Black (literally off) screen - related to "phantom" monitor?

Jersey Tom

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Machine: HP Envy 17 3070nr w/ AMD 7690M XT.

I've been struggling for the past several days with this, getting odd behavior where Windows 8 might install just fine or start a session OK but then at some point my laptop monitor just turns off. Even seems to happen on start up before getting to the lock screen.

Yesterday I went all out, did factory image reset to Windows 7... updated the Intel HD drivers... went to Catalyst 12.11 beta drivers as well. Installed Win 8 as an upgrade.

All seemed OK briefly, then I got some screen flickering, and it returned to normal... except for the fact that it then thought I had two monitors! I think at some point over the weekend while I was screwing around with this it I had my TV plugged in via HDMI and it showed up as monitor 3. In any event I could move my mouse over well past the bounds of my "real" monitor and there was definitely a phantom area out there. Furthermore under 'Devices' on the right hand bar it showed I had a second monitor.

To try and get rid of that I set my "projector" settings to duplicate the monitors rather than extend... at which point it just turned off and wouldn't return/revert.

Anyone else experience this? Any idea of why it would think I have a phantom second monitor? Seems awfully suspicious given how many issues I've had.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8, maybe?
Ah hah! This is definitely the main problem I've been having now! Even with my Intel HD graphics disabled, upon reboot Windows think it finds a second monitor when there isn't one there. Not only that but it makes it the PRIMARY monitor so you can't see anything. You have to just key in your password / PIN, then it will bring you to the desktop.

The question is how the heck do I get rid of this thing permanently!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8, maybe?
Update.. disabling, uninstalling, and blowing away (Driver Fusion) the Intel drivers is of no avail. Upon reboot, MS finds its own set of drivers for the thing and gets it going again - the phantom monitor cannot be killed!

Windows seems adamant to use both display drivers simultaneously. Maybe it's just back to the whole switchable graphics things. At least at this stage I've set the "real" monitor to the primary one so I can see what I'm doing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8, maybe?
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