What do you mean by "secondary monitors"?? FWIW, I have run TWS on a 3-screen system, via Linux and then W7, for years without any issue. (If that helps...!)
You'd be foolish not to investigate SierraChart. Rock solid, and the most responsive support and maintenance going. Far outweighs the old-school aspects of the application. Of course, the features you mention are supported.
I am using Sierra Charts and couldn't be happier. The amount of customization is unreal. It works very well over multiple monitors and leagues ahead of IB TWS. I do still use IB though just to look up other instruments and general market type stuff since I don't care to have all the data downloaded. Like you, my main focus is ES/NQ, and I have multiple time frame charts open along with the DOM for each. I have them spread out over a few monitors and each time I shut down or put them all back into the main window and detach them later, the software remembers exactly where they go. I remember years ago thinking the software looked too simple, but what I failed to understand at the time was how much customization was available and hence why it looked simple.
In a multi-monitor system, one monitor is designated as "primary". Some video functions will work only on the primary, not on secondaries. Interesting you've run TWS on 3-monitor, W7 setup. I tried similar and everything locked up. ??
In both Linux and W7 (and going way way back, W-XP), monitors have been numbered 1, 2, 3, with the designation being your (my!) choice. Makes me wonder if there's not a software switch you've missed somewhere. (Or whether some GPU software isn't messing with you? Ugh!) Mebbe.... https://www.somaticvision.com/tutorials/switching_monitors
Tom McGinnis...your name makes me think of the Top Gun movie...a cross between actors Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis; Tom McGillis
I've been using MetaStock on secondary monitors for years. I opened TWS on primary monitor and did some personalization... then dragged the window to the secondaries and it all locked up. I hadn't give a thought to the "primary"/"secondary" monitor thingy for years. I guess all I ever put on the secondaries besides MS were web pages sometimes to get them out of the way while I looked at something else on the primary. (May be a moot point, as I'd be looking for something better anyway. Unfortunately, MetaStock charting spoiled me.)
That sounds like a video RAM kinda thing -- I'd check out your Task Manager for resource usage -- I'll bet there's some good clues there. Or in the performance "preferences" areas. But that's not any sort of TWS effect in 11 years of usage over ≥3 systems. Hell, I just swapped monitors yesterday -- a small, a medium (new!) and a large. No difference in how things were set up. Very best wishes -- I think a solution is right around the corner.