Why Is My Desktop Not Showing on the Connected TV?
Anyone with a desktop computer with a small monitor or working on a laptop in the living room has probably dreamed of the same dream one day: connecting their computer to a huge TV. And why not? A TV is a giant display, isn’t it? Why bother with a tiny monitor or laptop screen when your 55-inch (or larger) TV isn’t in use?
Physically connecting your TV to your computer is easy enough, even if you have to buy a new cable (or dongle) to go from your system to your TV’s HDMI input. Getting these two to play well, however, is a bit of a headache.
As Lifehacker reader Brian John Barbo writes:
“My motherboard is working properly. It turns on correctly. The only problem I ran into is that I don’t have a display on my monitor – the big TCL TV. I tried to change the power supply, but it makes no sense. I also tried disassembling my computer again, but that did not solve my problem. Any suggestions? “
Troubleshoot your tricky TV
Well, Brian, you’ve already done everything I suggested trying. If your TV is not displaying an image when you plug it into your computer, I’m not sure what your power supply is to blame. And while it’s great that you took your computer apart and rebuilt it – sometimes it can fix the weirdest problems – it’s a nuclear approach too, given how long it takes (and how you can end up making your problems worse if you mess things up- then up).
In this case, there are a few more tricks you can try to get your TV up and running again. First of all, let’s all agree that HDMI can be a headache at times. I spent years wrestling with my receiver’s HDMI connections – my computer is sending signal to both my desktop monitor and my connected TV – until I stumbled upon a handy fix that finally got my audio stable. So I sympathize with you in the questions you have. I do.
Let’s try a simple fix first. Try a different version of the cable you use to connect your computer to your TV – you never know. You can also try using a different port on your computer, if possible, to see if it is giving you a signal. Try the same trick with your TV: Do the other HDMI ports work?
While you are doing this, try disconnecting the TV from the computer, turning on the TV, and switching from HDMI to something else. Then turn on your computer again, wait for it to boot into your operating system, reconnect the HDMI cable, and flip the TV back to HDMI connection mode. With luck?
If that doesn’t work, try turning off your computer and TV. Wait. First turn on your TV, make sure it is set to the HDMI connection you are using, then turn on your computer. Maybe the problem is OK here and your TV is just very picky about what it does when it detects (or doesn’t detect) HDMI signals.
If you are still having problems, make sure you are using the latest graphics drivers for your system (and the latest BIOS for your motherboard). If you have an AMD or Nvidia discrete card, download the latest drivers and try running a clean install – you need a different AMD app that can be done as part of any regular Nvidia driver update. If you are using integrated graphics, check with your laptop or desktop motherboard manufacturer to make sure you have the latest drivers. Or, if you are using Intel graphics, you can just go straight to the source .
Also, if you have a Smart TV, have you updated the firmware for your TV? This might help too.
There may be settings – such as the resolution or refresh rate of your system – that are incompatible with your TV. Try to set it to at least 800×600 and the lowest refresh rate you can work with. Does this give you a picture? If so, start increasing the settings to see how high you can climb before you lose your image. (Or, I suppose, you can just check your TV manual to see what resolution and refresh rates it supports.)
When it comes to computer problems, display problems, especially TVs, rank fairly high on the Why Is This Happening To Me? list. If all else fails, you can try bringing your system to a friend’s house to see if it works with their suite. At the very least, it can help you figure out if you have a system or TV problem and can tinker with the settings from there to try and make it work.
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