Unfortunately, back to square one. Black Surface screen but working external monitors. The change this time is that the display settings only show the 2 external monitors, but the mouse seems to be tracking tacross all 3. The mouse is not visible when it is on the Surface screen, but the delay between moving the mouse from one screen to the other is obvious that it is going across the Surface screen.
Surface Pro only visible on External Monitors
- Thread starter tdub4
- Start date
When you <right-click> on an open area of the desktop and choose "Display settings" is the "Brightness and color" slider ("Change brightness for the built-in display") all the way to the right?
It almost sounds like Windows considers the Surface Pro screen to be active, but for whatever reason, the screen brightness is stuck at 0.
Can you drag a window from one of the external monitors to the Surface Pro? Does the window disappear from the external monitor and seemingly vanish, but still show on the Task Bar of the main monitor as being active?
And, doubt this is relevant, but, is the "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes" un-selected?
It almost sounds like Windows considers the Surface Pro screen to be active, but for whatever reason, the screen brightness is stuck at 0.
Can you drag a window from one of the external monitors to the Surface Pro? Does the window disappear from the external monitor and seemingly vanish, but still show on the Task Bar of the main monitor as being active?
And, doubt this is relevant, but, is the "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes" un-selected?
Hard.Wired
Member
Correct, but I was hoping your problem was related.
I find the problem you are having bizarre. Outside of an intermittent hardware failure (the worst kind of thing to debug without taking it apart) I am starting to wonder if this is a firmware update gone bad.
Saturday Update: After my last attempt to reinstall Windows was unsuccessful to resolve the local screen issue, I used the Surface in external monitor mode for the past week.
I then…1) purchased a new device as a replacement or standby laptop (this is the second time a Surface has failed me - the first being the Pro4 whereby the internal battery expanded pushing the screen outward - so confidence percentage is low right now). I did this because I need my device for work while in remote meetings and won’t always have an external monitor and 2) reached out to the warranty company that I purchased last year to inquire about a fix.
In prepping the Surface to send back, with yet another Windows clean install, the screen is now working and has not gone blank again. So my dilemma is…if I send it in and it works, there is nothing for them to repair or replace. I have a note ready to go to say it will happen soon, but I would anuticipate they just send it back if it isnt doing the same behavior.
Thinking I will hang on a bit and see if it fails again and then send. I will keep the other device in the meantime.
I then…1) purchased a new device as a replacement or standby laptop (this is the second time a Surface has failed me - the first being the Pro4 whereby the internal battery expanded pushing the screen outward - so confidence percentage is low right now). I did this because I need my device for work while in remote meetings and won’t always have an external monitor and 2) reached out to the warranty company that I purchased last year to inquire about a fix.
In prepping the Surface to send back, with yet another Windows clean install, the screen is now working and has not gone blank again. So my dilemma is…if I send it in and it works, there is nothing for them to repair or replace. I have a note ready to go to say it will happen soon, but I would anuticipate they just send it back if it isnt doing the same behavior.
Thinking I will hang on a bit and see if it fails again and then send. I will keep the other device in the meantime.
When my Surface Pro (2017) did the same thing out of warranty, Microsoft was responsive and took responsibility for getting me a replacement SP. (Getting the replacement ended up being a epic tale involving not being able to ship to me in Mexico, and then a ton of miscommunication with Microsoft Thailand when I returned home there, but that's a whole 'nother thread.)
I remember another user in The Netherlands saying they had no luck with Microsoft replacing their SP with an expanding battery, though. Were you dealing with Microsoft US?
Yes, it would be a hard sell for them to replace a currently functioning computer on the word of the owner saying it will happen again soon.
Good luck. I truly hope the problem doesn't re-Surface (pun intended.
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