Second monitor keeps on temporarily going black at random

Anonymous
2023-01-08T02:47:33+00:00

I am working off of a laptop and have a second monitor to extend my displays. I have been using this set up for two years now and have not had a problem until last night. It seems that my attached monitor only (main monitor on laptop is not affected) will go black for a few seconds before turning back on and showing my screen. It should be noted that my laptop does not reset the display to place the windows back onto the main screen when this happens but the extended monitor goes black at random. Note that I am running Windows 10 and unable to upgrade to Windows 11 as of now.

So far, I have tried the following solutions but still cannot figure this out.

  1. Bought brand new chords (HDMI + Adapter)
  2. Bought a brand new second monitor (issues happening with both old and new monitor)
  3. Checked for updates on all drivers
  4. Reinstalled both graphics drivers
  5. Rolled back graphics drivers
  6. Checked basic settings (sleep/power/screen saver settings)
  7. Disabled all services in background apps in "System Configuration"
  8. Restarted Windows explorer

This means I have spent time replacing and even buying new equipment to get around this issue but cannot seem to figure it out! This is very important since I work at home as well. Please let me know if there is anything else I can possibly do outside of hard resetting the computer (which I cannot do for a few reasons). Thank you!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-10-22T19:07:36+00:00

    For me helped to change refresh rate, was 60Hz, changed to 59,94Hz.

    System>Display>Advanced display>Choose a refresh rate

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-10-18T19:53:37+00:00

    Hi,

    1. I haven't reviewed all responses but my problem is with a laptop
    2. No I haven't tried a high end Microsoft Surface. My laptop is a high end Acer, designed for CAD use.

    However, I have managed to get my set up to work by having a 3rd screen attached - one through HDMI and one through displayport. I'm not quite sure why..although I wondered about sound. The 3rd monitor is a Beno and has integrated audio, my dell monitor doesn't have audio. I bought a sound bar for the Dell - which connects audio via USB, as the dell is a a better screen. That didn't resolve the hanging problem. I have resolved the hanging problem by keeping the Beno connected alongside the Dell, even though I don't use the Beno.

    Very strange work around! Like you, my laptop system was bought for CAD (SolidWorks & Fusion), not for gaming, and it met the hardware specs for SolidWorks at the time of purchase a few years ago. The Sync stuff on gaming monitors just makes things more complicated and unnecessary for CAD I think, but my external monitor doesn't have any of that stuff as far as I know and it still doesn't work even though it worked for a couple years before something happened ... my guess is that "happening" was Windows 11. I'm using HDMI & have tried two different cables ... have not tried display port yet. My suspicion is that Windows 11 & Nvidia T2000 are no longer talking to each other correctly - either that or there is some setting buried down so deep in Windows or Nvidia that none of us know where it is, or it is not even accessible to us. I was going to buy a new Dell external monitor until I read the problems on this forum and decided that would be unlikely to fix it. My workstation is getting a little long in the tooth, which is why I asked about the high end Microsoft Surface compatibility. I thought if the Surface works with a Dell or other external monitor, I might consider that route as a replacement for the Dell workstation if necessary in the future. I have seen that ViewSonic is claiming they have THE monitor for the Surface. If I end up going to the expense of getting a high end Surface and a ViewSonic monitor just to get a second monitor for non-gaming applications, and the screen goes blank ... you will be able to hear my screams wherever you are.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-10-16T11:29:39+00:00

    Hi,

    1. I haven't reviewed all responses but my problem is with a laptop
    2. No I haven't tried a high end Microsoft Surface. My laptop is a high end Acer, designed for CAD use.

    However, I have managed to get my set up to work by having a 3rd screen attached - one through HDMI and one through displayport. I'm not quite sure why..although I wondered about sound. The 3rd monitor is a Beno and has integrated audio, my dell monitor doesn't have audio. I bought a sound bar for the Dell - which connects audio via USB, as the dell is a a better screen. That didn't resolve the hanging problem. I have resolved the hanging problem by keeping the Beno connected alongside the Dell, even though I don't use the Beno.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-10-15T21:30:47+00:00

    Dell Precision workstation (laptop), T2000 card, Vizio external monitor. When you extend displays in Windows, monitor comes on only momentarily and then goes blank. Windows shows no display detected after that, but you can see it in the Nvidia control. Questions:

    1. Has anybody reviewed all the responses to figure out if this is limited to laptop hardware (vs desk top box type)?
    2. Has anybody tried a high end Microsoft Surface with an external monitor to see if the tech has the same problem on their own hardware?

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-09-25T15:00:25+00:00

    So, in the spirit of helping fellow sufferers cursed with the second screen resetting I wanted to update you on my experience. I have never been able to work on my laptop with an additional monitor - it loses connection and resets to such an extent that it really isn't workable. Sending the laptop back to the manufacturer made no difference. I had pretty much resigned to working off a laptop. I checked it today - it was still as bad. Acer ConceptD 7 laptop connected to Dell screen - random resetting after a few seconds of use, whether connected via HDMI or Displayport. So I decided to try adding another monitor to the mix - I don't need it but I wanted to see what would happen. One monitor is on HDMI and one is on display port. Curiously I have been happily working for a good 20 minutes with no reset. No idea why, but maybe some of you more techy people can make sense of that. Fingers crossed it keeps stable. Good luck

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