New ASUS Laptop Screen Issues

I recently purchased this brand new laptop for light gaming/web surfing/audio editing. I have it connected to a 47" Vizio LED TV which runs at 120Hz using HDMI. The native resolution is 1920x1280. The computer is set to project to second screen only, and in this mode, it works fine. I am able to do anything I want to do without interruption. There is no lag, and the computer's resources are not overwhelmed, even when playing fullscreen 3D games from the computer. However, when I want to take my laptop away from the TV and go somewhere with it, the screen on the laptop flashes on and off several times per minutes, as if its trying to "reset" the resolution. I have tried unplugging everything, restarting, checking every graphics setting I can find, and I can't make it quit. I paid nearly a grand for this thing and I want it to work right, but I can't figure out what the problem is. Anybody have any ideas what might be causing this and why?

Hello rsteele1113 and welcome! The standard first question always has to be: have installed the latest drivers and BIOS? I see you have Intel HD graphics. Make sure you try the latest driver from Asus or try the latest at Intel site.

I notice in your system specs you have listed your laptop as a SonicMaster. That is the sound technology it is using, not the model. Do you know the model? You need that the search for the correct drivers.

popeye said:

Hello rsteele1113 and welcome! The standard first question always has to be: have installed the latest drivers and BIOS? I see you have Intel HD graphics. Make sure you try the latest driver from Asus or try the latest at Intel site.

I notice in your system specs you have listed your laptop as a SonicMaster. That is the sound technology it is using, not the model. Do you know the model? You need that the search for the correct drivers.

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Thank you for the welcome

Firstly, I was completely unaware how many more fields there were to fill out on the system specs...I only fixed the model number for now, I will fill the rest out soon.

Secondly, there were no updates for any drivers concerning the video, and the BIOS is locked so I couldn't install any updates even if I found them. What I mean by locked is that you cannot do anything to any system settings. They are all "greyed out" if you will.

I'm also thinking, from what I learned when I got my degree in network administration from the small A+ class, if it was a driver issue, it would affect the system while connected to the TV as well, but it's only when I use the built-in display.

During typing this just now, the problem got incredibly bad, it was flickering every second for a few minutes, and I could see in between blackness that the task bar only showed the basic 3 icons for WiFi, volume and battery charge, the clock and language went away, and also the start button went away during this time. It essentially locked down and I couldn't click shut down, so I was holding the power button down until it shut off, which it should have done after 10 or 15 seconds, but it didn't, just sat there for a while, so I pressed the power button again, and the laptop screen (I should clarify that I am currently only using the laptop screen, completely disconnected from TV) came back on. The system never restarted, it was like it went to sleep or something. Now the problem is much better, it's only cutting off once every 2 or 3 minutes. Somewhat usable in this state.

I am using the Classic Shell data so I can have a usable computer. The windows 8 format is awful and I couldn't stand it, so the first thing I did was found Classic Shell. Anyways, thanks again for your time and response. I updated the model number of the computer in my profile, I'll get around to filling in all the other blanks soon. Hope this extra input helps to discover what it might be.

Additional note about Classic Shell and this problem: This problem started only about a month ago. I have had the computer since...the end of February or so, but like I said, the day I got it, I installed Classic Shell and there was never any problem for the longest time. I haven't really installed anything else new or done anything out of the ordinary, so why this problem just suddenly happened, unless it was one of the automatic system updates, is beyond me...

Well, that is a lot more info than you first provided.

Windows has a habit of updating Intel HD graphics drivers without the user knowing it and actually causing problems. If Device Manager allows you to roll back the graphics driver I would try that. If still a problem, you may very well have a hardware issue.

P.S. This is the driver I've been using and works well: Download Intel HD Graphics Driver 10.18.10.3496 for Windows 8.1 64 bit

I have the same computer and am having the same problem only it has gotten to the point where I can no longer use the laptop screen, as it just constantly flashes. Did you ever figure out a fix for your computer?

kampfjm09 said:

I have the same computer and am having the same problem only it has gotten to the point where I can no longer use the laptop screen, as it just constantly flashes. Did you ever figure out a fix for your computer?

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As much as I wish I could say yes....I can't. I haven't found a completely solid fix, though I have narrowed it down some.

I tried the driver updates listed above and nothing changed unfortunately (thanks for the help guys) however, I found something that made mine at least usable, but it still flashes some. The on-screen keyboard, the one that's on the taskbar, refreshes itself every time the screen flashes. You can permanently disable it though, by following these instructions:

Open Explorer
1. Tap "This PC" in left column
2. Tap "Computer" tab
3. Tap "Manage" on upper right

Then in column on left:
1. Tap "Computers"
2. Tap "Computer Management"
3. Double-Tap "Services and Application"
4. Double-Tap "Services"
Scroll down to "Touch Keyboard and..."
Tap "Turn off" on upper left


Then in far right column:
1. Tap "More Actions" under "Keyboard"
2. Tap "Properties"
3. Next to "Startup type:" select "disabled"

I had to restart the computer several times over a few days before it finally seemed to take hold, but it did reduce the flashing, however it also takes away the on-screen keyboard, if you use it.

Other than that, I haven't been able to figure out the actual root cause. Sorry I can't help more, and I hope those instructions help some. The original page those came from is at How do I disable the Touch Keyboard entirely? - Microsoft Community

I have email alerts on this page when there's new replies, so if you ever figure out the cause and/or fix, I'd love to know, and same goes if I find it, I'll certainly post it here as well. Have a good night

Hi,

I was wondering if you have gotten any further resolution to this screen problem.

I've had my Asus laptop for a few months, and it started doing this exact thing last week. The screen will start turning on and off under just like as if I was changing the screen resolution repeated. It happens under video load - either a computer game or sometimes youtube videos. It will happen sporadically at first, but then will start doing it more and more until that is all it's doing. The touch screen icon resets every time. It's not getting particularly hot, so it doesn't seem like overheating.

It had never done this until a week ago. I think I'm still under warranty, but I'd much rather just get it working than try to get it replaced.

I am very sorry, but I still have not resolved the issue. I have even contacted Asus and they can't figure it out. I have given up hope and basically just pretend its a cheap desktop with it plugged into another screen. Completely defeats the purpose of a laptop though. *sigh* oh well I guess. Some products have glitches.....Again, I'm sorry I can't offer more help :/

Oh well, thanks for responding. I'm sorry to hear that. This is only 1 of 2 threads I can find anywhere with the same problem, so figured it was worth a shot.

I'm definitely out of ideas. Rolled back updates, re-installed Windows, flashed the Bios, etc. At this point, I think it has to be some sort of weird hardware failure, but that's completely out of my depth.

I sent a report to Asus tech support and will see what happens - I'll post back if I hear anything different.