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preferences error - could not load displays preference pane

My screen resolution changed during game play. Now that the game is off, I cant change it back. This is what the error message says "Preferences Error - Could not load Displays preference pane."

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Dec 10, 2014 5:34 PM

Reply
16 replies

Mar 13, 2017 6:31 PM in response to KathyD-TN

Talked with Apple Support, this is what they had me do to fix the problem in 5 minutes:

1 - Shut down your MacBook by holding Power

2 - Perform a Safety Boot. This is done by holding the Shift and the Power button simultaneously

3 - Login. At this time, the display should revert to its original settings.

If not, continue reading.

4 - Shut down your MacBook again by holding Power

5 - Press Shift-Control-Option on the left side of the keyboard, then press the power button at the same time. Hold these keys and the power button for 10 seconds.

6 - Release all keys

7 - Turn your MacBook air on by holding Power.

Best of luck 😉

Dec 10, 2014 6:41 PM in response to KathyD-TN

Back up all data. Quit System Preferences if it's running.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/Preferences/ByHost

In the Finder, select

Go Go to Folder...

from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return. A folder named "ByHost" should open. Look inside it for a file with a long name that begins "com.apple.windowserver". There may be several such files. Move them all to the Trash.

Log out or restart the computer. Test. If the problem is resolved, empty the Trash and recreate your settings in the Displays preference pane.

Dec 15, 2014 6:59 AM in response to KathyD-TN

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It makes no changes to your data.

Please triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

ls -@Oaen L*/P*/B*/*ws* | pbcopy

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

Paste into the Terminal window by pressing the key combination command-V. I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.

Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear below what you entered.

The output of the command will be automatically copied to the Clipboard. If the command produced no output, the Clipboard will be empty. Paste into a reply to this message.

The Terminal window doesn't show the output. Please don't copy anything from there.

If any personal information appears in the output, anonymize before posting, but don’t remove the context.

Dec 17, 2014 5:43 PM in response to KathyD-TN

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages

from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

View ▹ Show Log List

from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try to open the preference pane. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

Some private information, such as your name or email address, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

Dec 17, 2014 6:57 PM in response to KathyD-TN

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Step 1

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

Step 2

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.

Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

Dec 18, 2014 3:37 PM in response to KathyD-TN

That's a bit vague, but I'll assume that you couldn't open the preference pane while logged in as guest. In that case, see below.

If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data, then reinstall the OS.* You don't need to erase the startup volume, and you won't need the backup unless something goes wrong. If the system was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you may need the Apple ID and password you used.

If you use FileVault 2, then before running the Installer you must launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the FileVault startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) It will be nested below another icon with the same name. Click the Unlock button in the toolbar and enter your login password when prompted. Then quit Disk Utility to be returned to the main Recovery screen.

There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

If you installed the Java runtime distributed by Apple and still need it, you'll have to reinstall it. The same goes for Xcode. All other data will be preserved.

*The linked support article refers to OS X 10.10 ("Yosemite"), but the procedure is the same for OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later.

Nov 24, 2015 8:52 PM in response to KathyD-TN

I had the same problem not being able to get into my display preferences. I had switched my display rotation on my mbp to 180 degrees and then couldn't get back in. I just connected an external display and everything worked as expected to fix the rotation. I unplugged the display and everything is back to normal.

Sep 21, 2016 1:57 PM in response to KathyD-TN

I've found an accidental solution that might help if this comes back up in the future:

Restart your computer and turn on safe mode by holding down the shift key. Yadda yadda, password, login, now you're at the desktop. Click the  menu in the top-right corner and go to About This Mac. Click display and then click display preferences. It may not work, but there is a chance that it will open up the window. Quit and shut down, and go to your regular account without safe mode. When I did it, it didn't flip upside down.

preferences error - could not load displays preference pane

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