External Monitor Flickers via HDMI on HP Pavilion 15 (Windows 11)

[sophiaisa3]

Hey HP Community,

I’m hitting a snag with my HP Pavilion 15-cs3075wm (Windows 11 Home, 22H2) where my external Dell S2721QS monitor flickers randomly when connected via HDMI. No issues with the laptop’s display. Specs: Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8265U, 16GB RAM. Monitor: 4K, 60Hz.

Steps Tried:

• Updated Intel graphics driver (v31.0.101.2128, May 2025) from HP Support.

• Swapped HDMI cable; tested another port.

• Set monitor refresh rate to 30Hz; flickering persists.

• Ran HP PC Hardware Diagnostics; no errors.

• Disabled adaptive brightness in Windows Display Settings.

• Event Viewer: “Display driver igfx stopped responding” (Event ID 4101).

Is this a driver conflict or HDMI bandwidth issue? Any tips for stabilizing the connection? Thanks for the help! 😊

[davidjames8392]

Hi Sophia Isabella,

Thanks for the detailed post—great job laying out the specs and steps tried! 😊 The “Display driver igfx stopped responding” (Event ID 4101) suggests a potential issue with the Intel UHD Graphics 620 driver or HDMI signal stability. Since you’ve already updated to the latest driver (v31.0.101.2128) and swapped cables, here are a few targeted suggestions to narrow it down:

1. Roll Back Driver: The May 2025 driver might have compatibility issues with your Pavilion’s chipset. Try rolling back to an earlier Intel driver (e.g., v30.0.101.1994 from 2024) via Device Manager > Display adapters > Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver. If unavailable, download it from Intel’s website (search “UHD Graphics 620 driver archive”). Test the Dell S2721QS afterward.
2. Adjust HDMI Resolution: Your 4K monitor at 60Hz may be pushing the HDMI 1.4 port’s bandwidth, especially with UHD Graphics 620 (limited to 4K@30Hz in some cases). In Windows Display Settings, set the resolution to 2560x1440 (QHD) at 60Hz or 4K at 30Hz and check if flickering stops. This could confirm a bandwidth bottleneck.
3. Disable Hardware Acceleration: Driver crashes (Event ID 4101) can stem from apps overloading the GPU. Disable hardware acceleration in apps like Chrome (Settings > System > Use hardware acceleration when available) or Edge, and test the monitor during video playback or heavy tasks.
4. Check Power Plan: Ensure your laptop’s power plan isn’t throttling GPU performance. Go to Control Panel > Power Options, select “High Performance,” and retest. Also, confirm the monitor’s power settings aren’t enabling eco-mode, which might cause flicker.
5. BIOS Update: A BIOS issue could affect HDMI stability. Check HP Support for BIOS updates for your Pavilion 15-cs3075wm (use your serial number). If available, back up data and update via HP’s instructions, as newer BIOS versions often fix display quirks.

Quick Question: Does the flickering occur consistently (e.g., during specific tasks like streaming or gaming) or randomly across all use cases? Also, have you tested the monitor with another device (e.g., another PC or console) to rule out a Dell S2721QS hardware issue?

Your Event Viewer catch is super helpful! If the above doesn’t resolve it, it might be worth checking for Windows 11 hotfixes addressing Intel driver stability or contacting HP Support for deeper diagnostics (mention Event ID 996 for reference). Keep us posted on what works! 🙌

[sophiaisa3]

Thanks for the awesome suggestions and kind words! 😊 Your breakdown of the “Display driver igfx stopped responding” (Event ID 4101) issue was super helpful. I’ve worked through your recommendations on my HP Pavilion 15-cs3075wm (Windows 11, Dell S2721QS monitor) and here’s where I’m at, plus a couple of follow-up questions:

1. Rolled Back Driver: I tried rolling back the Intel UHD Graphics 620 driver via Device Manager, but the “Roll Back Driver” option was grayed out. Instead, I downloaded v30.0.101.1994 (2024) from Intel’s driver archive and installed it manually. Sadly, the flickering persists, and Event Viewer still logs Event ID 4101 during flicker events. Reverted to v31.0.101.2128 for now since it’s the latest.
2. Adjusted HDMI Resolution: Great call on the bandwidth issue! I switched the monitor to 2560x1440 (QHD) at 60Hz in Windows Display Settings, and the flickering reduced significantly but didn’t stop entirely. At 4K@30Hz, it’s worse, so you’re likely right about the HDMI 1.4 port’s limits with UHD Graphics 620. This makes me think it’s partly a bandwidth issue.
3. Disabled Hardware Acceleration: I turned off hardware acceleration in Chrome and Edge (Settings > System). This helped a bit—flickering is less frequent during video streaming (e.g., YouTube), but it still happens randomly during light tasks like browsing. No gaming on this setup, so it’s mostly web and office apps.
4. Checked Power Plan: I switched to the “High Performance” power plan in Control Panel > Power Options, and confirmed the Dell monitor’s power settings are off eco-mode. No change in flickering frequency, but the system feels snappier overall.
5. BIOS Update: I checked HP Support with my serial number and found a BIOS update (F.23, March 2025) for the Pavilion 15-cs3075wm. Backed up my data and updated successfully, but the flickering issue remains. No new errors in Event Viewer, though.

Answers to Your Questions:

• The flickering is random, not tied to specific tasks. It can happen during browsing, streaming, or even idle on the desktop. No clear pattern.
• I tested the Dell S2721QS with my PS5 via HDMI, and there’s no flickering at 1080p@60Hz, so the monitor itself seems fine. This points back to the laptop’s HDMI output or driver.

New Observation: In Event Viewer, I noticed a new warning alongside Event ID 4101: “Display driver igfx failed to initialize” (Event ID 4109) during some flicker events. Could this indicate a deeper GPU hardware issue or a Windows 11 compatibility glitch? I also checked for Windows 11 hotfixes but found none specific to Intel UHD Graphics 620 for May 2025.

Questions:

• Since QHD@60Hz reduced flickering, should I try an external HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapter to bypass the laptop’s HDMI 1.4 limitations?
• Could Event ID 4109 suggest a failing GPU, or is it still likely driver-related? Any tools to stress-test the GPU beyond HP PC Hardware Diagnostics?
• Is it worth trying a clean Windows 11 reinstall to rule out OS corruption, or should I contact HP Support with Event IDs 4101 and 4109?

Your suggestions got me so much closer to cracking this! 🙌 If you have thoughts on the new Event ID 4109 or other debugging steps, I’d love to hear them. Thanks again for the support!

Best,
Sophia Isabella

[davidjames8392]

Thanks for the update, Sophia— Event ID 4109 might indicate a driver or GPU issue; try stress-testing with FurMark and consider an HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapter! 😊