Stopped recognizing the 2nd monitor I'm using. Now won't recognize the monitor. How to get 2nd monitor up and running again.

Question

My computer froze up, after a hard reboot the computer now only see's 1 monitor. After trying all updates and rebooting the computer doesn't recognize the other monitor. I know cables and hardware is good as I can reboot to use either of the monitors as they are sitting but only 1. The computer doesn't see the 2nd monitor or when asked to find a 2nd one doesn't recognize. Please help. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Try reinstalling the video drivers, open the start menu, search device manager, within device manager find the video driver, right click go to properties, within properties go to drivers and reinstall.

Hope this helps,

JC

Answer 2

Hi Kevin Torgerson,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum and sharing the details of your issue. I understand how frustrating it can be when your second monitor suddenly stops working, especially after a hard reboot.

This issue may occur due to corrupted display settings, outdated drivers, or power management features preventing the graphics card from properly detecting connected monitors after a system freeze or reboot.

To help resolve this, I suggest a few additional actions you can try:

Step 1: Update Graphics, BIOS and Chipset drivers

• Download the latest graphics drivers directly from your GPU manufacturer’s website instead to ensure of driver compatibility.
• Check your BIOS version by typing "msinfo32" in Windows Search, then update BIOS and chipset drivers from your PC manufacturer’s support page also.
• Follow official instructions carefully when updating BIOS.

Step 2: Disable Link State Power Management

• Open Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Advanced settings.
• Expand PCI Express > Link State Power Management.
• Set it to Off.

It prevents PCIe from entering low-power states that can interfere with GPU communication and cause monitors to go undetected after a reboot. This may help in some similar cases where power management interrupts display detection.

Step 3: Reset display configuration

• Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run these commands:

    dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
    sfc /scannow
  

• These commands repair system files and may help restore display-related configurations.

Step 4: Perform a Clean Boot

• Press Windows + R, type "msconfig", and hit Enter.
• In System Configuration, go to Services > check Hide all Microsoft services > click Disable all.
• Go to Startup > click Open Task Manager > disable all startup items.
• Restart your PC and test the second monitor.
• If it works, re-enable services one by one to identify the conflicting app.

*Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem. 

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get back on track. 

These steps often resolve detection problems after system freezes or reboots. If the issue persists, please let me know, and I’ll continue to assist you.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

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