Having exhausted every resource I can find I thought that I would ask a bunch of banjo players. New Dell monitor and new to me, (refurbished Dell Latitude 5500). Problem: New monitor cannot detect signal through HDMI port and computer cannot detect the presence of a second monitor though they are connected. Monitor says no HDMI cable when not connected and no HDMI signal when they are. (I first tried an old HP monitor with a VGA-HDMI cable and the response was exactly the same). Have updated Intel, Windows, and Dell Drivers and other recommended updates. Rolled back graphics driver with no luck and reinstalled. Ran diagnostics on both devices and nothing shows up. Everything else has worked fine. External keyboard and mouse no problem. Software programs no trouble loading or running. Updated to latest version of Windows 11. No visible damage to cable or ports and cable is what came with the monitor. Restarted, rebooted, ad nauseam. Am willing to try anything at this point before seeking advise from other musicians.
Bobby
You've tried everything I would have tried. If you go to Settings/Display (or right-click/Display Settings on the desktop) do you see the "Rearrange your displays" section at the top or not ? Did you try the 'Detect' button at the bottom of Settings/Display ?
>>Did you try the 'Detect' button at the bottom of Settings/Display ?<<
Yes I did with no luck. Thanks for the response though.
Bobby
is new monitor set on auto detect ?
My suspect would be either bad cable or bad hdmi port.
My approach would be to test each piece of gear separately, by connecting it to stuff known to work. For instance, with a working monitor/computer setup remove its cable and substitute your cable. Does system still work? With working monitor/system swap in your new monitor. Does it work?
>>is new monitor set on auto detect ?<<
Yes, it is.
Bobby
>>My suspect would be either bad cable or bad hdmi port.<<
Am going to try a different cable today. In regards to the bad hdmi port, the monitor does recognize when there is no cable plugged into the port as opposed to when there is no signal coming from the port. Not tech savvy enough to know if that says anything about the port but that is what appears on the monitor when I disconnect the cable and/or plug it back in.
Bobby
I've worked with two monitors before, at home and at work. I would suspect a cable problem as well. I do find, however, outside of a simple hardware problem as such, there can be more than one place to set up a monitor. I had one computer with problems on setup because there was some kind of windows driver running under my monitor drivers on the video card, and the card wasn't being detected properly. I'm just saying this was my problem. It seems it's just one of those things that they do to drive you nuts. Yeah, try swapping the monitors out. Use the one that don't work alone as your primary and then try to add the other. And go in and check your drivers in settings and make sure any generic from Microsoft isn't overriding the correct drivers. I'm sure this will be a head scratcher until it finally works. Good luck.
(Ps. Can you try downloading any better video drivers?)
Set it all up as it should be. Shut down and restart.
Then try all suggestions.
Did you try just hitting [Windows]+[P]? That is the keyboard shortcut for changing your display output from dual/single display, mirrored display, or extended display.
First I'd replace the cable as suggested. But I don't think that's the problem, because TBH I've never had an HDMI cable fail in all the years I've been using them.
I would plug the HDMI cable into any other display (even a TV) to see if your laptop will push a signal out to it. If so, it's the monitor.
My guess is that everything is functional and it's just a display setting, and your laptop isn't set up to automatically push a signal to the HDMI port.
If you right click on your desktop, you can click "display settings", and that will open a dialogue box that will let you configure things. Or use that keyboard shortcut I showed above.
Edited by - KCJones on 12/16/2024 12:25:49
>>Did you try just hitting [Windows]+[P]? That is the keyboard shortcut for changing your display output from dual/single display, mirrored display, or extended display.<<
Yes I did with no luck. I changed out the display to another computer and it worked fine. To date, three monitors have worked with two different computers but not one of three monitors has worked with the computer I am having trouble with. Swapped out cables as well. Pretty much narrowed down to a computer issue but danged if I can tell what.
Thanks for all attempts to help. Am still running down resources out there to see if I can resolve this.
Bobby
Here's a thought. If the new machine has USB C for power - I believe that's the standard now - you can hook all your peripherals in through that one port by using a docking station. Docking stations are offered by both the computer makers and off-branders (the latter tend to be less pricey). If you get one with two HDMI ports, you might be able to circumvent what sounds more and more like a bad HDMI port on the computer.
Disclaimer: I'm not a tech guy. In fact, I'm a guy who can't screw the top back on a rum bottle without crossing the threads. But I do use docking stations.
Here's some available on that Very Big Online Retailer's website...
Edited by - eagleisland on 12/16/2024 12:57:29
Point of clarification: USB-C has the capability to deliver video, but not all laptops include that feature and not all USB-C cables can deliver video. USB-C is a form factor, and depending on the model your computer could have USB 3.0, 3.1, or 3.2 capabilities. Most older/cheaper laptops do not include video-over-USB capability and cannot use a docking station, this feature is generally reserved for enthusiast or workstation/enterprise computers. Check your specific hardware and peripherals to see if they support video over USB. Also, as a note, be very careful plugging 3rd party / aftermarket peripherals (chargers, docks, etc) into any device, because they have a tendency to have poor voltage regulation and are known to fry circuit boards at best and start structure fires at worst.
If you press [Windows]+[P] while the HDMI cable is plugged in, and nothing happens, that means the computer is not detecting the HDMI cable, and if you've updated the drivers as you say, that means the HDMI port isn't working properly.
Given that you've done the troubleshooting and identified the computer/port as the root problem, and you've already tried updating all the drivers/firmware, combined with the fact that this is a [refurbished] computer, I would guess that the port or motherboard itself doesn't actually work and needs to be replaced. If you have the option, I'd probably send it back.
Edited by - KCJones on 12/16/2024 13:31:05
Thanks to everyone for their tips and advice. I have learned far more about this topic that I knew before but unfortunately didn't learn anything to sort out the problem. I too am convinced it is a HDMI port issue. I have three external monitors that all work on two other computers in some configuration of hookups, but none will work with the one I am working with. I am considering some way to circumvent the HDMI through the USB-C port if it can be done somewhat reasonable to cost. It does have a two-year warranty and tech help so that is the next step in this sage. Thanks again for all attempts at help.
Bobby
If you were running XP I could be of service. But that’s operating system has been put to bed.
Edited by - 5B-Ranch on 12/18/2024 20:46:53
One last question on this and if no answer no big deal. When I plug a cable into the HDMI port it says, 'no signal,' but when I remove the cable it recognizes that and responds, 'no HDMI cable.' Can the port still be bad while recognizing the absence or presence of a plugged in cable?
Bobby
