HP PAVILLION main display disabled and external displays not recognized.

[ShellyArnoldi]

My laptop diplay has been disabled for a long time, but I was able to use it w/ 2 external monitors. The monitor connected directly with the HDMI cable usually worked fine and the one with the HDMI to C adapter worked off and on. I tried to resolve the problem but did something to disable all the monitors. I would like to troubleshoot from home rather than drop it off. Can someone help?

[Raj_05]

Hi @ShellyArnoldi,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

Let's try to troubleshoot the issue with your HP Pavilion laptop and external monitors. Here are some steps you can follow to diagnose and resolve the display problem.

Restart Your Laptop:

• Sometimes a simple restart can resolve display issues. Make sure all external monitors are connected before restarting your laptop.

Check Display Settings:

• Press Windows + P to bring up the projection options. Cycle through the options (PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, Second screen only) to see if any of these settings enable your external monitors.

Update Display Drivers:

• Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
• Expand Display adapters.
• Right-click your display adapter and select Update driver.
• Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.
• Restart your laptop after the update.

Re-enable Disabled Monitors:

• Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
• Expand Monitors.
• If you see any monitors listed as disabled (with a downward arrow), right-click them and select Enable.

Check Graphics Settings:

• Right-click on your desktop and select Display settings.
• Scroll down to the Multiple displays section. Ensure the monitors are detected and configured correctly.
• Click Detect if any monitors are not showing up.

Reinstall Graphics Drivers:

• Go to Device Manager > Display adapters.
• Right-click your display adapter and select Uninstall device.
• Check the box for Delete the driver software for this device and click Uninstall.
• Restart your laptop. Windows should automatically reinstall the drivers. If it doesn’t, download the latest drivers from the HP website and install them manually.

[Raj_05]

Check Connections:

• Ensure all cables are securely connected.
• Try different cables and adapters to rule out any faulty hardware.
• Connect the monitors one at a time to identify if a particular port or adapter is causing the issue.

BIOS Settings:

• Restart your laptop and press Esc repeatedly until the Startup Menu appears.
• Press F10 to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.
• Navigate to the Advanced or Configuration tab (the exact name may vary).
• Look for settings related to display or video output. Ensure all displays are enabled.
• Save changes and exit the BIOS.

Safe Mode:

• Boot into Safe Mode to see if the monitors work there.
• Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter.
• Go to the Boot tab and check Safe boot, then select Minimal.
• Restart your laptop. If the monitors work in Safe Mode, there might be a software conflict causing the issue.

System Restore:

• If the issue started recently, you can try performing a System Restore to a point when the monitors were working.
• Press Windows + R, type rstrui, and press Enter.
• Follow the prompts to choose a restore point and restore your system.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4

HP Support