Dual Monitor Problem Since Catalina (Mac Mini 2018)

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Level 1

21 points

Dual Monitor Problem Since Catalina (Mac Mini 2018)

I used to be happy. Mojave worked, although not perfectly, but good enough for me. When I "updated" to Catalina, everything changed. My screen saver and energy saver both freeze my monitors when they activate. I've gone back and forth and now just leave them off altogether, which is not good for my monitors. And in order to get them to display correctly, I have to do a Option/Command/P/R reboot should I have to shut my computer down for any reason.

The second update to Catalina not only didn't fix my monitor issue, it made them unable to play Netflix, Amazon Prime, or (new) Disney +. And yes, I watched them regularly on my second monitor while working with Mojave. Now all of a sudden my new (early this year) BenQ EW277 HDR displays suddenly don't work.

Posted on Nov 13, 2019 7:22 PM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

91,894 points

Dec 28, 2019 6:43 PM in response to Vegasrenie

Try using the Logitech USB unified receiver that came with your wireless Logitech devices. If you are, try moving it to a different USB port or onto a short USB extension cable away from your USB 3.0 external drives and cables.

On that note: External USB drives especially USB 3.0 ones, are know to cause both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interference.

see > Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference - Apple Support

So considering that, try moving your USB devices and/or use better shielded USB 3.0 cables. Also try moving them away from and/or opposite direction from your Apple TV.

Also please explain your dual monitor setup in more detail. (ie. Mac Mini ports used, adapters, cables, etc...)

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 10

91,894 points

Nov 13, 2019 8:02 PM in response to Vegasrenie

What are the spec’s of the Mac Mini?

What monitors and how are they connected to the Mac Mini?

To help from being subjected to more questioning and guessing about what the problem could be. Please run EtreCheck Pro on your Mac Mini and post back with the Report. see > https://etrecheck.com/faq

FWIW I have two different year model Mac Mini’s running dual monitors and I’m not experienced any of the problems that you seem to be having in Mojave or Catalina.

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Answer 3

Vegasrenie Author

Level 1

21 points

Dec 28, 2019 6:04 PM in response to den.thed

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you. That rarely happens, so it took me by surprise!

I have the 2018 Mac Mini, 16GB ram, 129 ssd. My two monitors are both BenQ EW277HDR Eye Care 27 inch 1080p Monitors. I have a 500 GB SSD drive and a 3TB regular drive connected. They worked perfectly under Mojave, but for some reason Catalina has been a disaster. Neither Apple TV nor Safari, for instance, will play any of my purchased movies or streaming services. Chrome does.

Another issue with Catalina 10.15.2, is that no third party wireless mouse is working. At all. I dug through my old Apple stuff and found an wired magic mouse, which sort of works, but because it was the second Apple mouse to take a dump (the right click doesn't work), it reminded me why I purchased a Logitech in the first place. Which now doesn't work at all since the upgrade.

Sorry for ranting, but I'm used to having everything "just work" and I'm just annoyed.

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Dual Monitor Problem Since Catalina (Mac Mini 2018)

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