Installing Windows 10 Switched Off My Laptop Screen (& How I Fixed It)

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Windows 10 is very new so bugs are absolutely expected. I took a leap of faith by installing it. Happy I did though...
Last night, I left my Asus N61j (bought in 2010) on overnight for the lengthy Windows 7 to Windows 10 free update. The update downloaded quietly in the background & a window appeared early last night informing me that it was ready & prompting me to install it. Since I depend on this laptop to get work done, I didn't want to have my current system configurations messed with (like the many horror stories I've heard about Windows 8.1) so I wanted to delay the installation. Unfortunately, I clicked wrongly & ended up at the point of no return. The installation was confirmed so I restarted my computer to allow it to happen. It took a really long time so I left & went to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I was excited to try out the new OS. I moved my mouse & wondered why the screen was still off. I pushed the power button & restarted the computer. There was a new Windows loading screen but after that... nothing. I restarted again... same thing... nothing!

The computer was clearly still running so I plugged it into my TV & found out that installing Windows 10 had shut off my laptop screen. On another screen, I checked Device Manager, Display Drivers, Display Settings & couldn't find anything wrong! My laptop screen was detected &, according to the OS, it should be on. Then, I decided to take my troubleshooting online. I couldn't find anything on this topic at all!

If installing Windows 10 gave you the same problem, how I fixed my screen shutting off might be of help to you or someone you know. It's so simple even a 10 year old could do it.


1. Searching Online Was Futile

There were websites with information about screen problems but none of them were for Windows 10. The solutions were for similar issues in Win7 or Win8. However, a common prescription was tweaking the Power Settings. So, I decided it was worth a try on my laptop.

2. Load the Power Options = Problem Solved... BUT!!!

Loading Power Options seemed to solve the problem.
When I decided to load the Power Options manager provided by Asus, I got a User Account Control warning. After clicking "Yes", my laptop screen miraculously SWITCHED ON!!! I was so happy, I jumped around the room & kissed my wife.

BUT!!! As I was exploring the new OS, I clicked the "Brightness" button in the Action Center. Suddenly, my screen switched off again!

3. The Real Fix = Display Brightness

62 is the minimum brightness to keep my laptop screen on.
My heart sank. What did I do this time? Once again, I switched to another screen & continued troubleshooting. I loaded the Power Options again & clicked around randomly. Soon, I found out that the display brightness setting affected whether my laptop screen was on or off. Anything below 62% brightness & my screen will switch off so I kept it there.

I don't like bright screens when I'm using my laptop but this is something that I can live with. Better to have it on & bright.

4. My Thoughts On Windows 10

Switching from Win7 & having played around a little bit with Win8.1, I find that Win10 is somewhere in between Win7 & Win8. It's also surprisingly smooth & quick. I do like the Action Center & Start Menu.


Was this helpful to you? Do you have better solution? I really want to lower my display brightness without switching off the screen.
Do share your thoughts in the comments!

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