I have a long time customer with a Dell 390 Core i5 that added a second monitor. It worked for a week and then after the last Windows Update would not boot. Remove either monitor and it boots fine. (One is an old Acer 1920x1080 and the new one is a Lenovo 1920x1200.) I can add back the second monitor hot (after boot) and all works fine but will not boot again until the second monitor is pulled. I've never seen of heard of this before although my Googling has just started. Device Manager just shows the both monitors together as generic but each monitor when by itself by its brand so I may start there.
Desktop won't boot to dual monitors after last Windows Update
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frase
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VGA and HDMI. It will boot from either but not both. The Lenovo monitor has a DP port and just out of curiosity I tried to daisy-chain the Acer to it with a DP>HDMI cable but no luck. (With the right monitors you can daisy-chain four DP monitors together.)
I'm starting to wonder if this Dell did a BIOS update during Windows Updates. Not the same symptoms as mentioned in our thread though.
www.technibble.com
New Dell BIOS updates cause laptops and desktops not to boot
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/new-dell-bios-updates-cause-laptops-and-desktops-not-to-boot/
www.technibble.com
HCHTech
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Could also just be a coincidence of timing. A 390 core is pretty old at this point - power supply getting weak.
The Optiplexs have a LED 1-4 indicators on the front panel. I had tracked down the error lights (1,3,4) to Dell's chart that says -
- Clear CMOS.
- Disconnect all internal and external devices, and restart the computer. If the computer boots, add the adapter back one by one until you find the faulty card.
- If the problem persists, the computer board/system board component is probably bad.
cypress
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Uninstalled and re-installed the graphics card drivers? If Intel, then I would get from Intel driver assistant.
I haven't gone here yet as the two monitors worked together for over a week. She said it wouldn't boot, but then booted for me on one monitor and Windows Updates was finishing up when it did boot. This is a stock Optiplex 390. I've probably sold 25-30 of these over the years as refurbs. Never issues with multiple monitors on the stock Intel graphics after an ISO install of Win10.
britechguy
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I cannot emphasize enough that when it comes to Intel drivers, using Intel Driver & Support assistant is the only way to go. They churn out updates to their drivers at a blinding pace, and the only place likely to have the latest, at any random moment in time, is Intel.
Just a concluding post on this thread -
It's not a driver issue because the fail to boot happens during the POST phase of things, not Windows. I replaced the Lenovo (1920x1200) monitor with an Acer (1920x1080) like the other monitor and it boots fine. In turn, I dropped in a very cheap Radeon 6450 video adapter with the original two mis-matched monitors (Lenovo and Acer) and it boots and runs fine so that's where I'm leaving it.
It's not a driver issue because the fail to boot happens during the POST phase of things, not Windows. I replaced the Lenovo (1920x1200) monitor with an Acer (1920x1080) like the other monitor and it boots fine. In turn, I dropped in a very cheap Radeon 6450 video adapter with the original two mis-matched monitors (Lenovo and Acer) and it boots and runs fine so that's where I'm leaving it.
Blues
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Might be the higher resolution or the total combined resolution with the mismatched monitor is out of spec for the display capabilities of the adapter.
Just had the same issue with a HP AIO I've just set up. Customer wanted a second display so attached a brand new HP monitor via HDMI to the port on the back and it wouldn't boot. Unplug the monitor it boots fine and the monitor works if I attach it after boot. Tried Windows updates, driver updates, BIOS update and no joy. As the height of the monitor didn't perfectly match that of the AIO the customer wasn't sure whether they wanted to keep it, so I left it unplugged whilst they decide. Will have another look at it again if they do decide to keep the second display.
Whilst the specs on the place where they bought the second monitor from had the resolution as being 1920 x 1080 I did notice that Windows showed it as being higher than that. Seems it might not like having two displays of differing resolutions which seems daft
Whilst the specs on the place where they bought the second monitor from had the resolution as being 1920 x 1080 I did notice that Windows showed it as being higher than that. Seems it might not like having two displays of differing resolutions which seems daft
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