Q: New Mac Pro, Multiple displays not all coming on at startup
New Mac Pro cylinder (late 2013 model) 8 core, 3 GHz, 64 GB Ram
OSX 10.10.1 Yosemite
3x Apple 23" Cinema Displays: 2 connected using dual link DVI to TB adapters, 1 connected using single link dvi to tb adapter
1x Sony HD TV using HDMI
I have a 4 monitor setup on my new Mac Pro. 3 Cinema Displays and a HD TV.
All monitors are correctly connected per Apple instructions, spread across the TB busses as directed, and using the necessary adapters as indicated:
Mac Pro (Late 2013): Using multiple displays - Apple Support
The monitors do not all boot up when I boot up the system. Several remain black/inactive, while 1 or two come on. It's trial and error, I have to restart the computer over and over again until they all come on. Eventually they do, but only after multiple restarts, every day. And it's always different. I've tried turning off a couple of the monitors at boot then turning them on after boot, sometimes that works better but not always. Always requires at least 2 restarts, today it took 6 before they all came on. No rhyme, no reason.
Known issue, a colleague with similar multi-monitor setup reported the issue to me before I purchased the MP. It's a bug/glitch in the new mac pro design/TB busses I assume. But wondering if there is a way to make it work every time as it should.
Never an issue using this 4 monitor setup on previous mac pro under any OS. All displays and adapters work fine.
Any help is appreciated, thanks.
Posted on Jan 8, 2015 1:29 PM
SOLVED.
Helpful chat with Gabriel at Apple.
We did this:
1. Rebooted computer in Safe Mode (hold down left **** key while booting)
2. System preferences/users groups/Login Items
(deleted all unnecessary login items from this list- I had a third party app that may have been the culprit: Native Instruments Hardware scanner--an audio-related app)
3. Checked the following folders for unnecessary/odd plist files and trashed them:
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
/user/Library/LaunchAgents
(only culprits here were a com.google plist and a com.spotify plist)
/System/Library/LaunchAgents
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
/System/Library/StartupItems
Nothing out of order in any of these folders (Apple did a screnshare to check these ones).
Rebooting normally after these 3 steps yielded all four monitors activating properly for the first time since purchasing the new mac pro. Another reboot confirmed the same. Was likely a conflicting startup item, or a pref file needing to be trashed. Thanks!
Posted on Jan 8, 2015 8:19 PM