Recent MacOS update took out both screens. Swapping units brought back one

[aoms-it]

Hi Plugable support,

Sally, back again with 20+ docks in our office for swapping.

Yesterday a Mac user reported that both his screens were gone after the MacOS update.

I gave the user a spare to swap and 1 screen came back via the 2k port. Swapping the HDMIs plugged into the ports also swaps which monitor it turns on, so it looks like the 4k port isn’t detecting a screen.

I have the diagnostic for the spare (1 screen), but not the original (0 screens) because I didn’t want to bother the employee again with the swapping.

The rest of the Mac users have probably been snoozing the MacOS update so no other incidents reported. Should I tell them to hold off on the OS update? Would we be waiting on DisplayLink to update the driver or is there something Plugable can do?

This could also be a one-off scenario, if anyone else here had similar issues I’d love to hear about it!

Sally

[Joshua_H]

Hello Sally,

I’d be happy to help with this issue!

So from what we know of the macOS update to 10.15 Catalina, the 4K port on the dock should not be affected as this port is driver independent. The 2K HDMI and DVI ports, Ethernet, and audio in/out are all built into the DispayLink chipset in the dock and will be affected by the upgrade, requiring a driver update.

Here’s a snippet from our website from our most recent blog post about these issues:

"With the recent release of macOS Catalina 10.15, Apple has made changes to the operating system that require an updated beta DisplayLink driver and a few special steps during the installation process in order for any DisplayLink-based device (Plugable brand or otherwise) to work properly.

As a courtesy we have provided detailed installation instructions (and a video walkthrough) for removing any existing DisplayLink drivers and installing an updated DisplayLink driver on a macOS Catalina 10.15 system here –> https://plugable.com/drivers/displaylink/mac/#install_catalina

***** Please pay particular attention to the security processes shown in steps #11, #12 and #13 of the install guide. These need to be completed in order for the process to work.

****** We have had reports that even after following the installation instructions the DisplayLink device is still not working. Should that prove to be the case, first ensure you have a full system backup using Time Machine as a precaution. Once the backup is verified, please follow the instructions provided by DisplayLink here –> https://support.displaylink.com/knowledgebase/articles/1925041-macos-catalina-10-15-black-screen-or-only-one-mon"

Full blog post here: https://plugable.com/2019/10/10/plugable-displaylink-products-and-macos-catalina-10-15/

Please don’t hesitate to let us know of other questions.

Thanks again for contacting Plugable support and best wishes!

Joshua Henry

Senior Engineer
Plugable Technologies

http://plugable.com | http://performance.plugable.com/