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I am having a weird problem with my monitors, and I'm hoping that if I set it out here then either just doing so will make something click, or if not, that one of you lot will have some clever ideas that I haven't tried yet. (ETA: I think I've found a solution. Thank you all for being my rubber ducks!)
My main computer is laptop, but most of the time I connect it to this docking station which connects it to two monitors and a mouse and keyboard. Yesterday morning this was working fine. In the afternoon I disconnected it to take the laptop with me, and when I got back and plugged it back in to the docking station it couldn't see the mouse and keyboard, but not the monitors.
I then tried connecting one of the monitors directly to the computer with a HDMI cable, and it still couldn't see it. The "Detect other display" button in display settings gets the message "We didn't find another display". I tried the other monitor and got the same result.
I tried my work laptop with both monitors, and it also couldn't see them.
But this is where it gets weird. I then tried connecting them to our TV, and that worked fine. I swapped the HDMI cables, and continued to be able to connect to the TV, but not to either monitor.
I'm stumped, because if it was a problem with the computer, then swapping the laptops should fix it, but if it's a problem with the monitors, then why did both of them stop working at exactly the same time?
Okay, more experimentation. It turns out that if I switch from an HDMI to a VGA cable, then my work laptop can connect to either monitor, but my personal one doesn't have a VGA port.
Also, when I have the HDMI cable plugged into the monitor but not connected to anything at the other end, I get a message on the monitor "Check Signal Cable", but when I then plug it into the laptop, the message changes to "HDMI - Power saving mode" and then goes blank after a short period, so some kind of connection is being made, just not one that actually outputs anything.
I am utterly confused. Does anyone have any ideas?
Edit: Okay. The second monitor is now behaving on a DVI connection via the docking station. That's how it was connected before, so my working theory is now that the HDMI ports on both monitors are buggered, but that Monitor 2 has been that way for ages. Monitor 1, as previously mentioned, is connecting to my work laptop okay with a VGA cable, so if I get a VGA to HMDI or USB adaptor, I can connect to the docking station that way, and all should be well.
My main computer is laptop, but most of the time I connect it to this docking station which connects it to two monitors and a mouse and keyboard. Yesterday morning this was working fine. In the afternoon I disconnected it to take the laptop with me, and when I got back and plugged it back in to the docking station it couldn't see the mouse and keyboard, but not the monitors.
I then tried connecting one of the monitors directly to the computer with a HDMI cable, and it still couldn't see it. The "Detect other display" button in display settings gets the message "We didn't find another display". I tried the other monitor and got the same result.
I tried my work laptop with both monitors, and it also couldn't see them.
But this is where it gets weird. I then tried connecting them to our TV, and that worked fine. I swapped the HDMI cables, and continued to be able to connect to the TV, but not to either monitor.
I'm stumped, because if it was a problem with the computer, then swapping the laptops should fix it, but if it's a problem with the monitors, then why did both of them stop working at exactly the same time?
Okay, more experimentation. It turns out that if I switch from an HDMI to a VGA cable, then my work laptop can connect to either monitor, but my personal one doesn't have a VGA port.
Also, when I have the HDMI cable plugged into the monitor but not connected to anything at the other end, I get a message on the monitor "Check Signal Cable", but when I then plug it into the laptop, the message changes to "HDMI - Power saving mode" and then goes blank after a short period, so some kind of connection is being made, just not one that actually outputs anything.
I am utterly confused. Does anyone have any ideas?
Edit: Okay. The second monitor is now behaving on a DVI connection via the docking station. That's how it was connected before, so my working theory is now that the HDMI ports on both monitors are buggered, but that Monitor 2 has been that way for ages. Monitor 1, as previously mentioned, is connecting to my work laptop okay with a VGA cable, so if I get a VGA to HMDI or USB adaptor, I can connect to the docking station that way, and all should be well.
