Windows 10 turns off second monitor shortly after booting

I have upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1 on a PC with multiple monitors. Both monitors are connected to my nVidia GTX780.

The first time I boot up on most days, shortly after logging in my second monitor goes to sleep. If I look in Device Manager, my second monitor isn’t even displayed.

I have to reboot the computer, and it will then work for the rest of the day.

I’d hypothesize that Windows is preparing to install an update and upsets my graphics card drivers in the process, because usually during that first reboot it will mention «configuring updates». I have attempted to turn off driver updates in the Windows settings, but this has done nothing to solve this issue.

This is quite frustrating if I start work, then find my monitor turned off and everything shunted to my primary screen.

What’s going on here, and how can I fix it?

Replies (6) 

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

I understand the inconvenience you are facing currently. Let me help you in resolving the issue.

I suggest you to download the latest display driver from the computer manufacturer’s support website and install it (it may still be Windows 8.1).

If the issue still persists, install the same driver in compatibility mode for previous version of Windows.

a. Right click the driver installation file and select Properties then tap or click the Compatibility tab.

b. Place a check in the Run this program in compatibility mode for: box.

c. Tap or click the drop down box and select a previous operating system, then tap or click OK.

d. Try installing the driver and check.

(Applies to Windows 10)

Hope the information helps. Please let us know if the issue persist and we will be happy to assist you further.

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Unfortunately, this doesn’t work; I tried to download the latest driver from nVidia’s website (358.50) and install it manually — but it would not allow me to install because it wasn’t compatible.

I then tried it in Windows 8 compatibility mode, as you suggested, and did a «clean» install of the driver. After the mandatory restart I only had one screen at very low resolution and could not complete the install because «Nvidia Installer cannot continue — a system restart is required» no matter how many times I restarted. (still in compatibility mode). Device manager states that the driver had been disabled due to problems.

I attempted to work around this by using nVidia’s Geforce Experience software, but this gave me the same error.

I escaped this by going into Device manager and getting Windows to install the latest driver, which it reports as being 355.60.

Due to my second screen issues occurring intermittently I can neither confirm nor deny whether this has done anything to help, so I will post again with my findings in a few days.

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Using the above Windows 8 compatibility mode in install a windows 8 version fudged my drivers — I couldn’t make any changes because «a restart is required». I couldn’t update or uninstall the drivers because «a restart is required» even after restarting multiple times. I guess something was left in the registry?

I ended up downloading a third party tool to remove the driver completely while in safe mode, because it wouldn’t let me uninstall it with the nVidia uninstaller.

I managed to find a Windows 10 x64 driver for the GeForce 780 this time (I’d missed on GeForce.co.uk there is a Windows 10 driver, but the dropdown starts partway down and you need to scroll up to find it) and installed that one, no compatibility mode required. I’ve got nVidia’s GeForce Experience software too.

. But, yesterday on my first boot of the day, with the new drivers (358.50) I lost my second screen again.

On restarting, I lost my mouse cursor (keyboard was fine) and had to restart again. (Haven’t had that happen since I first upgraded. I’ve got a RAT3 mouse)

Then everything was fine for the rest of the day.

In short — I’ve got the latest drivers, Windows 10 64-bit version from nVidia’s website, and I’m still having the problem.

How to disconnect monitor without unplugging cable on Windows 10

You can disconnect a monitor without unplugging its physical connection, and in this guide, we’ll show you how to do it on Windows 10.

If you need to disconnect an external monitor, the process is very straightforward, you simply unplug the cable. While it’s a simple solution, connecting and disconnecting a monitor can lead to problems with cable or you can damage video port in the graphics cards as well as in the monitor.

You could also turn off the display, but it’ll still be connected and recognized by Windows 10. However, you can use the Settings app, to properly disconnect a monitor without unplugging the cable.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to disconnect a monitor without having to unplug the cable or turning off the display on Windows 10.

How to disconnect monitor without unplugging using Settings

The steps to disconnect an external monitor will depend on the number of display you have.

Disconnecting display in a dual-monitor setup

To disconnect a monitor in a dual-monitor setup using the Settings app, use these steps:

Use the Windows key + P keyboard shortcut.

Using the “Project” flyout, select the PC screen only option.

Disconnect second monitor without unplugging

Once you’ve completed the steps, the second monitor will disconnect automatically.

Disconnecting display in a triple-monitor setup

To disconnect a monitor on a setup that uses three or more monitors, use these steps:

Open Settings.

Click on Display.

Under the “Select and rearrange displays” section, select the monitor that you want to disconnect.

Select monitor on Windows 10

Under the “Multiple displays” section, use the drop-down menu and select the Disconnect this display option.

Disconnect monitor without unplugging

After completing the steps, the monitor you selected will terminate its connection with Windows 10.

If you want to re-connect the display, you can use the same instructions, but on step No. 4, make sure to select the Extend desktop to this display or any of the “duplicate” options.

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One monitor turns off on sleep mode on Windows 10

Old title: One monitor turns off on sleep mode

So I have a dual monitor setup, Win10 x64. I had a previous install, which worked fine on both monitors. They are supposed to turn off the display after 15 minutes.

After a clean install, they turn off after 15 minutes — but one of them turns power off completely, moving everything on it to the other monitor.

I have checked power settings. Definitely does not say power off, and anyway, it only happens to my one monitor, not the other. They both worked fine physically before.

Replies (8) 

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community.

I understand the inconvenience you’re going through.

What is the make and model of your device?

From your description, I suspect that the issue might be with the incompatible graphics card drivers. Whenever, your PC wakes up, it thinks that your PC is having single display. Hence the second display fails to turn on. Suggest you to check and install the latest Graphics card drivers from device Manufacturer website, to see if it fix this issue. Do check with the below mentioned troubleshooting steps and see if it helps.

Method 1:

Run built in Power troubleshooters to see if it helps.

* Press Windows Key then type ‘troubleshoot’ and hit Enter

* Select “View all” on the left panel and run “Power” troubleshooter from the list and see if it works.

* Click Advanced, ensure to check Apply repairs automatically.

* Click Next and finish the troubleshooting by following the on-screen instructions.

Now check if the problem still persist. If it does, go with the next troubleshooting steps.

Method 2:

Try updating the Graphics card drivers from device manager and check if it helps:

a) Open run command by pressing Windows key + R and type “devmgmt.msc” (without quotes) and hit Enter.

b) Spot and expand the “ Display adapters ”.

c). Right click on the Graphics card driver and select “ Update Driver Software ”. When it prompts to choose an option How do you want to search driver, then go with Search automatically for updated driver software. If you have a driver available on your PC, then select Browse my computer for driver software, then select the appropriate location, where the driver located on your PC for updating it. ( Ensure that PC is connected to Internet while performing this step )

d). Once this is done, restart the computer to check the problem fixed. If it doesn’t fix the issue, then Right click on the same driver and select “ Uninstall ” then restart the system and let the system install the driver automatically on Start. Check and see if it resolve the issue. ( Recommended step )

Method 3:

Try installing drivers in compatibility mode. Compatibility mode runs the program using settings from a previous version of Windows.

Follow these steps to install the drivers in compatibility mode and check if that helps.

a. Download the latest and available driver from the manufacturer’s website.

b. Uninstall the existing graphics card drivers from your PC through Control Panel.

c. Right-click on the driver setup file and click on ‘Properties’ .

d. Click on the ‘Compatibility’ tab and check the box ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select Windows 8/8.1 or 7 operating system from the drop down menu and proceed with the installation. Once this is done, restart the computer and check if the issue persists.

Keep us posted if you require further assistance.

How to prevent Windows 10 screen display from turning off

You might have seen that the screen display turns off automatically when you leave your PC idle for a certain period of time. This function is very helpful to increase the device’s battery life and to some extent, it even prolongs the screen life. However not every person likes this feature. Many people prefer to keep the screen from turning off regardless of whether they actively use their computer or not. On Windows 10, there are multiple ways using which you can prevent your screen display from turning off.

Prevent Windows 10 screen display from turning off

To keep your screen from turning off on a Windows 10 computer, you may use one of these options:

1. Through Settings app
2. By using Command Prompt
3. Through the Control Panel

Let’s see all these methods in details:

1] Through the Settings app

If you want to prevent the screen display from turning off, you need to perform some changes in the Settings app:

1. Open the Windows Settings using Win+I keyboard shortcut and then head to the System > Power & sleep.
2. Move to the right pane and locate the Screen section. Then click on the drop-down menu and set “On battery power, turn off after” as Never.
3. Similarly, click on the drop-down menu and set “When plugged in, turn off after” as Never.
4. After following the above steps, your computer screen display will not turn off automatically.

2] By using Command Prompt

You can also keep your screen from turning off by running a simple command in Command Prompt. To do so, open the Run dialog box using the Win+R keyboard shortcut.

In the text field, type Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys to open Command Prompt with admin privileges. Click on the Yes button if UAC popup on your computer screen.

In the Command Prompt window, type the following command:

Press the Enter key to set timeout setting to never

Furthermore, you can also set your screen timeout settings to never when your PC is running on battery. To do this, type the following command and hit enter to run it:

After running the above commands, it will set your screen timeout setting to never turn off.

3] Through the Control Panel

The next option is the control panel using which you can prevent your Windows 10 screen display from turning off. So let’s see how to do this:

Go to the upper right corner of the screen and make sure the View by option is set to Category.

Now go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.

From the left pane, click the link named Choose when to turn off the display.

In the Edit Plan Settings window, set the “Turn off the display” option to Never using the drop-down menu for both On battery and Plugged in.

Here please note that the “On Battery” option is only available for the laptop computer.