Proper way to connect a macbook to an external monitor I have a macbook air and a 1440 IPS monitor that I usually connect to. However, I'm a bit concerned because sometimes the monitor screen becomes a bit distorted (ants on screen). It usually takes one or two on/off switches to get it working as expected. This only happens when I connect to the monitor for the first time.

I'm not sure what the actual problem is. It could be the macbook, the expensive thunderbolt to dvi adapter, or the monitor. Although I have been using this setup for over a year, I'm worried that it may be harmful in the long run. A bit paranoid, I know.

What I usually do is hook up my running macbook to the monitor. When I'm done, I disconnect it while it's running. Is there any harm in doing this? Or is there a proper way that will minimize damage (e.g., booting up the macbook while connected to the monitor)?
No, there shouldn't be any harm in doing that. Thunderbolt is hot-swap so you can insert and remove the cable at any time while the machine is running.

Going from Thunderbolt to DVI shouldn't require an expensive adapter. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 includ