Second monitor keeps on temporarily going black at random

I have had the same issues. I tried multiple things to troubleshoot the issue. My setup has a docking station from Targus. Three monitors come out of it. The docking station is connected to my laptop with a USB-C cable. I tried connecting each monitor with an HDMI cable. I tested one by one. I had no issues. I reconnected the docking station. Then I started noting what software programs I had open when the monitors flashed and went black. I then isolated it to Microsoft products, especially Excel. I stopped using them for a period of time, and I had no issues at the time. Now, I am only keeping the Microsoft products open on my laptop's main computer screen to see if I can avoid the problem.

Update: Today, I only kept the Microsoft products on my main laptop screen. I had no issues at all.

I have had the same problem described in this thread and the same degree of frustration as other people. I've tried a lot of the things suggested and not had any luck. I agree with what you said in a previous post, Bill, that based on the number of variables involved, and their variance across cases, it might seem to be a Microsoft issue. I am running Windows 11.

You mention event logs. One thing that stood out to me was when the problem first began occurring I noticed an unusual occurrence in the events log of the external monitor affected by the issue.

(The log in question is located here:

Settings > System > Display > Advanced Display > Display Adaptor Properties [for the external monitor] > Monitor > Properties > Events)

On the exact same day the problem began occuring, there was an instance of the device being 'configured', and then a separate instance of it being 'started'. About a month and a half prior to that, the device had been 'deleted'.

It won't let me take a screenshot to illustrate this, but I wonder if anyone else had noticed any kind of similar pattern? I'm not technical enough to appreciate exactly what the information in the events log means - but it seems to be relating to uninstalling/reinstalling drivers for the monitor, perhaps as a result of an update? It's not something I knowingly initiated, anyway.

In my case the change is from a driver version 10.0.22621.2506 to a version 10.0.22621.3235, and the driver provider in both cases is Microsoft.

Perhaps it is not the cause, or perhaps so only in a limited number of cases, but it certainly seemed a correlation worth remarking on.

I can recreate my external display going black and losing control of my mouse and have captured the first event that happens in event log. Unfortunately I don't know how to decipher this information but maybe someone else can help me - this is what I get (Be grateful for any advice, thank you) :

Log Name: Application

Source: Windows Error Reporting

Date: 10/04/2024 14:02:20

Event ID: 1001

Task Category: None

Level: Information

Keywords: Classic

User: N/A

Computer: DESKTOP-RID3C58

Description:

Fault bucket , type 0

Event Name: LiveKernelEvent

Response: Not available

Cab Id: 0

Problem signature:

P1: 117

P2: ffffab07db9aa010

P3: fffff80750add9b8

P4: 0

P5: 268c

P6: 10_0_19045

P7: 0_0

P8: 256_1

P9:

P10:

Attached files:

\?\C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports\WATCHDOG\WATCHDOG-20240410-1402.dmp

\?\C:\Windows\TEMP\WER-3519656-0.sysdata.xml

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC300.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC310.tmp.xml

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC30F.tmp.csv

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC33F.tmp.txt

These files may be available here:

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\Kernel_117_51e84ba480829c238d9121e154754d5f126c43_00000000_2915a184-7a9a-4b2f-a502-2a561fe4c8e5

Analysis symbol:

Rechecking for solution: 0

Report Id: 2915a184-7a9a-4b2f-a502-2a561fe4c8e5

Report Status: 4

Hashed bucket:

Cab Guid: 0

Event Xml:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

<System>

<Provider Name="Windows Error Reporting" />

<EventID Qualifiers="0">1001</EventID>

<Version>0</Version>

<Level>4</Level>

<Task>0</Task>

<Opcode>0</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2024-04-10T13:02:20.5330208Z" />

<EventRecordID>5266</EventRecordID>

<Correlation />

<Execution ProcessID="0" ThreadID="0" />

<Channel>Application</Channel>

<Computer>DESKTOP-RID3C58</Computer>

<Security />

</System>

<EventData>

<Data>

</Data>

<Data>0</Data>

<Data>LiveKernelEvent</Data>

<Data>Not available</Data>

<Data>0</Data>

<Data>117</Data>

<Data>ffffab07db9aa010</Data>

<Data>fffff80750add9b8</Data>

<Data>0</Data>

<Data>268c</Data>

<Data>10_0_19045</Data>

<Data>0_0</Data>

<Data>256_1</Data>

<Data>

</Data>

<Data>

</Data>

<Data>

\?\C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports\WATCHDOG\WATCHDOG-20240410-1402.dmp

\?\C:\Windows\TEMP\WER-3519656-0.sysdata.xml

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC300.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC310.tmp.xml

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC30F.tmp.csv

\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\Temp\WERC33F.tmp.txt</Data>

<Data>\?\C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\Kernel_117_51e84ba480829c238d9121e154754d5f126c43_00000000_2915a184-7a9a-4b2f-a502-2a561fe4c8e5</Data>

<Data>

</Data>

<Data>0</Data>

<Data>2915a184-7a9a-4b2f-a502-2a561fe4c8e5</Data>

<Data>4</Data>

<Data>

</Data>

<Data>0</Data>

</EventData>

</Event>

Windows fix your ****! It's so f'ing annoying, both of my PCs this **** happens.

disable/enable monitor... wait... a minute later second monitor is still bouncing on and off every 1 min. Have latest nvidia studio drivers.

FIX YOUR **** and quit f'ing productivity.

Turning off G-Sync for both monitors entirely from the NVidia control panel while changing no other settings seems to have fixed it for me.