Windows Display not working

Question

Windows Display not working

Shweta Bakshi 20

I just recently started using my old gaming PC for games. Unfortunately, an upgrade from windows 8.1 to windows 10 was necessary however 9 hours later after update no display was available on my monitor, I tried switching from HDMI to VGA and switching between monitors and port. NOTHING! This PC has about 800 GB and I don't want to lose a single byte. Please help me out here.

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Answer accepted by question author

David-M 120.2K Independent Advisor

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

First of all, I don't think you need to worry about storage. This issue is purely related to the display output and system graphics driver, not your storage.

Based on your description, I suspect that the graphics driver that was installed and working on Windows 8.1 is not compatible with Windows 10.

See if the same behavior occurs if you start Windows in Safe Mode.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-startup-settings-1af6ec8c-4d4a-4b23-adb7-e76eef0b847f

You don't have to run Windows in Safe Mode forever. This is just a test to help isolate the source of the problem.

In the step involving the "Windows Recovery Environment" article, the method under "Automatic Repair" is the most suitable for your case.

At the "Startup settings" step, press 4 or F4 to start Windows in Safe Mode.

If your PC displays a screen when starting in Safe Mode, please share a screenshot of your system information.

Press "Windows + R", type msinfo32 and press Enter.

Maximize the window and use the shortcut "Windows + Shift + S" to use the screenshot tool. Or take a picture of the screen using a camera or smartphone and share it.

Looking forward to your reply.

Shweta Bakshi 20 Reputation points

2026-07-22T14:54:49.3733333+00:00

Thanks, I think the main problem here was that my GPU required special drivers from NVIDIA to run and since I had plugged in my GPU to the Motherboard, the motherboard was insisting for the GPU to be responsible for graphics, which it was unable to do as the proper drivers weren't available (to make matters worse NVIDIA requires an NVIDIA GPU to be actively plugged in for the drivers to be installed). I had to remove the CMOS battery and reset the BIOS interface and set the Initial Input Settings to the Integrated Graphics so I could safely plug in the GPU without the risk of No Signal on the monitor, I updated the drivers and changed the BIOS interface to PCIe 1 and everything worked.
Shweta Bakshi 20 Reputation points

2026-07-22T14:56:07.4566667+00:00

Thanks for the help, I wouldn't have understood the graphics issue without you. I thought my GPU was broken, thanks to you I was able to address the software side of the issue!
David-M 120.2K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-22T15:53:12.9566667+00:00

Glad you managed to solve the problem.

Thanks for sharing the details.

Best regards.

1 additional answer

Your answer

Shweta Bakshi 20 Reputation points

2026-07-22T14:54:49.3733333+00:00

Thanks, I think the main problem here was that my GPU required special drivers from NVIDIA to run and since I had plugged in my GPU to the Motherboard, the motherboard was insisting for the GPU to be responsible for graphics, which it was unable to do as the proper drivers weren't available (to make matters worse NVIDIA requires an NVIDIA GPU to be actively plugged in for the drivers to be installed). I had to remove the CMOS battery and reset the BIOS interface and set the Initial Input Settings to the Integrated Graphics so I could safely plug in the GPU without the risk of No Signal on the monitor, I updated the drivers and changed the BIOS interface to PCIe 1 and everything worked.
Shweta Bakshi 20 Reputation points

2026-07-22T14:56:07.4566667+00:00

Thanks for the help, I wouldn't have understood the graphics issue without you. I thought my GPU was broken, thanks to you I was able to address the software side of the issue!
David-M 120.2K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-22T15:53:12.9566667+00:00

Glad you managed to solve the problem.

Thanks for sharing the details.

Best regards.

Answer 1

Thanks, I think the main problem here was that my GPU required special drivers from NVIDIA to run and since I had plugged in my GPU to the Motherboard, the motherboard was insisting for the GPU to be responsible for graphics, which it was unable to do as the proper drivers weren't available (to make matters worse NVIDIA requires an NVIDIA GPU to be actively plugged in for the drivers to be installed). I had to remove the CMOS battery and reset the BIOS interface and set the Initial Input Settings to the Integrated Graphics so I could safely plug in the GPU without the risk of No Signal on the monitor, I updated the drivers and changed the BIOS interface to PCIe 1 and everything worked.