mikeyknob

Q: Displays preferences don't stick for monitor arrangement after upgrading

I have three monitors on a MacPro...  one is a TV on the wall, two are late-model Apple displays on my desk.

 

I have never had a problem with the OS remembering the arrangement of these three monitors, but ever since upgrading to Mountain Lion, the two monitors on my desk are constantly getting switched up after each restart...  every time I restart my mac, I inevitably have to rearrange the desktop monitors to the correct position and move the menu-bar to the correct location.

 

This is exacerbated by the fact that the third monitor sometimes is/isn't switched on.  Before Mountain Lion, it didn't matter if the third monitor was on -- I could turn it on/off at any point with the mac turned on or off...  and my monitor positions were always preserved.  But now, I am constantly having to rearrange the monitors, sometimes with the third one on/off -- and reset the monitor arrangement from scratch, almost on a daily basis.

 

Any ideas out there why my arrangement prefs won't stick?

 

Thanks in advance.

Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Aug 13, 2012 10:13 AM

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Q: Displays preferences don't stick for monitor arrangement after upgrading

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  • by mende1,

    mende1 mende1 Aug 13, 2012 10:18 AM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 10 (93,324 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 13, 2012 10:18 AM in response to mikeyknob
  • by mikeyknob,

    mikeyknob mikeyknob Aug 14, 2012 10:16 AM in response to mende1
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 14, 2012 10:16 AM in response to mende1

    Thanks, Mende1...  I've been on these forums for years, but finally just registered.

     

    Unfortunately, zapping my PRAM and other resets didn't help...  I just restarted and not only were my monitors rearranged, by my third monitor lost it's Desktop Picture settings and I had to reconfigure everything all over again.

     

    None of this was an issue until I upgraded to Mountain Lion...  I've had this configuration for 2.5 years and the Monitor arrangement/prefs has always been flawless...  until now.

     

    Any specific input on the issue would be much appreciated.

  • by RVHernandez,

    RVHernandez RVHernandez Aug 21, 2012 10:05 AM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 21, 2012 10:05 AM in response to mikeyknob

    So, I may have solved it. I ran Disk Utility to repair permissions thinking that the system wasn't able to properly save the preferences. After it repaired permissions (which it really didn't show that it repaired any) it seems to remember the Display Arrangement now...

  • by mikeyknob,

    mikeyknob mikeyknob Aug 23, 2012 10:49 AM in response to RVHernandez
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 23, 2012 10:49 AM in response to RVHernandez

    that didn't work for me...  any other ideas?

  • by RVHernandez,

    RVHernandez RVHernandez Aug 27, 2012 3:03 PM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Aug 27, 2012 3:03 PM in response to mikeyknob

    Yeah, maybe it was just that it worked on a few restarts. It's back to being random...

  • by RVHernandez,

    RVHernandez RVHernandez Sep 5, 2012 9:07 AM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Sep 5, 2012 9:07 AM in response to mikeyknob

    Here's another idea... I zapped my PRAM and it seems to have worked the last few days.

  • by JCrebbin,

    JCrebbin JCrebbin Jan 3, 2013 7:10 PM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 2 (220 points)
    Jan 3, 2013 7:10 PM in response to mikeyknob

    Here is a reply I posted about Dual Monitor problems on another thread, whereby Mountain Lion forgets the arrangment of the monitors, I wonder if a similar approach may work with your particular case?

     

     

    Possible Solution.... needs testing, but initial trial has been successful. Does this work for anyone else?

     

    There are two .plist files I have identified which record the screen arrangement:

     

    1. /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist     (top level library, not user library)
    2. ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.windowserver.FE******-****-****-****-**********2E.plist

        (user library, where *** are unique code) I think the first drives the system arrangment (e.g., login window at startup etc), and the second is a user's own setup.

    1. I modified the screen and menu arrangement through System Preferences, which modified file (1).
    2. Using a text editor I copied and pasted everything into a new blank document and saved as com.apple.windowserver.plist
      • then duplicated the file and named it as per file (2). *even though there were some minor differences.
    3. I backed up and deleted the windowserver plists from both the system and user preference (ByHost) folders, including the lockfiles.
    4. Moved my new documents into their respective folders and rebooted... windows appeared where they were supposed to. (I should mention that I moved the screen and menu arrangement back to the 'wrong' way first, which showed me that the files had indeed altered the arrangement).

     

    The question is - will this now hold?

     

    Perhaps locking the file / changing the permissions to prevent the system updating it might help IF the problem reoccurs?

  • by RVHernandez,

    RVHernandez RVHernandez Jan 31, 2013 8:09 AM in response to JCrebbin
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 31, 2013 8:09 AM in response to JCrebbin

    Unfortunately, the solution above (rewritting the pref files) did not work for me . Here's hoping 10.8.3 has a fix.

  • by a379266,

    a379266 a379266 Mar 8, 2013 9:37 PM in response to RVHernandez
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 8, 2013 9:37 PM in response to RVHernandez

    did we get solution for this issue, even im facing this issue from past few weeks but not getting the answer to my surprise apple support guys are not aware of this issue

  • by musashi1583,

    musashi1583 musashi1583 Mar 11, 2013 6:41 PM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2013 6:41 PM in response to mikeyknob

    Same problem here. I have a mini 2012 with 2 HDMI connected, one directly one via thunderbolt daisychain to a Drobo. Both HDMI go to a Denon AVR. Almost everytime i tun on the AVR, the settings get mixed up. Either the resolution goes away, from "Scaled" to "Best for display", the main and the secondary displays get swaped, sometime the "mirroring" is turned on.....  I hope apple will release some sort of fix soon.... This is VERY annoying.   Ya, the days when it "just worked" are long gone.... sad.....

  • by RVHernandez,

    RVHernandez RVHernandez Mar 14, 2013 2:39 PM in response to RVHernandez
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mar 14, 2013 2:39 PM in response to RVHernandez

    10.8.3 came out today and no fix. I still have this problem...

  • by musashi1583,

    musashi1583 musashi1583 Mar 17, 2013 12:39 AM in response to musashi1583
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 17, 2013 12:39 AM in response to musashi1583

    my new workaround: purchase SwitchResX (USD17), create a "set" with my settings (resolution, position, main screen, color profile....) then at regular intervals (launchctl) chech and if it's messed up, run

     

              /usr/bin/osascript -e 'tell application "SwitchResX Daemon" to use display set "Main Set"';


     

    so far so good....

  • by mferrier,

    mferrier mferrier Jun 19, 2013 7:30 AM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 19, 2013 7:30 AM in response to mikeyknob

    I had this problem and fixed it when I realized that it matters into which thunderbolt port you plug in your external monitor. I bring my laptop around from home to work with different external displays at each location, and if I switch which port I plug a display into, OSX tends to forget the settings I had the last time I plugged it in, but if I always plug it into the same thunderbolt port this problem goes away.

     

    Hope that helps someone.

  • by garyleif,

    garyleif garyleif Dec 14, 2013 11:40 AM in response to mikeyknob
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 14, 2013 11:40 AM in response to mikeyknob

    I reported this problem to the Mac team when we first upgraded to OS 10.8 and they said they would report it up the chain.  That is over 6 months ago and still no solution.  However, tech support did find a little program called DIM 2.0.2 by G.J. Parker.

     

    You have to remember to "Save Screen Positions" occassionaly or before you reboot.  Most of the time I forget and I only have to move 5 folders/files.  But I have 130 on my desktop most of the time, so this has been a real good fix for now. I hope that the Mac Support will fix this though. It is a real pain.

     

    I have 3 monitors plugged into 2 video cards. Hopefully they will fix it..

     

    Gary

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