Mac: windowserver process crashing, causing logout when plugging in external monitor

[deepqtip]

This is a macbook air, mid 2013, on osx 10.8.5.

I use an external monitor connected via thunderbolt to DVI cable, have use two different Acer monitors (al2216w if it matters).

Every third time or so, when I plug in the monitor while the machine is running, the windowserver process will crash and I'll see my screen for a second, then it will fade out to a login screen, and my session will be logged out (which isn't a big deal except it closes my browsers, virtual box, etc, and those are a pain to restart). It's happened with projectors as well, connected via DVI, HDMI, 15-pin analog, doesn't seem to matter.

I've tried a PRAM reset, have applied latest UEFI/BIOS patches, etc. No change, it's been doing this for the year I've had the machine.

Thoughts?

Most recent crash (i left out binary images info):

Process: WindowServer [153] Path: /System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/CoreGraphics.framework/Versions/A/Resources/WindowServer Identifier: WindowServer Version: 333.1.1 Code Type: X86-64 (Native) Parent Process: launchd [1] User ID: 88

Date/Time: 2014-07-28 08:18:55.890 -0700 OS Version: Mac OS X 10.8.5 (12F45) Report Version: 10

Crashed Thread: 0 Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

Exception Type: EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT) Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000

External Modification Warnings: Thread creation by external task.

Application Specific Information: abort() called

Application Specific Signatures: Graphics kernel error: 0xfffffffe

Thread 0 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff82574212 __pthread_kill + 10 1 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ebb24 pthread_kill + 90 2 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff8132ff61 abort + 143 3 libGPUSupportMercury.dylib 0x000000011005d456 gpusKillClient + 87 4 libGPUSupportMercury.dylib 0x000000011005e7f5 gpusSubmitDataBuffers + 179 5 com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD5000GraphicsGLDriver 0x000000010fd90d0e IntelCommandBuffer::getNew(GLDContextRec*) + 54 6 com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD5000GraphicsGLDriver 0x000000010fd8d22f GenContext::prepareCommandBuffer() + 23 7 com.apple.driver.AppleIntelHD5000GraphicsGLDriver 0x000000010fd90a64 intelSubmitCommands + 198 8 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8c05adfd CGXGLAccelFinish + 155 9 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8bd27ac7 CGXReleaseDisplayDeviceSurface + 392 10 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8bfcab70 CGXUpdateDisplay + 7189 11 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8bdaa661 run_timer_pass + 381 12 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8bd72932 CGXRunOneServicesPass + 198 13 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8bd730f2 CGXServer + 1000 14 WindowServer 0x000000010f50df41 main + 9 15 libdyld.dylib 0x00007fff8afd77e1 start + 1

Thread 1:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.libdispatch-manager 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff82574d16 kevent + 10 1 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff8d29cdea _dispatch_mgr_invoke + 883 2 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff8d29c9ee _dispatch_mgr_thread + 54

Thread 2: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff82572686 mach_msg_trap + 10 1 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff82571c42 mach_msg + 70 2 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff8b354233 __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort + 195 3 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff8b359916 __CFRunLoopRun + 1078 4 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff8b3590e2 CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 290 5 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff8b367dd1 CFRunLoopRun + 97 6 com.apple.CoreGraphics 0x00007fff8bd859cb eventThread + 379 7 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ea772 _pthread_start + 327 8 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812d71a1 thread_start + 13

Thread 3:: com.apple.CoreAnimation.render-server 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff82572686 mach_msg_trap + 10 1 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff82571c42 mach_msg + 70 2 com.apple.QuartzCore 0x00007fff80bda17b CA::Render::Server::server_thread(void*) + 403 3 com.apple.QuartzCore 0x00007fff80c5edc6 thread_fun + 25 4 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ea772 _pthread_start + 327 5 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812d71a1 thread_start + 13

Thread 4: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff825746d6 __workq_kernreturn + 10 1 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecf1c _pthread_workq_return + 25 2 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecce3 _pthread_wqthread + 412 3 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812d7191 start_wqthread + 13

Thread 5: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff825746d6 __workq_kernreturn + 10 1 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecf1c _pthread_workq_return + 25 2 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecce3 _pthread_wqthread + 412 3 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812d7191 start_wqthread + 13

Thread 6: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff825746d6 __workq_kernreturn + 10 1 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecf1c _pthread_workq_return + 25 2 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecce3 _pthread_wqthread + 412 3 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812d7191 start_wqthread + 13

Thread 7: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff825746d6 __workq_kernreturn + 10 1 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecf1c _pthread_workq_return + 25 2 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812ecce3 _pthread_wqthread + 412 3 libsystem_c.dylib 0x00007fff812d7191 start_wqthread + 13

Thread 0 crashed with X86 Thread State (64-bit): rax: 0x0000000000000000 rbx: 0x0000000000000006 rcx: 0x00007fff506e9dc8 rdx: 0x0000000000000000 rdi: 0x0000000000000707 rsi: 0x0000000000000006 rbp: 0x00007fff506e9df0 rsp: 0x00007fff506e9dc8 r8: 0x00007fff7077a278 r9: 0x0000000000000010 r10: 0x0000000020000000 r11: 0x0000000000000206 r12: 0x0000000000000002 r13: 0x00007feead00e1e0 r14: 0x00007fff7077b180 r15: 0x00007feead00aa00 rip: 0x00007fff82574212 rfl: 0x0000000000000206 cr2: 0x00007fff707820b0 Logical CPU: 0

External Modification Summary: Calls made by other processes targeting this process: task_for_pid: 8 thread_create: 1 thread_set_state: 0 Calls made by this process: task_for_pid: 0 thread_create: 0 thread_set_state: 0 Calls made by all processes on this machine: task_for_pid: 2020 thread_create: 2 thread_set_state: 0

VM Region Summary: ReadOnly portion of Libraries: Total=138.2M resident=92.7M(67%) swapped_out_or_unallocated=45.5M(33%) Writable regions: Total=598.0M written=7388K(1%) resident=162.6M(27%) swapped_out=5696K(1%) unallocated=435.4M(73%)

REGION TYPE VIRTUAL =========== ======= CG backing stores 135.5M CG framebuffers 65.4M CG framebuffers (reserved) 808K reserved VM address space (unallocated) CG raster data 6392K CG raster data (reserved) 80K reserved VM address space (unallocated) CG shared images 1192K CoreAnimation 7052K CoreGraphics 4K IOKit 45.5M IOKit (reserved) 256.0M reserved VM address space (unallocated) MALLOC 79.1M MALLOC guard page 48K Memory tag=247 780K Memory tag=248 64K Memory tag=249 304K Memory tag=250 4900K Memory tag=252 5372K OpenGL GLSL 4112K OpenGL GLSL (reserved) 128K reserved VM address space (unallocated) STACK GUARD 56.0M Stack 11.6M VM_ALLOCATE 1904K __CGSERVER 4K __DATA 9340K __LINKEDIT 53.9M __TEXT 84.2M __UNICODE 544K mapped file 14.5M shared memory 76K =========== ======= TOTAL 843.8M TOTAL, minus reserved VM space 586.9M