a program to determine if the software can be installed.)
5. Click Continue (Welcome)
6. Click Continue (Software License Agreement)
7. Click Agree (Software License Agreement)
7. Click Install
8. Enter password and press enter
9. Click Continue installation (prompt to restart after installing)
10. Click Restart

So, instead of 10 painful steps, there would be 5 relatively easy steps.

Also, I would be able to remove the .dmg file from my Downloads folder.

[macbookproi5]

I just installed the latest OSX updates and now my display adapter works all the time, I can unplug it, plug it in, sleep my mac, anything and no more blank/snowy screen which I never could before (had to uninstall the displaylink driver).