Screen keeps recalibrating, no signs of defect to be found

[Thomas325]

Hello,

My screen keeps randomly getting calibrated, meaning it suddenly goes black, and then slowly five vertical grey-to-white bars start glowing up over the full width of the screen. Any activity on the screen is still being played in the background (judging by the sound), so games and video continue to play behind the overlay.

It takes about a minute, then I can see the screen content again.

It also happens on startup sometimes, and sometimes unprovoked with the laptop just sitting there for instance playing F1 via browser. (GPU 8% and 67 degrees Celcius)

I once, only once, had a screen glitch that indicates a broken screen cable, but I have never been able to reproduce the glitch, no matter how often I open and close the lid.

I tried to let a computer shop enlarge my C:/, but they were unable to create a working clone. The windows partition seemed unable to be copied.

They ran diagnostics programs and could find nothing wrong with either the GPU or hard disk, and were also unable to reproduce ant of the glitches and calibration screens I've seen.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be, and what I can do to stop it happening? I know it's an older laptop, bu I don't have the money to buy a new one, and I'd like to keep using this one a bit longer.

I would be very grateful.

Thomas

[Max3Aj]

@Thomas325, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
Based on your description of the issue with your OMEN by HP 15-dc1621nd, where the screen intermittently goes black and displays vertical grey-to-white bars while the system continues to function in the background, here are some steps to help diagnose and potentially resolve the issue:

Update Graphics Drivers

• Visit the HP Software and Driver Downloads page and enter your product: OMEN by HP 15-dc1621nd.
• Download and install the latest Intel and NVIDIA graphics drivers.
• Alternatively, use GeForce Experience to update NVIDIA drivers.

Run HP Hardware Diagnostics

• Restart your laptop and press F2 repeatedly to enter the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI.
• Run the Display Test and System Extensive Test to check for hardware faults.

Check Display Cable (if comfortable opening the device)

• If you're comfortable, gently reseat the display cable by opening the back panel. If not, consider having an HP-authorized technician inspect it.
• Since you mentioned a one-time glitch that resembled a broken cable, this is worth checking.

Adjust Power and Sleep Settings

• Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
• Under Display, set Turn off display and Adaptive brightness to Never.
• Disable Fast Startup under Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do.

BIOS Update

• Visit the HP Support page and check if a newer BIOS version is available for your model. Official HP® Support
• Follow the instructions carefully to update the BIOS.

External Monitor Test

• Connect your laptop to an external monitor or TV via HDMI.
• If the issue does not appear on the external display, the problem is likely with the laptop screen or cable.
• If it does appear, the issue may be GPU or driver-related.

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[Thomas325]

Hello Max,

Thank you for replying.

Of course I tried most, if not all of these.

The HP BIOS testing gives no results, everything get's a pass. Only the GPU cannot be tested that way.

The visual glitch is not linked to the cable, and not replicable at will, not even with moving the lid. It does not happen very often.

I have had it once more since then (when not touching the laptop or moving it in any way, and while running an very ligth application), and when moving the screen to it's extreme angels, or even closing the lid, which shuts down the screen, and re-opening it, made no difference whatsoever to the glitch. 

When I shut it down using the power button and restarting, the glitch was gone.

I must be some graphic hard- or software problem, but I don't know how to find out or repair.

[Max3Aj]

@Thomas325, Thank you for your response. 

Please try these steps, 

Clean Install NVIDIA Driver (with DDU)

Sometimes a regular update doesn't clean up older driver remnants.

• Download DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) and run it in Safe Mode.
• Choose Clean and Restart for NVIDIA drivers.
• Then install only the NVIDIA Game Ready Driver (GRD) no GeForce Experience, PhysX, etc. (These can cause overlays that interfere.)

Download latest GRD

Disable Hardware Acceleration in Browsers and Apps

Since it even occurs during browser-based gaming (like F1), some apps like Chrome, Discord, Spotify, or Steam can cause display conflicts.

For Chrome/Edge:

Settings > System > Turn off Use hardware acceleration

Discord:

Settings > Appearance > Hardware Acceleration OFF

Steam:

Settings > Interface > Disable GPU accelerated rendering in web views

Check for Scheduled Display Calibration or Task

There’s a rare chance a third-party utility or Windows Task Scheduler is triggering a display calibration or color correction routine.

Open Task Scheduler and check for odd tasks under:

Microsoft > Windows > Display

HP or OEM tasks

Also check Color Management under Control Panel:

Remove any non-default ICC profiles

Boot into a Clean Windows State

To eliminate background software interference:

• Run msconfig > Selective startup
• Uncheck all non-Microsoft startup services under "Services" tab
• Reboot and observe behavior

If problem stops, it's a software conflict.

I hope this helps!

If my response resolves your issue, please click “Accepted Solution” to help others find the answer. Also, don’t forget to click the “Yes” button to say thanks!

Take care and have a great day.

Max3Aj

HP Support