How to Test a Computer Monitor That Isn’t Working
Follow these troubleshooting steps to test your monitor:
If Nothing Else Works, Replace the Monitor
If nothing works, you might not have had a monitor problem at all but instead there might be an issue with the rest of the computer system. As mentioned above, it’s probably time to figure out why nothing is being sent to the monitor. Also be sure to check for any cable adapters that aren’t fully secured, such as a small connector that joins an HDMI or DVI cable to a VGA plug, or vice versa. This could be due to a number of things like a missing/corrupt video card driver or an incorrect setup procedure. For example, maybe a projector is connected to the laptop but not set up as an additional screen (so it remains black), or maybe the projector is configured as the primary display, and so the on-board screen is black. If the new monitor you connected doesn’t show anything either, proceed to Step 7. If the new monitor you connected does show information from your computer, proceed to Step 8. Chances are your original monitor is working fine but something else is to blame, like a disconnected or faulty video card, for example.
