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    External Monitor Flickering When Connected to HP Laptop

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by dcowboys20, Jun 2, 2013.

  1. dcowboys20

    dcowboys20 Newbie

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    Hey guys,

    I've been a lurker on here for awhile now and finally decided to post. I have had my HP Pavilion laptop for 3-4 years now and just recently decided to hook it up to an external monitor to help with home productivity (it's only a 13'' laptop so it was about time). I took my old desktop Dell monitor and plugged it to the laptop via the monitor's VGA cable. However, recently the external monitor (which I have designated as my main display) started flickering for no particular reason. I updated my driver and then googled this issue online. The only real answer I have found is a "grounding" issue that does not pertain to me since my laptop continues to flicker even when it is not plugged in to battery power.

    So, I went out to Best Buy and bought a new VGA cable thinking that perhaps the cable was old and needed to be replaced. Although the new cable initially seemed to fix the issue, the external monitor still flickers at times, sometimes every few minutes and at other times several times per minute.

    I am actually thinking about purchasing a new HD external monitor (I've had this Dell monitor for awhile now), but at this point I'm not sure what the issue is. Maybe it's the monitor, but I'm not sure. I know Dell is a different system than HP, but I can't imagine that has anything to do with it. Maybe I will try re-arranging the location of where the power cables are plugged into the wall.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks so much guys!
     
    dcowboys20, Jun 2, 2013
    #1
  2. dcowboys20

    dcowboys20 Newbie

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    I just purchased a new 23" HP external monitor and although the flickering is less frequent, it still continues. I tried using a power surge and separating the power outlets for each plug (i.e., the plug's of my laptop and the external monitor) but that didn't seem to do the trick. I also tried using an HDMI cable but to no avail. It's funny because these new LED monitors are not supposed to flicker at all (at least according to the guides). That leaves me with two conclusions: there have only been two constants through all these changes: 1) my laptop, and 2) the desk I am setting everything on. The desk is not the most stable of desks and when I type fast on my laptop the desk can shake a little bit. Could this unsteadiness be causing the issue?
     
    dcowboys20, Jun 4, 2013
    #2
  3. TANWare

    TANWare Just This Side of Senile, I think. Super Moderator

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    If the laptop has protection from falling?
     
    TANWare, Jun 6, 2013
    #3