How to fix the monitor no signal issue on Windows 10?

October 16, 2018 |

greater than 10 minutes

If your monitor’s screen is blank, then your PC is more or less inaccessible. The problem in view is gruesome enough in that there are only a few things you can do to fix it since your computer is displaying nothing. You probably ended up on this page to find out how to fix the monitor not working issue on Windows 10, and we will do our best to provide the answers you need.

What if I can see nothing on a Windows PC?

In most cases where users experience the monitor not displaying anything problem, they tend to see the “No signal” message on their screen, and this notification indicates that the monitor is not receiving input from the system. Perhaps, the connection between has been severed, or something went wrong with the software that defines or controls their activities.

If you want to fix the monitor out of order problem on Windows 10, then you will have to perform some checks on the devices or components involved and apply specific fixes if required. Here we go.

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How to fix the monitor no signal issue on a Windows PC?

  1. Check your video cable:

The reason for this check should be apparent enough. Your video cable is the link between your monitor and your computer. We earlier extrapolated that the no signal message or issue is probably a result of your monitor not getting the required output from your PC. Therefore, you will do well to find out if the connection between the devices involved is in order.

Limited contact might have triggered the no signal issue. Tighten up any loose end. Ensure that your video cable is firmly connected at both ends. Once you have verified everything and taken the necessary precautions, you must check if your monitor has begun to display something.

If nothing changes no matter what you do to improve the contact or connection between your monitor and your PC, then you must move on to the next fix.

  1. Verify that the appropriate input source is being used:

Perhaps, your monitor was expecting input from a different source, and the no signal issue is merely a consequence of the miscommunication or misunderstanding between the devices involved. To fix the problem in this case, all you have to do is select the correct input source for your monitor.

Your top priority here should be finding out what ports your PC and monitor have in common. You must identify the ports that are suitable for the connection you are trying to create with your cable. These instructions will guide you along the way:

  • Turn on your PC and your monitor. Some light might come on to indicate that they are receiving power.
  • Press the menu or settings button on your monitor device. From the options that appear, you must navigate to the Input source setting, and there, you must choose the correct source for your display connection.For example, if you are trying to set up a connection, using the VGA port on your PC, then you must select VGA as the input source from the settings available on your monitor’s screen.
  • Save the new settings or changes you made and exit the menu you entered. Check if your monitor is now functioning well. Before you conclude that no positive changes occurred, you will do well to restart your PC and check again. You are free to carry on to the next fix once you realize that the problem persists.
    1. Check your video or graphics card:

    Your PC’s GPU or graphics card is another component your computer employs to display stuff on your monitor’s screen. If your GPU is not firmly inserted into its slot, then you will keep on seeing the no signal message. The obvious solution to the problem in this scenario would require you to open your computer case to check the hardware device.

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    Follow these instructions:

  • Locate your graphics card from the components you see. Check the state of its connection and ensure that it is inserted firmly into the required port. Tighten up any loose contact.
  • Put your PC back together. Insert the power cable for your monitor and turn it on. Connect your monitor to your PC.
  • It is time you put on your PC. This time, we recommend you do it by pressing and holding its power button for over 30 seconds before you move on to connect its power cable.
  • If you still cannot see anything on your monitor screen even after all you did, then something is probably wrong with one of the devices involved. In any case, you must move on the next fix as usual, but this time, the operation we propose will go a long way to find out if any device is faulty and determine the exact component.
    1. Carry out tests on your cable, monitor, and PC:

    A damaged video cable is one component most likely to be responsible for the lack of signal issue affecting your monitor, so you will do well to check it first.

    If you have another computer with a functioning display, then you could introduce your cable in the connection setup there and see how things go. If the use of your cable results in problems for the monitor associated with the test computer, then your cable was probably responsible for your headache all along.

    You could also try connecting your monitor to your computer with a new or entirely different cable to confirm things.

    If your cable passed all the tests you put it to, then you must move on to check other devices. Starting with your monitor, you can try connecting it to another computer and see what works. If you experience the same no signal issue, then your monitor probably has a lot to say as regards your problem.

    You could also move on to connect a different or new monitor to your PC and see if your display functions properly. If you manage to view things through the test monitor you linked with your computer, then your monitor is probably to blame for the no signal problem.

    1. Fix problem involving drivers:

    If you got your monitor to work when you connected it to a test computer, then you might have confirmed that the no signal problem has something to do with the state of your PC. Issues affecting the graphics drivers are likely to be in play.

    Your graphics drivers control and manage the display or rendering of images and interactions between your computer and your monitor. Therefore, if the drivers are missing or if they become corrupted or outdated, then your monitor’s screen not displaying anything is just the beginning of your troubles. Other problems are bound to come up.

    We will show you how to carry out multiple operations on your graphics driver. All you have to do is determine the required procedure in your case. Otherwise, you might end up having to execute all of them until you stumble on the one that works for you.

    First, you must try reinstalling your graphics driver. This operation brings about certain changes some of which are enough to fix a wide range of problems affecting a driver. Follow these instructions:

  • Launch the Device Manager app: Press the Windows button on your keyboard (or click on the Windows Start icon always present on your desktop screen to arrive at the same destination). Type in the following keywords into the text box available to do a quick search for them:Device Manager

From the results list that shows up, click on the first item there (Device Manager).

  • After the Device Manager program window comes up, you will see several categories containing drivers. Double-click on the Display adapters category to expand it and view the drivers under it.

Here, you will see two drivers if your PC is equipped with a dedicated GPU (NVIDIA, AMD cards, for example). Otherwise, you will find a single driver there (made by Intel in most cases).

  • To uninstall a driver, all you have to do is right-click on it to see a short menu list, then select Uninstall device from the options available. Windows will display a dialog box to fetch confirmation for the operation you initiated.
  • Click on the Uninstall button to confirm your action. Windows will finally move to get rid of the device driver you marked for removal.
  • It is time you rebooted your computer. Once your PC comes on, Windows, in theory, is supposed to detect hardware changes and move to reinstall the driver you removed earlier. If this does not happen, then you must continue with the instructions below to make things right:
  • Open the Device Manager application once more. This time, after its program window shows up, you must right-click on your PC’s name, then select Scan for hardware changes.

With this operation, you avoid leaving anything to chance. Windows will now undoubtedly find out about the missing driver, and your system will move to install it.

If the reinstallation of the affected drivers failed to bring a resolution to the monitor problems you are struggling with, then a rollback of the drivers might deliver a better result. Perhaps, Windows (without your knowledge or any input from you) managed to install a newer version of the driver controlling the display operations of your system, but the new software came with its own problems.

Of course, your system will be better off using the old driver given the problems with the newer one. Follow these instructions to bring back the old driver:

  • First, you must open the Device Manager program. Scroll up and go through the required step (first one of listed for the previous operation) if you are in doubt on how to do this
  • After the expected program window shows up, you must expand Display adapters to see the drivers it contains. Double-click on a driver to launch its Properties window.
  • Once the window is up, you must navigate to the Driver tab, and there, you will see the Roll back button, which you have to click on to return the old driver to its place.
  • At this point, Windows might display a window comprising of options you must select from to help Microsoft collect data on the reasons users roll back their drivers.
  • Click on the radio button that for the option that best describes your situation or type in the information you intend to give into the text box present.
  • Click on the Yes button. Windows will now move to execute the necessary operations to bring back the driver. Restart your PC once Windows finishes reinstalling the old driver.
  • Note: If the Roll back button is grayed out (which means you cannot use it), then your PC is probably still using the old driver (or Windows cannot access the old software talk more of bringing it back).In any case, you do not have much choice as regards what next to do; you must carry out an update of the driver.

    If you got to this point, then the previous procedures you carried out on your drivers probably failed to deliver the result you need.

    Perhaps, you identified a problem affecting your driver that the earlier operations struggled to solve. On the other hand, you might have found out that your driver is missing and you intend to get the best replacement available (which, in most cases, will be the updated version of the driver).

    The operations involved in the updating of a driver are generally more complicated than the ones you executed earlier. These instructions will guide you:

  • Open the Device Manager program once more. Navigate through the required options or menus to see the drivers under the Display adapters category.
  • Right-click on the driver you plan to work on, then select Update Driver Software from the short menu list that shows up.
  • Windows will present two options for you to choose from, and regardless which one of them you go with, you must follow the instructions as they appear on your screen and do anything Windows asks of you to ensure that the process is a success.
  • After Windows finishes installing the updated version of the driver, you must repeat the same operation on the other driver that falls under the Display adapter category.
  • Once you are done installing all the required drivers or their software, you must reboot your PC to let the new changes come into play.
  • If you could not get Windows to update the required drivers no matter how much you tried or you encountered significant setbacks along the way that prevented the operation from being a success, then you must consider an alternative approach to resolving the problem.Download Auslogics Driver Updater, run this excellent program and allow it to scan your computer to help you identify the problematic or troubled drivers. The missing, outdated or corrupted drivers are the key items here.

    After the identification process is complete, you must go a step further to use the recommended program to download and install replacements for the drivers in view. This way, your computer will get to use the latest manufacturer-recommended versions of the previously problematic drivers.

    By now, we believe you must have finished installing the required software. A restart of your PC is needed to round up the operations because only after a reboot can you be sure that the new drivers have started doing their work.

    Other things you could try to fix the no signal issue affecting your monitor and related display problems on Windows devices

    If you are yet to fix the no signal issue affecting your monitor or a similar problem, then this additional list of things to try might help your course.

    1. Do a factory reset of the monitor settings:

    Perhaps, specific parameters have been altered in the configuration for your monitor, and the new setup is incompatible with your PC. A return to the old way might do you a lot of good.

    1. Download and install all the available Windows updates:

    If you began struggling with monitor problems not long after you upgraded to Windows 10 or installed an update for this build of Windows, then you will do well to download and install all the available Windows updates. There is a good chance that Microsoft has resolved or neutralized the bug responsible for your monitor issues in a specific update, which your system currently lacks.

    Turn off your PC. Disconnect it from power. Unplug every cable or device that is connected to its ports. Now, you are free to loosen its bolts and take it apart.

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