During boot or when the computer is in BIOS the monitor is blank. The laptop internal display is fine. Is there simply a drivers limitation that Windows must load to run the external video? It's also really bad for using the Macrium since I cannot see progress or anything else unless the laptop is opened at the ~90° angle but I want it closed at the home bases. Thanks.
Can't see Extrenal Monitor
- Thread starter LunarMist
- Start date
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
There should be a setting in the BIOS to mirror the screen to external displays on boot. If not, you're out of luck.
(It's not a limitation of the driver, but rather the firmware of the GPU that will have this support or not).
(It's not a limitation of the driver, but rather the firmware of the GPU that will have this support or not).
Well that's not the only problem. It only works properly on AC. On battery the display dims and loses contrast and the battery settings to override it don't exist. This whole laptop maybe should go in the trash. 
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Exactly what laptop are we talking about?
LG Grams, 14' 2021. https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-14z90p-k.aab6u1-ultra-slim-laptop
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Does your notebook have something that overrides the power plan? Group policy settings, maybe?
As far as the display not working in DOS/Firmware, I wouldn't expect either of those modes to have an operable second monitor, and the choice for which screen should be the "main" screen really comes down to whomever created the firmware. Have you tried using a different connection type? Do you connect your display through a dock or directly to the notebook?
As far as the display not working in DOS/Firmware, I wouldn't expect either of those modes to have an operable second monitor, and the choice for which screen should be the "main" screen really comes down to whomever created the firmware. Have you tried using a different connection type? Do you connect your display through a dock or directly to the notebook?
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
Looks like [Fn]+[F7] allows change of display output (user manual pg 116). Could give that a try once in UEFI?
(Assuming direct connect via HDMI and not via a USB/thunderbolt dock).
(Assuming direct connect via HDMI and not via a USB/thunderbolt dock).
I tried that F7, but no dice. I think that's just the way it is with the cheap laptop and HDMI. It means that I won't use the laptop at home, which is not critical.
The dimming/low contrast on battery is really weird and something caused by the OS. Tonight I installed Win 11 from the MS, but could only find the HOME version. I had to make up a bunch of crap to get it installed (is there no 11 Pro available?) and there was no display issue, but it was like 100% superbright. I suspect that would be the same as 10 after downloading the chipset and other necessary drivers even if I could invest the effort to figure out all the Win 11 nonsense. I won't even do that so it means that the images will be ugly on battery. Since the only use for the laptop is storing/viewing photos on travel, I may just keep a long extension in the luggage and make sure it is always plugged. I read that Win 10 is still good for almost 3 years which is as long as the laptop would be viable anyways. I'm planning to use the aircraft mode all the time. I have yet to figure out how to disable anything onboard due to the BIOS not allowing it. If Windows becomes too obnoxious I will get out wire cutters and disable the Wi-Fi.
The dimming/low contrast on battery is really weird and something caused by the OS. Tonight I installed Win 11 from the MS, but could only find the HOME version. I had to make up a bunch of crap to get it installed (is there no 11 Pro available?) and there was no display issue, but it was like 100% superbright. I suspect that would be the same as 10 after downloading the chipset and other necessary drivers even if I could invest the effort to figure out all the Win 11 nonsense. I won't even do that so it means that the images will be ugly on battery. Since the only use for the laptop is storing/viewing photos on travel, I may just keep a long extension in the luggage and make sure it is always plugged.
I read that Win 10 is still good for almost 3 years which is as long as the laptop would be viable anyways. I'm planning to use the aircraft mode all the time. I have yet to figure out how to disable anything onboard due to the BIOS not allowing it. If Windows becomes too obnoxious I will get out wire cutters and disable the Wi-Fi.
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
IIRC, the Home and Pro version use the same ISO, but the version that gets installed is dependent on the license key you use.
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
How did you install Windows 11? by an Upgrade of Window 10, or a clean install via a USB key. If the latter, if you supply a license key that will determine the version of Windows.
Are are you talking about setting up a Microsoft Account during the installation. For Home editions, this is a hard requirement, for Professional editions there is a "Skip" button (which is very hard to see) on the first screen on this process during the Windows installation.
Are are you talking about setting up a Microsoft Account during the installation. For Home editions, this is a hard requirement, for Professional editions there is a "Skip" button (which is very hard to see) on the first screen on this process during the Windows installation.
It was here. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11
Anyways, I'm really not liking all the stupidly unecessary changes in 11 and the MS are trying to enforce it on us.
Anyways, I'm really not liking all the stupidly unecessary changes in 11 and the MS are trying to enforce it on us.
sedrosken
Florida Man
I wouldn't quite call a US$1350.00 laptop cheap. It's more like, it isn't catered to professionals and our needs, because I definitely get that impression between the design of the machine and the listing on their website.
That's not to say that all consumer-class laptops are cheap trash, even ones that used to be exactly that: take the Inspiron, from Dell. I had one back in the Core2 era with a midrange Pentium and it was put together like hot garbage, shiny fingerprint magnet plastic everywhere that cracked and broke if you breathed on it.
In September I took a chance and bought the $649 after-tax-and-shipping SKU of their Inspiron 14, because I needed a smaller machine for work than the local Walmart and Office Depot really had (they had smaller, but nothing that felt like it could live through a day in a backpack) and I needed it within a couple days. I'm very impressed with it. The only plastic part as far as I can tell is the bottom cover, and it's very well put together for what it is. I have no complaints for a machine I damn well expected to be sending back within the grace period once I settled on a refurbished Thinkpad or Latitude. I'm probably upgrading the RAM in it before summer, but that's not the machine's fault, that's more Dell's for having rigid SKUs instead of building to order on consumer stuff.
For my money I got:
- a 1080p matte IPS panel
- a backlit keyboard that actually doesn't feel too bad for a laptop from 2021
- 512GB of NVME storage
- 8GB of RAM in dual-channel (dual SO-DIMM slots, even, so I will be upgrading to at least 16, 8GB isn't quite enough to comfortably do what I need to)
- Win10 Home, which I immediately burnt one of our Pro keys on for Hyper-V manager and to be able to install RSAT
- an i5 11300H, which despite being "below" the i7, isn't so by an appreciable amount in the mobile SKU for Tiger Lake. It's still 4c/8t, it just clocks lower and has less cache, which I see as being able to more comfortably stay within heat specs.
I've never had issues with the display when I'm using it in a multi-head setup (and I do so often, when I'm at the office) and aside from maybe onboard ethernet, which I understand why they didn't put it on a 14" consumer-class thin-and-light, I have no complaints as to ports or the lack thereof. In that case, a dongle works fine.
That said, this does nothing to help you with your issue, and I sympathize with you wanting nothing to do with Windows 11 -- I personally have already sold my boss on commercial software that by and large restores the look and feel of previous Windows versions, StartAllBack, for when the hourglass runs out and we have to start deploying 11, and for my personal machine I hope to be dailying Linux again by the time it becomes the new minimum.
There's a trick to Windows 10/11 Home setup, even just the ending OOBE where OEMs typically leave you, where if you withhold an internet connection, it'll allow you to create a local account rather than forcing you to create a Microsoft account. Pro, however, like Chewy said, will let you do so regardless -- I've relied on this a handful of times setting up new machines to be deployed at a couple of our clients.
That's not to say that all consumer-class laptops are cheap trash, even ones that used to be exactly that: take the Inspiron, from Dell. I had one back in the Core2 era with a midrange Pentium and it was put together like hot garbage, shiny fingerprint magnet plastic everywhere that cracked and broke if you breathed on it.
In September I took a chance and bought the $649 after-tax-and-shipping SKU of their Inspiron 14, because I needed a smaller machine for work than the local Walmart and Office Depot really had (they had smaller, but nothing that felt like it could live through a day in a backpack) and I needed it within a couple days. I'm very impressed with it. The only plastic part as far as I can tell is the bottom cover, and it's very well put together for what it is. I have no complaints for a machine I damn well expected to be sending back within the grace period once I settled on a refurbished Thinkpad or Latitude. I'm probably upgrading the RAM in it before summer, but that's not the machine's fault, that's more Dell's for having rigid SKUs instead of building to order on consumer stuff.
For my money I got:
- a 1080p matte IPS panel
- a backlit keyboard that actually doesn't feel too bad for a laptop from 2021
- 512GB of NVME storage
- 8GB of RAM in dual-channel (dual SO-DIMM slots, even, so I will be upgrading to at least 16, 8GB isn't quite enough to comfortably do what I need to)
- Win10 Home, which I immediately burnt one of our Pro keys on for Hyper-V manager and to be able to install RSAT
- an i5 11300H, which despite being "below" the i7, isn't so by an appreciable amount in the mobile SKU for Tiger Lake. It's still 4c/8t, it just clocks lower and has less cache, which I see as being able to more comfortably stay within heat specs.
I've never had issues with the display when I'm using it in a multi-head setup (and I do so often, when I'm at the office) and aside from maybe onboard ethernet, which I understand why they didn't put it on a 14" consumer-class thin-and-light, I have no complaints as to ports or the lack thereof. In that case, a dongle works fine.
That said, this does nothing to help you with your issue, and I sympathize with you wanting nothing to do with Windows 11 -- I personally have already sold my boss on commercial software that by and large restores the look and feel of previous Windows versions, StartAllBack, for when the hourglass runs out and we have to start deploying 11, and for my personal machine I hope to be dailying Linux again by the time it becomes the new minimum.
There's a trick to Windows 10/11 Home setup, even just the ending OOBE where OEMs typically leave you, where if you withhold an internet connection, it'll allow you to create a local account rather than forcing you to create a Microsoft account. Pro, however, like Chewy said, will let you do so regardless -- I've relied on this a handful of times setting up new machines to be deployed at a couple of our clients.
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It is the cheapest laptop I've purchased for personal use ever, though in 2000 my laptop was just a little more expensive.
Since 2003 I have beeen using the ultralight Fujitsu executive type laptops (P series, then U series) for international travel photography. The Fujitsus were well made and built in Japan, though rather pricey ($2000-3000 with max. RAM and largest drives added later). Many of the models accommodated two 2.5" drives if the optical drive was removed. Fujitsu, Samsung and LG made ultralight (NMT 1.0 kg) 13.3-14 inch Windows laptops in Q1 2018. Now only LG is left (not counting the Surface and other products with weak CPUs and/or insufficient USB ports).
I took the 2TB SSD from the 2018 Fujitsu for the second M.2 slot on the LG and just received a 2TB WD Black SN750 for use as the main SSD. Then I put the 500GB SSD from the LG into the Fujitsu in case I ever want to use it for anything. The difference in quality, accessibility and even the BIOS between the Japanese laptops and the Korean designed/Chinese made LG laptop is quite obvious when working on them side by side. I'm willing to accept the LG, given the relatively low cost and limited use. There are some mice points about the Gram. It is flexible about the PD power source (even a mini 25W phone charger will run it and charge at low loads) so I can get on the plane without carrying a separate laptop power supply. The LG now has 4TB of storage that can be used redundantly or for capacity so I can carry only one external drive instead of two. The display is 16:10; the extra height is nice in the 14" size.
Since 2003 I have beeen using the ultralight Fujitsu executive type laptops (P series, then U series) for international travel photography. The Fujitsus were well made and built in Japan, though rather pricey ($2000-3000 with max. RAM and largest drives added later). Many of the models accommodated two 2.5" drives if the optical drive was removed. Fujitsu, Samsung and LG made ultralight (NMT 1.0 kg) 13.3-14 inch Windows laptops in Q1 2018. Now only LG is left (not counting the Surface and other products with weak CPUs and/or insufficient USB ports).
I took the 2TB SSD from the 2018 Fujitsu for the second M.2 slot on the LG and just received a 2TB WD Black SN750 for use as the main SSD. Then I put the 500GB SSD from the LG into the Fujitsu in case I ever want to use it for anything. The difference in quality, accessibility and even the BIOS between the Japanese laptops and the Korean designed/Chinese made LG laptop is quite obvious when working on them side by side. I'm willing to accept the LG, given the relatively low cost and limited use. There are some mice points about the Gram. It is flexible about the PD power source (even a mini 25W phone charger will run it and charge at low loads) so I can get on the plane without carrying a separate laptop power supply. The LG now has 4TB of storage that can be used redundantly or for capacity so I can carry only one external drive instead of two. The display is 16:10; the extra height is nice in the 14" size.
My experience was that it was trying to find the internet, locked onto a random Wi-Fi from the neighborhood, and asked me to log in. Of course I did not know the password, but there was no cancelling at that point. Maybe I could have used a large Farady bag and to make it time out.
sedrosken
Florida Man
Yeesh. Maybe I'm still just poor, but $3k is a solid chunk of my car note, I'd never spend that much on a computer. But if you need that kind of quality and can pay for it I have no room to talk.
They do their best to hide the option, even without an internet connection. It'd have been one of the blue hyperlinks toward the bottom of the sign-in page, they do whatever they can to discourage it. Notably, if it's ever been connected to the internet in the past that it can remember, it'll hide the option altogether IME. Personally, I actually messed that window up on my laptop, and ended up having to hijack the system account by swapping osk with cmd and make a new user with netplwiz.
I hear Windows 11 is, if anything, even worse about that.
I'm glad I use Pro for work, and am looking to ditch Windows altogether at home.
Chewy509
Wotty wot wot.
From my experience:
- Windows 10 Home and Pro will allow you to create a local account, if no network connection is available. (Hint: disable the devices in UEFI first). If it sees any network adaptor available it will attempt to force it's use, before allowing you to use/create a local account first, so I've always disabled the devices in UEFI, did the initial install and then enable the devices later.
- Windows 11 Pro, is as per above.
- Windows 11 Home, will halt the installation if no network or network device is available. And it forces you to create a MS account on installation. (No Skip button on the section to create a MS Account).
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
A general purpose answer to this: ALWAYS tell the Windows installer you don't have connectivity during the setup process. Windows 11 Home does make users create a Microsoft account a few days after they've connected to a network, but if you say you don't have a connection, it will let the install finish.
In 2003 I recall spending $600 for a 2GB memory card that held only 200 images. Prices have dropped over the years, but the latest fast cards are more expensive than a few years ago, e.g., 128GB is now about $200 and 512GB about $650. Laptops will always be necessary at this rate.
Sometimes I'd rather travel in Economy with it's rules rather than Business/First. In some regions they are rather strict on size/weight, so I try to minimize gear where possible. In North and Central America Business/First is usually not too expensive or I can get by in Economy, but in parts of South America, Europe, Asia and Africa the carryon limits are tight and the cost differential might be $3-5K round trip.