After a Norton Driver Update the display is much dimmer on my HP Envy 34 All-in-One PC

[TucsonSteven]

I allowed Norton Driver Update to do several updates at once and now my display is dimmer (probably 30% dimmer).  When I go to System > Display , the only Brightness option is "Adjust the brightness of the external display", but I don't have an external display, I only have the built-in 34" display.

• Sometimes when I move the brightness slider nothing happens (what I would expect since the only slider is for an "external display" which I don't have
• Sometimes when I move the brightness slider from where it starts (all the way to the left) to the right, it immediately dims to very dark and as I continue to move it to the right, it eventually gets back to full brightness (which again is about 30% less bright than it should be)
• Sometimes when I move the brightness slider (which starts all the way to the left) to the right, it immediately dims to very dark and then I move it all the way to the right it goes to normal full brightness.  When this happens it stays that way while I am actively using it, but if I step away and it goes into sleep mode, it usually comes back much dimmer.  
• If I reboot the PC sometimes it returns to full brightness, sometimes not.

I suspected a bad or corrupted driver and I down-reved the display driver , but I couldn't do that to the Nvidia driver, because it was a manditory update and it wouldn't let me down-rev it.  So far the only good thing that has happened is that I have deinstalled the Norton Driver Updater with a vow to never use it again!  I should have done that when it messed up a previous driver installation

How do I get the System > Display Brightness to show for the built-in display rather than the non-existent external display, which will then, hopefully, allow me to set the brighness level and hopefully it will stay at that level.  Thanks!

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @TucsonSteven 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this dim display issue—it’s frustrating when brightness controls don’t behave as expected, especially after driver updates. You’ve already taken smart steps by uninstalling the Norton updater and attempting a driver rollback. 

Let’s go through a structured approach to restore proper brightness control for your HP Envy 34 All-in-One.

 

Step 1: Verify Windows Display Settings

• Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
• Go to System > Display.
• If the brightness slider only shows for “external display,” it means Windows isn’t recognizing the built-in panel correctly. This usually points to a driver mismatch.

 

Step 2: Reinstall Graphics Drivers

• Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
• Expand “Display adapters.”
• Right-click both the Intel/NVIDIA entries and choose “Uninstall device.”
• Restart your PC—Windows will reinstall basic drivers automatically.
• Then, install the latest drivers directly from HP’s support page for your model, not from third-party tools.

Here’s the HP driver page for your system:
HP ENVY 34 All-in-One PC - Software and Driver Downloads

 

Step 3: Update BIOS and Chipset

• Outdated BIOS or chipset drivers can cause brightness control issues.
• On the same HP support page, check for BIOS and chipset updates.
• Install them carefully following the on-screen instructions.

 

Step 4: Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

• Restart your PC and press F2 repeatedly to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI.
• Select “Component Tests” > “Display.”
• Run the test to confirm the panel is detected and functioning.

Guide here:
HP PCs - Testing for hardware failures

 

Step 5: Disable Adaptive Brightness

• Press Windows key + I > System > Power & battery > Additional power settings.
• Select your active power plan > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
• Expand “Display” > “Enable adaptive brightness.”
• Set it to “Off” for both battery and plugged in.
  This prevents the system from dimming automatically after sleep.

Why this helps

• Reinstalling drivers from HP ensures the built-in display is recognized correctly.
• BIOS and chipset updates align hardware communication.
• Disabling adaptive brightness stops unwanted dimming after sleep.

Once the correct drivers are in place, the brightness slider should reappear for the built-in display, letting you set and keep the level you want.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[TucsonSteven]

Thanks, Hawks_eye!  I love your methodical solution, and I'm certain it will work, however,  I am tied up on a project I have to get done, so I won't be able to go through your suggestions until the weekend.  I will update with the results as soon as I try your suggestions.  Thanks again.

[Hawks_Eye]

You are very welcome @TucsonSteven 

I appreciate your thoughtful reply, and it makes perfect sense to hold off until you have the time to work through the steps carefully. A big project deserves your full focus, and it’s wise not to interrupt that flow with system maintenance.

When you do get to it over the weekend, take it step by step—starting with the graphics driver reinstall—and pay attention to how the brightness slider behaves after each change. Even small cues, like whether the slider reappears for the built‑in display or whether the dimming after sleep stops, will help confirm progress.

I’ll look forward to hearing how it goes once you’ve had the chance to try.

Regards,

Hawks_Eye

[TucsonSteven]

So grateful for your help!  I am still on my big project, but I took a couple hours off to work on my display.  First a few more details I failed to mention in my original post:

Sometimes when the display goes darker and I go to System > Display, and even though the Brightness slider description says: “Adjust the brightness of the external display”, if I start to move it from it’s default position of all the way to the left, clicking on the slider and moving it slightly to the right, the display goes almost dark, then I move it back to the left and then move it back to the right, by the time I have gone most of the way to the right, the display is normal bright, and seems to stay that way until just before it goes to sleep (set for 5 minutes).  Just before it goes to sleep the display goes dim and  if it gets to that stage or actually goes to sleep, when I wake it up, then most of the time I have the dimness issue with my monitor.  One of the frustrating things is nothing is consistent. 

• Sometimes when the display has dimmed and I go to the brightness slider and move it from the default position (slider on the far left) and move it to the right, nothing happens- which is what I would expect, since it is a slider for a non-existent external display
• Sometimes I will move the slider from the default left position to the right and it will go from very dark to dim
• Sometimes, I will move the slider from default left to just a bit to the right, it will immediately go to very dark to less dark, then I move it back all the way back to the left and then when I move the slider to the right I can adjust the slider to the brighness level I want, and again it will stay that way until the diplay goes to sleep.

Here is what happened today, I started your Step 2 instructions

Step 2: Reinstall Graphics Drivers

• Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
• Expand “Display adapters.”
• Right-click both the Intel/NVIDIA entries and choose “Uninstall device.”
• Restart your PC—Windows will reinstall basic drivers automatically.
• Then, install the latest drivers directly from HP’s support page for your model, not from third-party tools.

Here are the Display Adapters shown in the Device Manager:

Intel UHD Graphics 750

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

I would uninstall both drivers and the Display Manager would show them both gone, and then before I could reboot, both drivers would automatically reinstall, with the same problem of the display slider for external display.  I repeated this a few times, including rebooting the computer a few times, quickly before the computer auto reinstalled the drivers I had just uninstalled. Nothing I could do would uninstall and keep uninstalled, until I:

• Right clicked on the “Intel UHD Graphics 750” and went to “Properties”, clicked on the “Driver” tab and clicked on “Roll Back Driver”.  I thought it might roll back to a previous Intel driver, but it removed the Intel driver and left me with “Microsoft Basic Display Adapter.” I felt pretty smart and went to the driver page you linked.  I thought it would be easy to find the driver for the Intel UHD 750, but I didn’t see it among graphics drivers listed for my computer, so I let HP scan my computer to check out my drivers and it came back and said my drivers are all up-to-date.

FYI, I had tried to try the rollback trick with the NVIDIA driver, but that option was not available.  So where I stand now, I have basic Microsoft Basic Display Adapter, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 adapter I started with.  For what it's worth, I am not having the dimming problem, but I would like to have the right drivers for the adapters I have.  Thanks for your help, I have to get back to my project, and will check back here tomorrow.

[Hawks_Eye · Accepted solution]

Thanks for replying @TucsonSteven 

Thank you for sharing such a detailed update—it really helps narrow down what’s happening with your Envy 34. You’ve already done a lot of careful troubleshooting, and it’s encouraging that the dimming problem has eased since rolling back the Intel driver, even though you’re now running on the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter.

Here’s how you can move forward to get the proper drivers back in place:

 

1. Intel UHD Graphics 750 Driver

• The Microsoft Basic Display Adapter is only a fallback. You’ll want the proper Intel UHD Graphics 750 driver installed.
• On HP’s support page for your Envy 34, the Intel graphics driver may be listed under Driver-Graphics but sometimes appears bundled with chipset or Intel Management Engine drivers.
• If you don’t see it directly, you can also download the Intel UHD Graphics 750 driver from Intel’s official site:
  Intel Graphics Driver for Windows 11
  (Choose the latest Windows 11 DCH driver package.)

 

2. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Driver

• Since rollback wasn’t available, reinstalling the NVIDIA driver is the best option.
• Use HP’s driver page first:
  HP ENVY 34 All-in-One PC Drivers
• If the NVIDIA driver isn’t listed or doesn’t resolve the issue, download directly from NVIDIA:
  NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Driver
  (Select GeForce GTX 16 Series → GTX 1650 → Windows 11.)

 

3. Installation Order

• Install the Intel UHD Graphics 750 driver first, then the NVIDIA driver.
• Restart after each installation.
• This ensures Windows correctly recognizes the built-in display panel and restores the brightness slider for the internal display.

 

4. BIOS and Chipset Updates

• On HP’s driver page, check for BIOS and chipset updates.
• Installing these after the graphics drivers can help stabilize brightness control and sleep/wake behavior.

 

5. Confirm Brightness Control

• Once drivers are installed, go to System > Display.
• The brightness slider should now show for the built-in display.
• Test sleep/wake cycles to confirm the brightness level holds steady.

You’ve already shown persistence and resourcefulness—rolling back to the Basic Display Adapter was a clever way to break the cycle. Now, reinstalling the proper Intel and NVIDIA drivers should restore full brightness control and consistency.

Take care and have a great day!

Regards,

Hawks_Eye